Susan Solo – Photographer | Traveler | Adventurer

Tag: snapshot

Central Europe Snapshot

Oops! I took a slight detour from my blogging schedule to post about London before wrapping up our Central Europe trip coverage. So I’ll squeeze this snapshot in here now, and then get back to a few London things. And I thought about separating this summary into separate posts for each country, but I’m going to combine it with the intent of catching up on my blogging to-do list and just see how it turns out.

Best Moment

Chris and I just discussed this category, trying to identify a stand-out Best Moment moment, but we agreed that we loved the whole trip. Oktoberfest in Munich and the Brews and Views tour in Prague come to mind as our favorite general activities, and if we had to pinpoint one single moment, it would be when we were standing on top of the Karwendel mountains in Mittenwald. We had the entire mountaintop area to ourselves, and it was quite peaceful.

Worst Moment

As I remember it, this trip went really well and I don’t know if we had a true worst moment. Sure, I wish we had better weather in Munich, and we both ended up coming down with what turned out to be a pretty bad cold on the last day, but other than that we had an incredibly smooth trip.

Funniest Moment

A brief encounter at the Westbahnhof U-Bahn station provided us with a quote that we used frequently for the rest of the trip: “I don’t know…blah blah blah.”

A guy approached us as we were exiting the underground and seemed lost or confused. He had a strong accent and I didn’t quite catch what he was asking, but I thought I heard him say “where” and “metro.” So I responded cheerfully, “Oh! Yes, it’s down the stairs over there,” and gestured politely toward the entrance to the U-Bahn. He repeated something, but I still couldn’t understand as I wasn’t even sure what language he was speaking, so I gently said, “I don’t know. I’m so sorry I can’t help.” Then all of a sudden in much clearer English he sharply said, “I asked you a simple question and you say (and he switched to a very sarcastic mocking tone), ‘I don’t know…blah blah blah.’” And then he angrily stormed off! I was stunned.

Chris explained to me after that he thought the guy was trying to ask us for our train ticket so he could reuse it. But for the rest of the trip, whenever Chris and I asked each other a question, we responded with (in a mocking tone), “I don’t know…blah blah blah.” It cracked us up for days!

We also giggled at this menu with “rabbit-shit” on it, this “soup of the day” board, and every time we saw an exit sign in German. What can I say? We’re easily entertained.

Best Meal

This is always tough category, especially since we ate our way through the delicious cuisines of four countries! This was my first time trying schnitzel, real apple streudel, krapfen, and Sacher Torte, and they were all amazing. I also loved the goulash we ate in Germany. I could easily repeat this same itinerary just for the cuisine alone!

Something We Learned

I learned that Oktoberfest isn’t necessarily the drunken debauchery mess that I thought it would be. I mean, it certainly can be if that’s what you’re looking for, but it doesn’t have to be if that’s not your scene. Before we arrived in Munich, I sort of pictured Oktoberfest to be this massively overwhelming crowded situation descending upon the city to the point where I wouldn’t have any personal space. I read advice online to wear shoes that I don’t mind getting soaked with beer. I didn’t want any of my shoes soaked with beer!

Now that we’ve attended Oktoberfest, on opening weekend no less, I know that there are many flavors of Oktoberfest and you can make it anything you want from family-friendly fun, to a chill people-watching experience, to an all-out party-’til-you-pass-out rager. My shoes ended up being beer-free. And now I also understand that it’s about more than just beer – it’s a celebration of food, music, culture, and tradition. I loved hanging out in the beer tents and singing along with the traditional songs and even some American songs.

We’re Thankful We Packed

A wide variety of outfits for all different kinds of weather. We did not expect it to be over 90 degrees the entire time we were in Austria, but thankfully we packed some short-sleeve shirts and shorts. I’m also thankful to have purchased a dirndl ahead of time! It was so easy to have it on-hand already instead of spending time shopping for one. And I must have looked fairly festive – a group of tourists at Hofbräuhaus requested a photo with me!

We Didn’t Need To Bring

I can’t remember anything extraneous from our packing efforts. We packed pretty light, and I think we managed to wear everything we brought in our one carry-on each.

Trip Regrets

I wish we could have seen more of Munich, especially on a day when it wasn’t pouring rain. But we were busy Oktoberfesting, so we didn’t really have time to see much beyond the highlights.

Reasons To Go Back

I’d love to see these countries during the holiday season to see the Christmas markets!

Favorite Photos

Again, really tough to narrow it down to a few favorites for four countries, but I picked one from each that I love!

December 5, 2016
Isla Mujeres Snapshot

Once again I’m a little behind in getting this one done, but I finally put together my Isla Mujeres snapshot post!

Best Moment

The entire purpose of our Isla Mujeres trip revolved around seeing whale sharks, so obviously the best moment was getting to do exactly that! More specifically, the very best moment was the first time we entered the water sans cameras so we could simply enjoy the experience. We plunged into the deep not knowing what to expect, and after merely a minute of being in the water, there they were larger than life – whale sharks, swimming right alongside us. It’s one of my most favorite travel moments so far.

Worst Moment

Other than the five-hour delay of our flight coming back home from Cancun, the winner for Worst Moment really wasn’t that big of a deal. Not surprisingly, it entails yet another weather-related incident! Unbeknownst to us, a wildly windy storm swept across the island as we slept through one night early in the week. According to what we could tell from the crime scene the next morning, the winds whipped into the patio table umbrella next to the pool at an angle that toppled the entire table. The glass top broke into a million little pieces, rendering the pool and patio unusable. Fortunately no one was hurt and no other damage was done, and this registered on the not-a-big-deal scale in the grand scheme of things.

Our incredibly sweet villa owner (also a Susan!) immediately swung into action right after we let her know what happened, and with the help of her villa manager and crew, the mess was cleaned up within hours and we were back to happy pool life.

Best Meal

We loved the food on Isla Mujeres so much that it inspired me to write an entire post on the topic. Chris and I unanimously decided that our dinner and drinks at Green Verde earned the number-one spot, but I also really (really really) enjoyed our pineapple dessert at Limón.

Something We Learned

I learned that real, fresh coconut juice is saltier than I expected.

We’re Thankful We Packed

Our own fins. Keeping up with the whale sharks proved to be more work than I expected, and I was happy to have the comfort of well-fitted fins with which to chase after these guys!

We Didn’t Need To Bring

Full-size bottles of sunscreen. The main grocery store on the island is totally legit! Chedraui has just about everything you could possibly want for your stay on Isla Mujeres, including several sunscreen options at very reasonable prices. (We’re used to seeing just one brand with a hugely marked-up price tag when we island-hop.)

Trip Regrets

Originally we planned to spend a day off-island seeing Chichen Itza, but the temperatures were well out of my comfort zone. We lucked out with sunny skies nearly every day of our trip so I’m not complaining, but a heat index of 105 and up means I need to be no more than ten feet away from water (or a/c) at all times. Even with the promise of swimming in a cenote after the Chichen Itza tour, I just didn’t think I could enjoy the ruins so we took a pass on that excursion this time.

Reasons To Go Back

I would love another swim with the whale sharks! I hope to get to do it again someday soon. Also as mentioned above, we skipped a mainland visit to see Chichen Itza because it was just too darn hot. I wouldn’t have survived. So we’ll go back another time, maybe in the cooler months. But we weren’t completely void of getting to see Mayan ruins on this trip. We spent one morning at the Temple of Ixchel ruins on Isla Mujeres at what is basically the southern-most tip of Mexico.

Favorite Photos

Hands-down, I’m most happy to have captured this shot. It brings back such great memories! And it kind of looks like he/she is smiling.

October 14, 2016
Netherlands Snapshot

It’s (finally!) time for my superlatives round-up for The Netherlands! As usual in my Snapshot posts, I’m including a few never-seen photos and stories from our trip this past April.

Best Moment

I absolutely loved our visit to Keukenhof Gardens. I set off for Holland with a longtime dream of photographing tulips, and it was at the gardens that I officially checked off that bucket list item. Being the worrier that I am, I fretted before we left that the tulips wouldn’t be in bloom during our visit, but (obviously) it worked out perfectly and I practically skipped around the park snapping away with my camera.

I loved that while Keukenhof is mostly a huge, well-manicured park, there were also some secluded areas that felt like we were in the middle of rural Holland. It was all beautiful along each path and around every corner.

Worst Moment

Alternate category title: Museum Misfortunes. Our time in The Netherlands was actually pretty smooth, so the two worst moments weren’t even that bad, but they were both museum-related. First, the day that I was able to purchase advanced tickets online for the Anne Frank House also happened to be King’s Day, and getting from Point A to Point B through the thick crowds proved to be more difficult than we anticipated. We nearly missed our scheduled time to tour the museum because we had to wade our way through mobs like this one. We even got a bit separated from each other and I couldn’t see Chris for a few minutes, inducing a lost-child-in-a-department-store kind of panic.

Adding to the stress, we were using my iPhone to navigate and it ran out of juice before we located the museum. We did find it just in time and I’m so glad we had the opportunity to tour this historically important exhibit.

And then on the last day, we walked over to the Van Gogh Museum for their Vincent on Friday event only to realize I had not purchased tickets in advance like I thought I did. Oops! I’m usually incredibly organized when it comes to travel planning, but I goofed this time. We opted not to stand in the super long queue in favor of packing for our flight the next morning, so sadly we missed the museum. Next time, as I always say!

Best Meal

As much as I loved trying local favorites like bitterballen and poffertjes, my favorite meal was actually a burger and fries! It was the smokey flavor of local cheese that made the burger amazing, though. That, and we sat at this cool table with our own self-serve Heineken tap! Fun fact: I tried my very first Heineken while in Amsterdam.

Something We Learned

The fascinating process of how Dutch clogs are made is no longer a mystery to us thanks to the Wooden Shoe Workshop in Zaanse Schans. The machinery mesmerized us as simple blocks of wood rapidly transformed into the familiar wooden shoe shape. I was shocked at how quick it happened!

We’re Thankful We Packed

Orange accessories to wear on King’s Day! My orange t-shirt ended up beneath layers of hoodie and jacket, but it’s in there. I found the sunglasses on Amazon for $7, and I purchased the lei in one of the many shops in Amsterdam selling everything orange for the occasion. (Side note: I’m not sure what happened in the King’s Day photo below. I think my point-and-shoot might have accidentally applied some kind of filter/effect? But I think it’s kind of fun.)

We Didn’t Need To Bring

Short-sleeve tops. It was so cold for our visit in late April that we needed to wear multiple layers all day every day. Brrr! (This one is a direct cut-and-paste from my Belgium Snapshot because the same exact thing was true of both places.)

Trip Regrets

Not a thing! I would have loved to stay longer, as is true of most places, but I loved our itinerary and I don’t have any regrets.

Reasons To Go Back

We didn’t get to go to the Van Gogh Museum (see above) so this is on our list for next time! We also didn’t “get” to try pickled herring, so um…I guess I can put that on the when-we-go-back list.

Favorite Photos

Hands-down, this is my favorite photo! It’s the exact image I wanted to make on this trip.

I also love this shot Chris took of some love locks along a canal bridge.

June 27, 2016
Belgium Snapshot

I’m a little behind in getting it done, but it’s time for a snapshot post! So without further ado, I’ll summarize our time this past April in the land of beer and chocolate with a Belgium snapshot!

Best Moment

As cheesy as it sounds, I really enjoyed our little canal cruise around Bruges. On a day that treated us only to pockets of clear skies, we managed to hop on the boat at the perfect time for a brief pause in the rain. The skies turned momentarily blue, and it allowed us to appreciate our tour of the city’s sights via water. We also loved our tour of De Halve Maan Brouwerij, but I’ll have more on that in a separate post soon!

Worst Moment

On our third morning in Bruges, we were signed up to do a walking tour of the more hidden parts of the city and we ended up being the only two participants in the tour. The forecast predicted some sprinkles, but we encountered an absolute downpour. Our super enthusiastic guide was too willing to keep touring despite my pleas to call it a day and end our private tour, so we stayed out (getting soaked) longer than I would have liked. I can handle the cold and I can handle a bit of rain, but when they’re combined I am a big baby and I get a bit whinier than Chris would prefer.

Best Meal

We loved our dinners at Cambrinus (don’t miss out on their amazing cheese croquettes) and De Koetse where I tried (and enjoyed!) moules frites for the first time. But in the best-of category, both Chris and I couldn’t get enough of the Belgian waffles covered in real melted chocolate at Oyya. We ended up eating there twice. It wasn’t a meal, but it was definitely our favorite thing we ate in Belgium, and it was just the thing to brighten a gray, drizzly day.

Something We Learned

We learned that at any given time, Bruges is required by law to keep swans on its lakes and canals at all times. Specifically we were told that it has to be at least 100 swans, but I haven’t been able to confirm that exact number. Either way, we did see quite a few long-necked feathered residents on the water and hanging out in this area:

We’re Thankful We Packed

Umbrellas. It rained quite a bit in Bruges, and it was a cold, sometimes even icy rain so we were glad to keep dry as much as possible (aside from that walking tour). Thankfully in between the rainy moments we did have periods of beautiful blue skies and sunshine, so I’ll still remember sweet Bruges quite fondly.

We Didn’t Need To Bring

Short-sleeve tops. It was so cold for our visit in late April that we needed to wear multiple layers all day every day. Brrr!

Trip Regrets

I don’t think I actually have any regrets about our time in Belgium. I mean, I do regret that it was a little chillier than we expected and it rained about half of the time, but I’ve learned not to lament the weather during our travels too much (despite the fact that I’ve mentioned the weather at least a dozen times in this post alone).

Reasons To Go Back

While I think we covered Bruges pretty well, I think we’d enjoy seeing Ghent and Antwerp sometime!

Favorite Photos

Climbing to the top of the belfry rewarded us with some great birds-eye views and I love the results despite the wet weather.

And then there’s this photo which is quite representative of our time in Belgium: eat all the waffles!

June 16, 2016
Scotland Snapshot

For the past several big trips, I’ve created “snapshot” posts with a summary of superlatives and sidebars from our travels. It’s a fun way to me to reflect back on specific moments and to include some photos that I might not have blogged previously, so to continue that tradition here is my Scotland snapshot!

Best Moment

Both Ireland and Scotland have been on our must-travel list for quite a while, so it was just awesome spending a whole week in each. And, this was my most complicated itinerary to plan so far, with multiple flights involved, two rental cars, two ferries, two trains, and eight different accommodations. I was pretty anxious that something major would go wrong and foil our plans, but everything went more smoothly than I could imagine.

As for a Scotland-specific Best Moment, I couldn’t have been happier to find a Highland cow. Chris counts the whole Islay weekend as his favorite moment. I also loved my quiet morning on Calton Hill, watching the sun rise over the city.

Worst Moment

This cringe-worthy moment is still a little fresh for me (ugh, pun not intended) and I didn’t even mention it in my post about our Islay distillery tours, but it easily wins hands-down as the Worst Moment on this trip so I suppose I have to divulge it now!

Chris and I were on the Water-to-Whisky Experience with Laphroaig, walking over a hilly pasture on the way to see the water source. I was in the back of the group pausing every so often to take photos, so I had to quicken my steps to keep up. I thought I was being careful enough with my footing, but while walking down a slope my shoe slipped on a wet patch of grass, I landed in a big pile of mud, and I slid several feet down the hill. Only it wasn’t mud.

I had smeared a thick layer of fresh cow patty all over the seat of my hiking pants, and we weren’t even half-way through the 4.5-hour tour! I had no choice but to finish the hike to the water source and sit awkwardly through lunch. Thankfully our guide was able to drop me back off at the distillery after our picnic, and I was even more thankful that Chris and I had our suitcases in the car parked at the distillery parking lot. Laphroaig even had a washing machine that I could use to launder my pants and shoes and I was able to change and meet up with the group for the rest of the tour, so it wasn’t nearly the disaster that it could have been, but it was still my least favorite moment!

Best Meal

Fact: overhead can lights don’t make it easy to take a decent iPhone snapshot (so the one I took below is pretty bad). Terrible food photography aside, the Malt Shovel Inn on Cockburn Street served my favorite meal in Scotland. Their traditional Bangers and Mash sounds perfect as I write this post on a cold and dreary day at home in Virginia.

Something We Learned

The Real Mary King’s Close tour taught us about the streets and spaces that were hidden underground in 17th century Edinburgh. I think that would have been a hard concept for me to imagine if I hadn’t seen it first-hand, and it was a fascinating tour that I highly recommend to anyone visiting the city.

We’re Thankful We Packed

Outfits with layers. Half of our days in Scotland were a little on the chilly side, and the other half we found ourselves shedding jackets and scarves. It was nice to have options while still keeping our luggage to a minimum.

We Didn’t Need To Bring

Rain gear! I would still recommend to anyone visiting the UK that they bring a rain jacket and I’d certainly never travel there without one, but we really lucked out with the weather and never needed our rain gear.

Trip Regrets

I deeply regret falling onto cow poop.

Reasons To Go Back

We only scratched the surface of Scotland. Our main goal was to see Islay and Edinburgh, and I didn’t want to squeeze much else into our one week there. I’d love to see Isle of Skye and more of the Highlands. Chris wants to cover Speyside as well, so we’ll make a return trek for sure.

Favorite Photos

Chris ranks this photo of the Laphroaig barrels in his top favorites.

And I picked a photo of Edinburgh, one of Victoria Street, and probably every single Highland cow photo we took!

December 1, 2015