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.

Szechenyi Spa Baths

Gellért Thermal Baths and Swimming Pool

Tram Transport at the Great Market Hall (Nagycsarnok)

Deya at For Sale Bar Budapest

Mirror Image at the Aria Hotel

Hungarian Parliament Building

Budapest Stumble Stones

Szimpla Kert Ruin Bar Trabant

Hungarian Parliament Building Interior

Mazel Tov Ruin Bar

Budapest Panorama from Gellert Hill

Hungarian Parliament Building at Night in Budapest

Shoes on the Danube River

Check out the full album below:

Budapest | June 2018

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.

Positano Beach

Beach Umbrellas in Positano

Yachts and Boats on the Amalfi Coast

Amalfi Cathedral

De Cape 'E Ciucci Fountain

Amalfi Coast at Night

Private Beach at La Fenice Amalfi Coast

Fontana Sant'Andrea

Boat in Positano

Mediterranean Sea from La Fenice

Deya in Positano

Balloons at Positano Beach

Deya at the Amalfi Cathedral

See the entire album below:

Amalfi Coast, Italy - June 2018

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.

Palacio de Bellas Artes Mexico City

Iguana Man

Museo Soumaya

Deya at Museo Jumex Pure Joy

Camel Passing Through the Eye of a Needle at Museo Jumex

Corn in a Gourd at Pujol

Chapultepec Castle

Deya at Gran Hotel

Plant Truck

Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral

Aztec Dancers at Catedral Metropolitan

Palacio Postal

Cafebrería El Péndulo Second Floor

Mexico City | February 2018

Thirteen Photos from the Kopecky Family Band Concert

Kopecky Family Band is a talented bunch of musicians from Nashville. I had my first experience with them during SXSW 2013 when they were part of the line up with Delta Spirit. Squarely in front of Kelsey Kopecky, she let me play her bells on one of their last songs. It was an amazing experience and they’ve carried a special place in my heart since then. When my C3 Concerts newsletter arrived, they had a contest to win tickets to see them play inside at Stubb’s. Of course, I entered. Thankfully, I won tickets! The same day, Samsung delivered their new Samsung NX300 mirrorless camera. I’ve been selected with 24 other photographers and bloggers around the country to shoot with this camera as a part of their Imageloggers program. You’ll be seeing an official announcement soon. Here are my first photos with the NX300. A wildly large thank you to Samsung for selecting me, C3 for having me win tickets and Kopecky Family Band for being as charming as ever.

Kopecky Family Band

Kopecky Family Band

Kopecky Family Band

Kopecky Family Band

Kopecky Family Band

Kopecky Family Band

Kopecky Family Band

Kopecky Family Band

Kopecky Family Band

Kopecky Family Band

Kopecky Family Band

Kopecky Family Band

Kopecky Family Band

The rest of the photos are available below: