Taking a break from the Portugal photos for a moment, grabbed this shot over the weekend. 

My apologies to Paul McCartney for butchering his classic song title.  Well, I’m back in KC and back to reality.  Vacationing was definitely fun, but it feels good to be back in my own home (I’ve got a very happy doberman sleeping on the couch next to me).  Anyway, it was interesting spending some time in another country, since you get some time to notice the differences.  One of the things that could drive an American bonkers is that small shops close for like three hours for lunch each afternoon.  But people know how to relax, which is maybe something we should try doing here.  Depending on where you are, there are some bigger chain outlets, but the mom and pop system is very much alive and well there. 

Anyway, it was great to see places I remembered, places I’d never seen, and to spend time with family (all things involved eating, since I gained 7lbs during my trip!).  I’ll be posting some more photos and anecdotes as I find time, but now it’s back to taking care of wedding photos!

Well, I’m back in Lisbon for the night, about to go back to the good old US of A in the morning. Had a great time, more thoughts to come. But for now, here’s a photo from a regional sport up in my parents’ area of Portugal.

Well, day two here in Lisbon, Portugal is coming to a close, and it was another good one.  We started off the day with coffee downtown and then headed over to the Belem area, where we explored several of the major Portuguese monuments, the Monestary of Jeronimos, the Tower of Belem, and the Monument of the Discoveries.  Here are some photos:

Off to see my parents tomorrow, so no more updates until I get back! Enjoy!

Well, I finished my first day in Portugal, it’s midnight here (6:09pm central time) and I’m beat.  My flight was hectic; due to delays in Newark,  we left KC 2 hours late and had one hour in Newark to get a shuttle to another terminal and make our flight out of the country.  Then, I was incredibly uncomfortable on the flight and probably got 30 mins of sleep.  Bad times.  Once in Lisbon, we got our rental car and had a heck of a time navigating the streets, it’s definitely a confusing city with signs that are difficult to decipher (granted, I didn’t brush up on my street signage before I left). 

We did get to settle into our hotel and have a nice lunch, but we ended up taking naps in the pm due to our complete lack of sleep, so we didn’t get to explore as much as I had planned.  But we did walk for a few hours before dinner and I got these shots.

These first two are from the Praca do Comercio, an area on the riverfront built after a massive earthquake in 1755.  It was meant to be a gateway into the city and perhaps the city’s first attempt at urban planning.  My cousin Carlos was right, we were offered drugs while on the square. 

This is the old cathedral in the city, built in the XIII century.  After we saw this, we went have a long and enjoyable dinner at Clube de Fado.

Clube de Fado is a nice little restaurant with traditional Portuguese food and they perform fado, Portuguese folk music from the Lisbon region.  We had a great time and the musicians were amazing.  I didn’t have a great view, but managed to get a photo. 

Well, that’s all for day one; day two should be a bit more interesting.  We’ll be hitting the major monuments, and hopefully I’ll get some photos for my home!  Check back tomorrow for more!

I’ve got a wedding to shoot today, which I’m obviously excited about; it’s always good to love what you do.  But I’m even more excited for Monday, when I hit the road (or, more specifically, the sky) and will be travelling to Portugal until June 26th.  I’ll be visiting my parents (who have been living there the past few years), my grandmother (who I haven’t seen in 14 years), and will be celebrating my fourth wedding anniversary on the 12th.  So hopefully it will be as good as I’m making it out to be in my mind.

 That said, my access to the internet will be very sporadic.  I’ll have net access from my hotel for a couple of days, but my folks don’t use computers, so unless I hit an internet cafe, I’ll likely not be able to access email or anything.  So don’t be offended by my lack of communication! :)  I will, however, make an attempt at posting some photos from Lisbon on Wednesday and Thursday, while I do have some internet access.  Plus, I’ll be busy having fun to waste time on the web!  Until next time…

Here’s a quick slideshow from yesterday’s wedding in Lincoln, Nebraska. Congrats to James and Andrea!

So the Boston Red Sox are hosting the Kansas City Royals for a series of four games, the first being last night.  The Red Sox not only won 7-0, but Sox pitcher Jon Lester threw a no-hitter.  If you’re not a sports fan, Jon Lester is a great story, he had cancer two years ago and worked his way back last season and won the last game of the World Series.  It’s definitely one of those feel good stories that makes you feel that some things are right in the world.   Plus it’s always a good thing having bragging rights over the locals!

Went to a 5k this morning in support of my wife, who ran her 2nd 5k.  I had this concept I wanted to execute and I feel like I pulled it off.  I set my shutter speed to 1/25th of a second and got this blur.  The conventional rule of thumb is that in order to freeze movement, you should shoot at 1/60th of a second.  Anyway, this is the type of outside of the box type of shooting I’m striving to do.  Enjoy the great weather we’re having here in the Kansas City area!