Capturing the Moment

  Three Amazing Days in Stockholm, Sweden This was the view looking left out of our hotel. A huge tall ship, with beautiful architecture behind. Stockholm is made up of lots of islands, so naturally there are boats everywhere. What an amazing ending to our whirlwind Scandinavia tour. We finished with three nights in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, Stockholm. The Swedish capital escaped all of the destruction that WWII brought to the rest of the European capitol cities. Because of this, so much of the historic architecture, and so many of the old buildings remain. I was shocked to see photo worthy buildings as far as the eye could see, in every single direction. Day 1: Our hotel, another small luxury hotel of the world recipients, was the Lydmar Hotel. You could tell that it was the residence of some lord and lady, now turned into a boutique hotel. It was right across the water from the Royal Palace, and right next to the National Museum. I really felt like I was righ...

  One of my favorite views from my explorations of Guayaquil. This is the view as you enter Parque Seminario, with the Metropolitan Cathedral behind it. Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest port city, is often referred to as the 'gateway to the Galapagos.' In fact, it is for that reason that I am here. But that is tomorrow. Today, David and I spent the day exploring the back streets, and main streets of Guayaquil. It is a city rich in history, architecture, and parks, mixed with a thriving pulse of the 3 million people that live here. After 12,000 steps, and covering a good portion of the waterfront and historic district of Guayaquil, I feel like I got a good taste of what the city has to offer. One of my favorite sights was the Parque Seminario, aka Iguana Park. The beautiful Metropolitan Cathedral towers behind the iguana-filled park. Fig trees gave a natural frame to the entrance gate to the park. It was such a zone of calm, compared to the hectic marketplaces along the streets ...