Living and Art

Snowdon, Wales

Jenny Chesarek — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 01:10:36 +0000

If you like to go hiking, then I suggest visiting the Snowdon mountain in Snowdonia, Wales (It’s called Wyddfa in Welsh). It is the highest mountain in Wales and is the highest mountain south of the Scottish Highlands. The trail offers breathtaking views of green fields, a slate mine, and of the city below. There is a trail that starts at the bottom and goes all the way to the top for those able to walk on an incline and on a gravel path. For those who prefer to see the sites without the hike, there is a train that goes from the bottom to the top of the mountain. In good old UK spirit, there is a pub on the way up (or down) the mountain for the hikers. Here are just a few of the many photos I took from this breathtakingly beautiful hike up this mountain.

This is the view from our car as we headed to Snowdonia. This is not a drive that you would want to sleep through! The views getting there were beautiful!

View from the car

This is where you can buy your ticket for the train to go up the mountain, get a snack, or get a map of the walking trails.

the lodge

This is the train going up the mountain

Train

There are signs that show you what there is to do in town as well as the general direction of where to go

Signs pointing the way

This is the sign that points directly at the trail

Snowdon Sign

The trail going up Snowdon

The Slate mine was amazing to look at!

Slate Mine

This is a view from the path. It was difficult to keep walking without turning around and taking in the view!

Looking Back

More of the beautiful view

Even walking down the mountain was beautiful!

Walking down the Trail

It was amazing being surrounded by green fields and hilltops

Green Hilltops seen from trail

There are even farm animals to look at as you walk up the trail

Sheep on trail

Cruising in the Carribean

Jenny Chesarek — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:36:44 +0000

We took a cruise to the Caribbean on the cruise line called The Royal Caribbean, Liberty of the Seas. The ports of call included: Labadee, Haiti; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; Grand Cayman; and Cozumel, Mexico. The ship was quite impressive. The ship featured amenities such an ice skating rink, theaters, a rock climbing wall, a wave machine, multiple pools and jacuzzi, a casino, an arcade, wine bars, an English pub, etc.

Liberty of the Seas

Docked at Labadee

While the staterooms are relatively small in size (but well kept and clean), we found ourselves not spending much time in the room as there was so much to see and do on the ship. Here’s a picture of our stateroom (it was a room with a balcony). Don’t be afraid when you see the life jackets, we did not need to use them! Everyone has to do a practice drill at the beginning of the cruise for safety.

Stateroom on cruise ship

The front of the ship

The food was amazing in the formal dining room. The buffet areas of the ship were decent (in as much as buffet style restaurants can be given the quantity of food they produce and having to try to keep it warm). The ship’s crew provided constant entertainment to include ice shows, a pirate parade, game shows, plays, movies, bingo, games for children, art auctions, and much more. I think that one would have to not get off at the ports of call to be able to do about 3/4’s of what is offered! Here’s a couple pictures of one of the entertainment acts, a Pirate Parade!

A Pirate Parade

A pirate prepares for battle!

Many people wonder, “What are the extra costs of cruising, aside from just the cruise ticket?” Well, here’s a VERY brief overview of what is and is not including in a ticket price with this cruise line:

Included:

Access to basic entertainment: pools, hot tubs, saunas, ping pong, all shows (ice and theatre), various competitions ( like belly flop competition, best-legs competition, etc).
Access to main dining areas to include main dining room (assigned seating) and buffet (help yourself and sit where you want), room service (yes, room service was free, but you should have a couple singles for tips), ice cream poolside, and various snack restaurants (such as a pizza place, cafe, etc).

NOT Included:

Excursions (these rage in price anywhere from $20-$200+ depending upon what you choose. Our excursions averaged $40-$80/person for each excursion)
Beverages: This means that soft drinks and alcoholic beverages are NOT included. You can purchase a soda package and a wine package that will cover you for the whole trip. I highly recommend this as it helps you get an idea of what your final bill will be and will stop you from overspending. Be warned of the frosty beverages that staff will come around with and offer to you, they are NOT free!
A select few restaurants (there is a cover charge for the Ben and Jerry’s store, a steakhouse, and Johnny Rockets).
Tips: You will need to tip the following people: waiter, assistant waiter, room attendant, and headwaiter. The cruise provides you with a guideline for how much you should each provider on a per day per person basis. You can pay this in cash or put it on your sea pass (which will be added to your final bill).
Parking at the pier (the pier is located right in front of the ship embarkation. You do have to pay for this).

English Bulldog Learns to Swim

Jenny Chesarek — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 20:49:49 +0000

I have heard many people say that they don’t believe that English Bulldogs can swim due to their build. However, living in Florida being surrounded by pools galore brought about concerned for our dog Bentley, an English Bulldog. If not given the opportunity to be introduced to water and a chance to learn how to swim with supervision, dogs are at risk of drowning in a pool if they fall in. Bentley’s first encounter with water was accidental and was a confirmation that the concern of an animal unfamiliar with swimming could potentially drown. When Bentley first fell in the pool, he stood at the bottom of the pool and did not even make an attempt to swim. It appeared that he was waiting to be rescued and was confused by his predicament as it was unfamiliar to him. Luckily for Bentley, there was supervision around and he was brought out to safety. After much debate, it was determined that Bentley needed to 1. Learn how to paddle. 2. Learn to not panic when in the water and, 3. Learn how to get out of the water when he needed to (finding the stairs to climb out). The picture below shows one of Bentley’s first official swimming lessons. With guidance and treats, Bentley was able to swim and get out of the pool all by himself.

Swimming with support and guidance

Learning the way to get out of the pool

A dog once scared of the water seemingly wants to get back in again

Shuttle Launch

Jenny Chesarek — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 01:28:02 +0000

We went to New Smyrna Beach to watch the night shuttle launch on March 15th, 2009. As there are not many launches left, I felt very lucky to be able to view and capture this launch on my camera. New Smyrna provided us with a great view of the launch without the heavy traffic of going to Cocoa Beach. Here are some of the photos from that night.

“Smoke of Night Shuttle Launch”

Click for High Resolution

“View from the Beach”

Click for High Resolution

New Year’s Eve in Venice

Jenny Chesarek — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 01:57:09 +0000

My family and I traveled to Venice, Italy for New Year’s. It was hard to decide what to do for New Year’s as lots of restaurants and other venues offer packages for New Year’s. After much consideration, we decided to join in on the celebrations in St. Mark’s Square. This was by far the best decision we made. They had live entertainment on a large stage set up in the square and a countdown to New Year’s projected onto the clock tower. The fireworks show was spectacular. Everyone moved to the docks to watch the show above the water. It was breathtaking! The only negative I would say about the experience was maneuvering around the crowd. Once it gets near midnight, you pretty much have to stay where you are as it is highly unlikely that you will be able to get back to the same spot. I would recommend this activity over sitting in a restaurant any time as you get entertainment and fireworks all in one. My family ate at a large meal at a restaurant for lunch (as they were less crowded) and ate a snack for dinner. This approach seemed to work best for us and it might work for those who want to experience Italian cuisine and entertainment while in Venice for New Year’s. Here are some of the pictures from that evening. I hope you enjoy!

“People start to gather for the celebrations”

Click for High Resolution

“Dan takes photos of people gathering for the celebrations”

Click for High Resolution

“The lights on ready for people to celebrate in the New Year”

Click for High Resolution

“Dan and I queue up to buy wine for everyone to drink during the celebrations”

Click for High Resolution

“Thousands gather to celebrate the New Year of Love with live entertainment in St. Mark’s square”

Click for High Resolution

“The entertainer pumps the crowd up for the countdown”

Click for High Resolution

“Josh, Dan, and I say ‘Cheers!” to 2009″

Click for High Resolution

“The crowd celebrate the New Year with sparklers”

Click for High Resolution

“Looking back at the crowed celebrating and cheering as it has turned 2009″

Click for High Resolution

“The fireworks start…and they were FABULOUS! Did I mention that it started snowing 10 minutes before turning 2009?? We had fireworks in the snow!”

Click for High Resolution

“The fireworks were breathtaking and being in Venice added something special about the New Year”

Click for High Resolution

Seeing the Sites in Venice, Italy

Jenny Chesarek — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 13:34:52 +0000

“Outside of the Basilica Di San Marco (church of St. Mark) looking up at a painted arch. This was a REALLY beautiful church. Unfortunately, no one is allowed to take pictures inside so I could only attempt to capture SOME of its beauty from outside.”

Click for High Resolution

“Looking up at the Campanile di San Marco (aka Bell tower in St. Mark’s square). You can go to the top of this tower and look at the whole city. It provide quite a spectacular view!”

Click for High Resolution

“View of St. Mark’s Square from the Campanile di San Marco (the bell Tower)”

Click for High Resolution

“Looking down at Venice from the tower. You can see the shadow of the tower looming over the city.”

Click for High Resolution

“Looking up at the Palazzo Ducale (Palace of the Doge)”

Click for High Resolution

“Mum and I pose outside of the Palazzo Ducale”

Click for High Resolution

“Mum and Dad at the bottom of the stairs to the Palazzo Ducale”

Click for High Resolution

“The ceiling in the inside staircase of the Palazzo Ducale. There was actually GOLD on the ceiling!”

Click for High Resolution

“I snap a picture of Robert and Chrissy taking the audio guided tour just as Robert drops the “tour guide” which is also attached to Chrissy. Can you say….FUMBLE-IAH!”

Click for High Resolution

“Dan taking picture at the Palazzo Ducale. He also sees Robert and Chrissy assaulting their tour guide and snaps a picture.”

Click for High Resolution

“Robert and Chrissy figure out where to visit next”

Click for High Resolution

“Mum points where to go next”

Click for High Resolution

“Dan and Josh take a breather from power walking Venice and celebrate that we’re not lost…yet”

Click for High Resolution

“Josh, Dan, and I stop to drink some gluhwein (spiced hot wine) to warm up on our way for lunch”

Click for High Resolution

“Dan, Dad, and Josh wait outside the shops for the rest of the family”

Click for High Resolution

“Mum at the Rialto Bridge looking over the Canal”

Click for High Resolution

“We stop for some AMAZING Italian food. I recommend Italian pizza. I think that I had that for at least one meal daily!

Click for High Resolution

Venice, Italy at Night

Jenny Chesarek — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 16:54:15 +0000

“Street with hanging Christmas decorations”

Click for High Resolution

“Outside the Basilica di San Marco at night”

Click for High Resolution

“The main docks at night”

Click for High Resolution

“Canal running between buildings”

Click for High Resolution

Murano Island Venice, Italy

Jenny Chesarek — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 23:27:17 +0000

My family and I took a trip to Murano Island on our first day in Venice. You can only get there by boat. Usually, hotels offer a free boat ride to this island as it is good for the island’s business and the tourist trade. This is a short but interesting trip to make. On the ride over, you can view the main island from the water which is quite a beautiful site. When on Murano Island, you see the master glass maker create works of art with mainly a poker and a fire oven. It was amazing to see the process of how glass is made and then sculpted into figurines, chandeliers, vases, etc. After seeing the master at work, you get to tour the shop that holds all that is made on the island. As is true for most tourist places, EVERYTHING is for sale. The whole trip took us approximately 2 hours (including water taxi ride there and back). I would put this island on the “must see” list when visiting Venice as it reflects part of the Venetian culture. You can see much of the glass work that is made on Murano island in the stores on the main island of Venice, so it’s nice to see where it came from and it gives it meaning.

“Glass horse that was made in 2 minutes by master glass maker. The red colour is from the heat as it was just freshly made in front of us.”

Click for High Resolution

“Master glass maker teaching his craft to his apprentices”

Click for High Resolution

“Master showing how to make a glass vase with a pole and a fire oven”

Click for High Resolution

“The process of making the two minute glass horse”

Click for High Resolution

Video Provided by Simple Thought Productions
“The start of the vase”

Click for High Resolution

“My family waiting for the water taxi to go back to the main island of Venice”

Click for High Resolution

Trail in Wales

Jenny Chesarek — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:06:35 +0000

My family, fiance, and I visited a trail in Wales that went up a mountain. We walked along a dirt path all the way to the top where we saw the most amazing view of Wales. It was quite cold (being 2 degrees centigrade) but, when we were moving it wasn’t as bad. I might recommend to those who feel the cold easily, that you wait until the summer to go up as it is even colder at the top with a rather piecing wind.

“My shadow on the root of a fallen tree”

Click for High Resolution

“Josh filming a fallen tree at the beginning of the walk”

Click for High Resolution

“Sun shining through the wooded path”

Click for High Resolution

“Looking down the start of the path/bottom of the hill”

Click for High Resolution

“Large tree fallen on the ground”

Click for High Resolution

“Looking back at what we’ve walked so far”

Click for High Resolution

“Josh half way to the top”

Click for High Resolution

“I take a rest near the top of the mountain”

Click for High Resolution

“View from the top”

Click for High Resolution

A Walk to the Waterfalls in Wales

Jenny Chesarek — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 23:32:52 +0000

I visited a beautiful part of Wales called Gwynedd. While there, I walked up a long and hilly path to the Abergwyngregyn waterfalls with my mum, dad, and fiance Josh. Both the journey to the waterfall and the waterfall itself were beautiful. If you’re ever looking for something to do in Wales, I would recommend doing this. You get the perfect combination of exercise, site seeing, and spectacular views. Here are some of the photos from my journey there.

“The waterfall from a distance”

Click for High Resolution

“Mum and Dad on Start of Walk”

Click for High Resolution

“Rules in Welsh and English”

Click for High Resolution

“Mum and Me”

Click for High Resolution

“Josh and I take a breather from the walk up the hill”

Click for High Resolution

“Dad in the Distance”

Click for High Resolution

“Quaint little bridge over a brook”

Click for High Resolution

“Looking up at the waterfalls”

Click for High Resolution

“Falls hitting the rocks at the bottom”

Click for High Resolution

“Me doing a triumph pose after making it up the hills to the falls”

Click for High Resolution

“Josh and I in front of the waterfall”

Click for High Resolution

“Mum and Dad in front of the falls”

Click for High Resolution

“The water from the falls traveling down rocks”

Click for High Resolution

“A dog with a shaved tail playing in the water”

Click for High Resolution