Topkapi Palace – Istanbul, Turkey
The Topkapı Palace is a large palace in Istanbul, Turkey, that was the primary residence of the Ottoman sultans for approximately 400 years (1465–1856) of their 624-year reign. As well as a royal residence, the palace was a setting for…
Hagia Sophia – Istanbul, Turkey
Hagia Sophia (from the Greek: Ἁγία Σοφία, "Holy Wisdom"; Latin: Sancta Sophia or Sancta Sapientia; Turkish: Ayasofya) is a former Greek Orthodox patriarchal basilica (church), later an imperial mosque, and now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey. From the date of…
Wonder of the World: The Blue Mosque
Work on the Blue Mosque began in 1609 on the instructions of the 19-year-old Sultan Ahmet I. the architect of the mosque was Mehmut Aga, and his masterpiece took seven years to complete. All the standard feature of mosque design…
Aloha from Sheraton Maui Resort
The Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa is the premier location for a dream Hawaiian vacation. Situated on Kaanapali Beach, the Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa is the most romantic escape in all the Hawaiian Islands… the dramatic point at which…
Finding My People in Prague, Czech Republic
The next stop after our visit in Berlin: Prague! Since my family comes from Bohemia, I have always associated myself with being from the Czech Republic. Our family name is Kulhavy, but was translated to Lane upon arriving in America.…
Hiking Around Arches National Park, Utah
To spice up the drive back to California from Chicago, we stopped in at Arches National Park in Utah to hike around and find some arches. Our primary objective was to find Landscape Arch, the longest natural arch in the…
Exploring the Baja CA Coast in San Felipe
One afternoon Mark came home with the wild idea that we would pack up the car and drive directly to San Felipe in Baja California to go camping and ride our bikes for the weekend. The entire drive there (7…
The All-New Auberge du Soleil in Napa
Somehow my photography skills seem to have made an extreme leap in professional quality between 2003 and 2006. These are atrocious! Alas - I had the opportunity to tour the grounds, dine in the Michelin starred restaurant and spend the…
Première Journée à Paris
My first trip to Paris in the fall of 2003. Full of museums, tea and a beautiful stay at Relais Christine... All photos were taken with my really shoddy Casio Exilim that give them an old & dated feel that…
Birthday in the Big Apple!
For my 20th birthday I flew off to NYC to celebrate in style! A friend of mine was going to be in town that weekend, so we decided to meet there and party. We toured around the city, went to see Dane Cook at Caroline’s and I got my first laptop, a 15″ Apple PowerBook! Best trip ever!
