Bunkers del Carmel

City Walk

Font Màgica (The Magic Fountain of Montjuïc)

Warm ocean swim

Sagrada Família

Fiesta del Born y Sant Pere en Barcelona

Stairs of Montjuïc

03:00 (3AM) Metro

Me and everyone else trying to get home after a party of a party 03:00 (3AM)

Paella

Fresh water while watching a football match

Park Güell

Casa Milà, also known as La Pedrera, was the last private residence designed by Gaudí

Construction started on Sagrada Família on March 19, 1882. Completion of the cathedral will be in 2026. The architect, Antoni Gaudí, died after being hit by a tram in 1926

Brisk walk after watching the football match

I had wanted to visit Barcelona, for years. I wanted to experience the air, food, and most of all, the culture. So, I set my goal and started to look for flights that worked for me. Finally, I was able to find a responsibly priced ticket, so I booked it! No hesitation, no reconsiderations, I just booked it. Right after I booked, I thought to myself, “What have I done?!” Ha!

Once I got over the initial shock of booking a flight to a country I didn’t know much about, I started telling some of my friends of my Barcelona summer plans. Everyone had the same reaction, “That’s one of my favorite cities!” And now that my trip has concluded, I can now say the same…Barcelona is one of my favorite cities. Barcelona had parties and celebrations for nearly everything. Whilst I was there, I partook in a “Full Moon” party,  “Fiesta Del Born” celebration, European football game watching parties, then there were parties to recover from the previous party, and parties to celebrate the happiness you felt from the pervious party!  I enjoyed eating lunch between 14:00-15:00 (2-4PM) and dinner at around 21:30-22:00 (9:30-10PM). I walked and took the metro to all the places I needed to get to. The air was clear, the food was fresh, and the breeze was warm. I met some incredible people that I will never forget. This trip was by far one of the best I have had thus far. See you when I see you, Barcelona!

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Here I am in Iceland for a quick pitstop before I head to Barcelona. This spring/summer is one of the gloomiest Iceland has seen in many, many years. Odd, yes, since the rest of Europe doesn’t know what to do with all the heat and sunshine they have been getting.  Apparently, Iceland rained Every. Single. Day in the month of May, and here we are in June and it’s been raining ever since I have been here. Oh well. I suppose people don’t come here for the sunshine, do they?

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I love Malibu. This was my first beach visit of the year, and it couldn’t be more beautiful. What is it about hearing the waves crash that brings so much peace– And the sound of the wind whistling past my face that has me forgetting about all of my worries? I hope to get out to the beach more often now that the weather has started to clear up.  It’s been pretty chilly since January and today was really one of the first warmer days in a long time.

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Sitting in one of the most meditative spaces of the Getty Villa

The beautiful Villa arches

My view of the peristyle garden from the balcony of the Getty Villa

My daughter and I visited the Getty Villa, Malibu California and the day of our reservation happen to be during the warmest days of the year thus far.  The grounds, statues, and sculptures were all very impressive. We watched a short film on the history of the Getty Villa and took advantage of the free individual audio tour, which I recommend!

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Entering Rauðfeldsgjá through the massive crack on the Eastern side known as Botnsfjall. -1C

On my way to falling down

Gerðuberg Cliffs were hard to get to, but totally worth the mini hike in the snow. 0C

Prepping to climb into the massive crack known as Botnsfjall.-1C 

Standing right in the middle of a road

My Atlantic Ocean view from the black rock cliff

 Such an adventure! I had the opportunity to visit a part of Iceland I had never been to. Starting off in the city, the weather was fine…about 2C (36F), but as soon as I made it in the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, temps dropped and a snowstorm presented itself!

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Gustavsberg, Stockholms Län, Sweden

Two adorable little summer houses in  Gustavsberg, Stockholms Län, Sweden

Skogskyrkogården is a cemetery located in the Enskededalen district south of central Stockholm, Sweden. It’s the most beautiful cemetery I have ever seen.

The interior of the Stockholm Public Library 

The exterior of the Stockholm Public Library 

Gamla Stan, Stockholm Sweden

Sodermalm market

Karolinska Institutet

At Vete-Katten, having a fika

The first day of the Christmas decorations on display at Harrods, Stockholm Sweden

Fotografiska (photography museum)

I was told by friends and colleagues that this is the worst time to visit Sweden since it’s the greyest most rainiest time of the year…The weather was in my favor as it didn’t rain at all, until the last day! It was quite humid and freezing though.  I explored the city and a bit of the countryside during my visit. I hope to be back during a summer!

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PST installation. Three floating apartment dining rooms.

UNPACKING: The Marciano Collection

Video playing inside the museum.

Hair weave.

This is a free museum that requires you to reserve tickets. My daughter and I breezed right through the museum as she was not feeling well. We will be back soon to take our time and view more exhibitions!

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What. A. Party! The short of my night was that I arrived at about 9:30PM, and left at bout 4:30, and didn’t actually get home until 5:15AM. Traffic was difficult getting out of the area. It was such an amazing night!  The longer, with more details of my night is as follows… My friend James invited me to join him to this party. The setting was that of a spooky 1800’s mansion. Complete with mummies, and walking dead people. Markus Persson turned his home from a lovely Hillcrest to “Hellcrest” for the evening. There was a full dinner complete with a blue cheese crumble walnut salad, mashed potatoes, mac & cheese, and tender pulled beef, 3 full bars randomly placed around the home, fog machines, 2-DJ’s, and there must have been at least 80-staff members maintaining everything through out the night. I mean, there was a restroom person who cleaned up after every person. There were people walking all throughout the home with mops/wipes to wipe down any spilled beverages. The outdoor seating area was complete with heating lamps to keep us warm during the cold foggy night. The pool are was spooked out with green lights and more fog.  There was also an elaborate photo booth set up. Such an awesome party. Happy Halloween!

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The Broad, entrance

Life (Repetitive Vision)

Pearls of wisdom from the artist, Yayoi KusamaAftermath of Obliteration of Eternity

Obliteration Room

Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirror Room-Phalli’s Field

My daughter and I visited the Broad Museum to take a look at Yayoi Kusama’s exhibition.  I was in the online queuing system and was chosen to buy tickets in advance! 5PM was our arrival/start time, and since we were the last group of the day, the museum helpers allowed all of us to stay in the rooms for an extended amount of time, about 1-mintue rather than the 20-30 seconds, that they usually do. We spent a total of 2 hours in the whole exhibit. The exhibit was impressive!

Yayoi Kusama Infinity Mirror Exhibit Hours for Oct 21, 2017-Jan 1, 2018:

• • Monday: Closed
  • Tuesday | 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.
  • Wednesday | 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.
  • Thursday | 10 a.m. – 11 a.m.; 8 p.m. – 9 p.m.
  • Friday | 10 a.m. – 11 a.m.; 8 p.m. – 9 p.m.
  • Saturday | 9 a.m. – 10 a.m.; 8 p.m. – 10 p.m.
  • Sunday | 9 a.m. – 10 a.m.; 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Logistics

• The Broad has onsite, garage parking for $12 with validation.
• Bring your ID, as tickets are assigned to you, by name, and are not transferrable.
• The rooms are timed, so it’s important to go in ready.

If you are still interested, but didn’t get a chance to purchase tickets in advance, you may still buy same day tickets for $30-per person.  Click HERE to view buying options.

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Photo by: Nicholas Glover

Split Rock

Photo by: Nicholas Glover

I had been preparing for months to visit Balancing Rock in the Santa Mountains. Everything I’d read declared the hike to be challenging but gorgeous. So when the planets aligned, I grabbed my stuff and moved!

Up betimes at 5:00am and out of the house while the city dozed. When I left home the morning was cool and dark, but when I pulled up to the Mishe Mokwa trailhead at 6:40am the sun had already burned through the early clouds. I opened my car door and stepped into what felt like Afghanistan! 77F already! It was going to be a scorcher!

Undaunted, I grabbed my water bottle and avocado toast and hit the trail, crunching along at a snappy pace and breezing through Mishe Mokwa Trail like a boss.  In no time, I stood at the junction with the Balancing Rock Trail. A sign read, “Not a NPS Maintained Trail.”

I stopped for a moment to pull on my water bottle and look around.  Man, was it hot! The sky was blue and cloudless, there was no shade to speak of,  and parts of the rocky chaparral looked burnt and parched. Still, the view was gorgeous, and it had been a relatively easy hike so far. So onward!

For about the first 15 minutes the trail was clear and well-maintained, but the path gradually deteriorated, and the terrain grew more difficult. I began stepping over rocks and around branches, pushing aside dry grass curtain and slipping between prickly bushes. I spider-crawled along the sides of boulders to avoid getting scratched up by all the prickly flora. More and more, my eyes strained for a sign of trail.

“This can’t be right,” I worried, but, remembering that people called Balancing Rock a difficult trail, I continued finessing the landscape. But finally I stopped, looked around and realized that there was no trail—anywhere!  I had been traveling cross country without even knowing it, and was now swallowed up by boulders, bushes and trees!

I started to panic. The temperature was 90F, my water was low, and I was sweating profusely. I could not afford to wander aimlessly through this wilderness if I hoped to survive.

I saw no evidence of a trail in any direction, so I just started shoving my way through the brush, scrambling over and under branches, slipping on rocks, but stopped when I reached a dead end. So I started the process over again in another direction, thrashing about until I reached yet another impasse, after which I resumed my blind struggle. It was exhausting and probably pointless.  I felt like I was beating myself up in a circle.

30-minutes later I was utterly lost, the sun had grown even more intense, and my bottle was almost dry. I was too exhausted to move, so I started yelling for help.

“Help!”

Silence.

“Hello?!”

Lizards scrambled through the brush. Birds skipped along the tree branches. But no human voice replied.

I felt utterly alone.

Stifling my panic, I decided to stop wasting my energy searching for a trail, and climb instead to some prominence where I might see or be seen by others. Scrambling up the hillside, I finally reached higher ground. I scanned the surrounding hills, but saw only empty wilderness.

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