Nan Palmero, MBA

Thirteen Photos from Budapest, Hungary

Growing up, I loved playing Where in Europe is Carmen Sandiego? That elusive Carmen Sandiego would always end up in far away lands, frequently found in the Soviet Bloc, eluding Interpol. I loved finding her. Later on, with the Bourne movie series, my love for Eastern Europe was rekindled. Prague remains one of the most beautiful cities I’ve visited and I dreamed of seeing Budapest. Well boys and girls, dreams come true. After the Amalfi Coast, we made it to Budapest. A city that Deya repeatedly called “grand.” A fitting adjective for this historic place. The Hungarian Parliament Building is not only larger than the US Capitol Building but more than 88 pounds of gold were used in its construction. Hotel Rum was HQ during our stay and we highly recommend it, especially due to the breathtaking rooftop breakfast. Be sure to not miss the street art and ruin bar tour, it’s awesome. The Szechenyi and Gellert thermal baths are unique and you’ve got to photograph the city from Gellert Hill at night. Find my top thirteen photos below plus the gallery.

Tram Transport at the Great Market Hall (Nagycsarnok)

Hungarian Parliament Building at Night in Budapest

Check out the full album below:

Thirteen Photos from the Amalfi Coast, Italy

Deya has been dreaming of going to the Amalfi Coast for years and years. After Portugal, we decided that staying in Positano at La Fenice, recommended by my sister, would be a good idea to relax. In the Bible, it says that creation groans for the restoration of this world. When I looked around in Positano and the absolute rugged beauty of mountains meeting the Tyrrhenian Sea, I find my imagination is too small to comprehend what the infinite beauty of heaven must be. Positano is the jewel of the Amalfi Coast. When you head there, visit Amalfi for the day, but stay in Positano. It’s a polished version of the famous city. Below, enjoy thirteen photos from the Amalfi Coast and the gallery from our visit.

See the entire album below:

Thirteen Photos from Lisbon and Porto, Portugal

Deya and I knew we had to go to Portugal in the summer of 2018 but we were undecided exactly where other than Lisbon and Porto. Both of these cities offer a rich and cultural history that span centuries. The food, people and scenes in Portugal cannot be beat. Below, find my favorite thirteen photos from Lisbon and Porto. I hope you’ll add these spots to your places to travel. When you go to Lisbon, be sure to head across the river to eat at Ponto Final. Take a jacket, the wind is cold! If you want to see the rooftop from Santa Justa Lift, skip the line and take the stairs behind the lift. It’s free and fast. Try a ginjinha drink, it’s a Lisbon classic. Be sure to eat at O Asiático, it’s fantastic. Visit Porto Cruz in Porto and have some tapas with their spicy porto cocktail. The teleferico is touristy, but so what? It’s a beautiful way to see the river and the city. Here are the thirteen photos from the trip and the gallery below.

Teatro Nacional D. Maria II from Rossio Square

Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology - MAAT

Teleférico de Gaia with the Dom Luís I Bridge

Man and Cat Looking Out the Window in Porto

Check out the rest of the album below:

Thirteen Photos from Mexico City

Mexico City was one of those places I never thought about, like say, Iowa. Sure, I knew it existed but nothing about the city ever called to me. Deya and my SIL, Viole, told me that we needed to go. They promised me it was the New York City of Mexico. In recent years, the city has undergone a rebrand from DF to CDMX. Though it sounds like an illicit synthetic drug, CDMX was a vibrant and fantastic city. It’s a quick two hour direct flight from San Antonio and I encourage anyone that’s considering going to Vegas for a long weekend to head to Mexico City instead. One of our Uber drivers put it best when he said that there is a budget for every wallet in CDMX. The food, culture and people were a joy and I was so thankful to have visited. Below, enjoy thirteen photos from CDMX with a bonus of the entire album.

Camel Passing Through the Eye of a Needle at Museo Jumex

Thirteen Photos from New York City

Ah, New York City, the center of the universe. It had been a few years since I’d visited the city, but when my dad sprung the opportunity to visit the New York Auto Show with him for a few days, I couldn’t pass it up. We stayed in the absolutely enormous Marriott Times Square and bounced around town. These photos were taken with the mind-boggling Sony A7RIII. Enjoy my thirteen photos from NYC.

Panorama from the Top of the Rock New York City

This photo is huge and is best seen on a big screen.

New York Public Library Rose Reading Room

Check out the album below:

Thirteen Photos from San Francisco

Thirteen photos from San Francisco taken during Scout Waypoint 2013.

My favorite city in the US remains San Francisco. Luckily, I’ve been able to visit annually for the past four years. Enjoy my stroll through the city.

The rest of the photos…

Thirteen Photos from London

Out of all the cities I visited on my last round in Europe, I loved London the most.

Out of all the cities I visited on my last round in Europe, I loved London the most. The architecture and the people were more eclectic. You could be anyone you wanted to be and find a flat to match your style. Here are my top thirteen photos from London with the remaining photos of the city in the gallery below.

St. Pancras Railway Station

The London Taxi Company

Crossing The Millenium Bridge

Under the Watchful Eye

Big Ben

Tower Bridge at Night

Look Right (How To Not Die in London)

Mind the Gap

Camden Market

It’s Not THAT Old

Hey Jude

Arthur – King of the Squirrels

Harrod’s at Night

Thirteen Photos from Paris

Thirteen photos from my trip to Paris. All pictures were shot on the Sony DSC-RX100. You can see all the photos from the set at the bottom.

21 Years Later

Musée d’Orsay

Love Locks on Pont des Arts

How I Met Your Mother at L’Opéra Bastille

La Basilique du Sacré Coeur de Montmartre

I Can’t Van Gogh Without a Photo

Notre Dame de Paris

Champs Élysées

Arc de Triomphe

Serment de Spartacus

Tour Eiffel

Attack of the Parisian Pigeon

Jardin des Tuileries

What’s In Your Bag 2012 – World Edition

One against seven is never a fair fight. The body blows from seven time zones are iced when I tote my Passport. I darken tight doorways with a purposefully packed backpack and carryon.

My MacBook Air is ready to glamorize photos of abbeys. The microfiber cloth makes the glass sparkle. Splenda gives the perfect sweetness to the corner bistro’s cappuccino. A pounding headache and the aftermath of eating a few closed mussels from Brussels can be fixed with the white container. Be smart – if cooked shellfish didn’t open during cooking, don’t eat it.

Adventures are more fun when reading adventures first on a Kindle. My photos are 48% less boring when I hang the magnetic Joby Gorillapod from a street sign. Until the future arrives, gear will not charge itself. Thankfully, Tumi Tech’s universal plug rocks plugs for the UK, Europe, Asia and it bonuses with a USB port. The sunrise over the centuries old plaza is captured magically through the f/1.8 lens of the Sony RX100. Waking for the sunrise shoot is soothed by hits through the X-Mini travel speaker. What good are the photos of the worn streets if you can’t share? Sprint’s International Hot Spot with an unlocked SIM slot will do the trick for my four closest companions and me. Dead batteries are for suckers, so the ibattz with two removal batteries should do the trick.

But, if the ibattz isn’t enough, the MyCharge 5000 will finish the day out. Untested unlocked devices are never a sure bet. A Nokia Lumia 800 is Plan C if the iPhone and International Hot Spot are a bust. With the tiny MacBook Air minimizing outlets, the Apple USB to Ethernet dongle provides wired connectivity in hotels stuck in 1999. International travel requires forms when you’re drowsy and your seat mates are asleep, so I bring my own pen. USB charging is simple with the Western Europe dongle. Escaping airplane dry mouth is easiest with gum and keeps you in the good graces of your seat mate.

Time for my soles hit the cobblestone.