Downtown Philadelphia

Saturday was spent in downtown Philadelphia.

Icelandic Horses

In grade school I hate the choice to write a research paper on any country in the world. I chose Iceland. Why? I'm not sure. I've always been fascinated with snow and the cold, and Iceland has a lot to offer in this area. This photo was taken by Marketa Kalvachova and is of horses braving the chill in snowy Iceland. Found via NatGeo.

Travel Preference

It's always been a dream of mine to travel via bike. But I guess that would require my fear of cycling amidst traffic.

Photo from here.

France In Your Bedroom

Now, with a little help from Etsy, you can have Paris in your own bedroom.

Brooklyn

Love this map of Brooklyn.

Philadelphia Snow Day

Sometimes it's just as fun to explore some old haunts instead of jetting off to a new adventure. I want to always be able to enjoy what's in front of me, what's present, what's here. These photos are from a recent excursion of exploring my city of Philadelphia. I'll always love this place.

The Sahara Desert

Street artist M-E-S-A travelled to the Sahara Desert to see a stunning expression of speaking out in the peaceful form of art. Read more about this project and photography here.

First found on My Modern Met.

Maps of the World

Conde Nast pulled together a little collection of maps of the world. I love the different styles and interpretations from vintage to modern to simplistic.  My favorite is this one pictured above from Best Made Company. I would love to have a map one day to trace my travels on.

Dogsledding in Norway

Today I'd rather be dogsledding in Norway.

Time Is Nothing

It's my dream to travel the world, right? This man did it. He answers some fascinating questions to how he paid for it (surprisingly it was the same coast as staying at home in SF) and what equipment he used. This video literally brought up so much emotion that's inside of me when I see the world. I just can't wait until its my turn.

To learn more about the places in the photographs visit Kien's website Around The World.


Title: Time is Nothing by Kien Lam
Original Music: Places and Faces by William Lam [Metaphysika Sounds]

Vietnam

Love these photos of Vietnam from Kate Headley. In all my travels I have never been to a country in Asia before, and this is only fueling my interest.

Prague

Today I would rather been in Prague.

These photos are by Natasha.
First found here.

Stainless by Adam Magyar

Speeding into the subway station you miss a lot of the action. This is what it looks like when a train pulls in with everyone waiting to board. Can you see yourself there?

Also, note the little girls running in the background. Love that.

War Songs From Congo

"War has shaped all their life. They were less than few years old when genocide in Rwanda happened causing millions of refugees fleeing into their homeland: South and North Kivu. Causing instability in the region, humanitarian crisis, genocide and in the end, as a result: domestic war. Nowadays they are teenagers, or in their mid-twenties and they recall that time as their first and worst memories ever. What they remember from the period later was not much better.

Usually they don’t have a say. The cliché gives them no other option: they are seen as victims, killers or freaks. They live in one of the most dangerous and dreadful places in the world: in Kivus in East Democratic Republic of Congo, where war lasted for two decades. Young hip-hop, rap and RnB musicians (Dangerous, Young Boys, B2K, Kashmal, Lille Cent, Peace Life, Victory and many others) want to rebuild their life."

First found here.

Plane Picnics

The talented Jo wrote a great article on how to pack your own plane picnic to avoid robbery chicken and mushy vegetables that are now being served on board for a price! She asks some in the know food bloggers about what they'd pack and their suggestions are great! Next time I'll be sure to pack a bagel and a clementine : )

The Travel Notebook

If you're a hipster, then chances are that you own a moleskine. Probably two, in fact. However, at the risk of sounding too hipster I'm going to share with you my latest travel crush.

The passions travel journal is like the bottom of my backpack meets a nicely organized, categorized, and leather bound upgrade!

I know this list seems kind of long but read through it - you'll be amazed at what comes inside!
Inside features:

• 240 pages split into 10 tabbed sections to plan all my travel needs
• Tabs:
• Wish List
• Planning
• Weekend Trips
• Short Trips
• Long Trips
• Personalized tabs that you can customize!
• Stickers, Icons, Glossaries, Listings, Themed Calendars, a Double Pocket for Clipping, Ticket & Card Collection
• Handy Information
• International Airport Codes
• Flight Durations
• Time Zones
• Temperatures
• And More!

I found one of these while hanging out at a local bookstore and almost bought one on the spot! However, I didn't feel like going into overdraft this month so I pocketed the $17 for another time. But seriously, $17?! What a steal! If your'e still not convinced then watch this video.

Also, in case you weren't aware, Moleskin also makes a TON of city-specific travel journals that are filled with great tips for each city. I kind of want to buy the Philadelphia one so I can explore my own home even more : )

I'd love to hear how you stay organized while on the go! Do you have any helpful travel tips?

The Band's Visit

*A quick note - This is my first film review (so sorry you can tell) But I just wanted to share this movie with you because it really connected with me and I hope it does with you as well. I hope with time to continue to get better at writing film reviews.

You know when you get a movie from Netflix that you forgot you had on your Queue? It happened to me the other day and it was a pleasant surprise! I took a film class this past semester and was recommend to watch all kinds of movies outside of the required ones for class. This film caught my particular interest. Perhaps it's because I spent 8 months abroad in 2011 living in Israel Palestine. The familiar Hebrew and Arabic sounded like music to my ears, and the dusty abandoned roads shook up some memories I had been missing.

The film takes place over the course of one night. The Alexandria Police Orchestra is on their way to perform at the grand opening of a new Arab Culture Center in Bet Hatikva. Along the journey they loose their way and wind up in a no name town with abandoned streets and a sassy restauranteur named Dina.

Things I liked about the film: It's rare to find a film that surveys the human estate as it is. Hollywood is often too tempted to dabble between the lines and always fin the silver lining. But I really appreciated seeing a justly portrayed sense of reality, the starkness of loneliness, and the purposefulness and fulfillment that comes from a little bit of music. Although the plot centered around this orchestra, there were not any annoying continuums of music that dominated the scene for no particular reason, but when there were glimpses of the beautifully played notes it was appropriately filling in a void that no dialogue could have sufficed.

Watching this movie made me long for the place I really want to be...which is back in Israel Palestine. To see more film reviews, click here.

Michael Maher

My new travel photography crush is undoubtedly Michael Maher. He knows how to capture energy and motion perfectly.

He says, "Offering a subjective interpretation of cultural and social norms with an emphasis on personal expression."

Quick!

JetBlue Airlines is having an amazing sale with just a few hours left to go! Flights starting from $29.

China by Shen Wei

Come to think of it, China has never really made any "must go to list" of mine. Not for any particular reason or such, just never really thought of it. When I saw these photos from photography Shen Wei it opened my eyes to a whole different desire to experience Asian culture. I've done the Middle East, Europe, South America, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and more, but I've never been to an Asian country before. Just take a look at these photographs and you'll know what I mean. To Asia!

Travel Gear: Rucksack

This large rucksack seems like it'd be the perfect endallbeall of backpacks. Love the roll down snap closure and the large pockets in the back. Now let's hit the road! Where are we going?

Women Photographers In The Middle East

As you know, I'm a photographer and I love the Middle East. It's a tough place to love according to other people's standards, but the moment I was there I was hooked. So when I found this interview with woman photographer Lynsey Addario (visit her blog here) I was inspired, encouraged and challenged. Here are some of my favorite quotes.

If a woman wants to be a war photographer, she should. It’s important. Women offer a different perspective. We have access to women on a different level than men have, just as male photographers have a different relationship with the men they’re covering.

Lynsey was often give access to places where her male colleges were not permitted because of the conservative culture.

In the Muslim world, most of my male colleagues can’t enter private homes. They can’t hang out with very conservative Muslim families. I have always been able to. It’s not easy to get the right to photograph in a house, but at least I have one foot in the door. I’ve always found it a great advantage, being a woman.

{ Lynsey is the female in the center of this picture }

 She goes on to say that photography is about relationships, and I couldn't agree more.

People think photography is about photographing. To me, it’s about relationships. And it’s about doing your homework and making people comfortable enough where they open their lives to you. People underestimate me because I’m always laughing and joking. That helps. They let their guard down.

About keeping a relationship at home while abroad:

There are many reasons. It takes a great toll on your personal life. It’s lonely. It’s physically demanding. You have to carry a lot of equipment. It’s emotionally taxing. You see and document things that take a lot to process, both mentally and physically. Most women, at some point, decide they want to put their personal lives first.

Most of my life, I had no personal life. I tried having relationships. But they were never successful because I was never home. That’s my fault. That was my decision. I would leave for an assignment and come back four months later. You can’t ask someone to be in a relationship with you if you’re not home. I think it’s a very good reason that a lot of women decide that they don’t want to do this.

About being detained in Libya and the affect on family at  home:

The hardest part about what happened to us in Libya, our having been detained, is what we put our loved ones through — more than what happened to us. The whole time we were detained, I think our main concern was that our families didn’t know we were alive. And we knew we would be hurting them. At times, it’s a very selfish profession. And it’s hard to put people through what we put them through. 

Click here to read the rest of the interview.
Click to read about her captivity.
Originally found at NatGeo.