CORSICA // The Western Coast

After spending a week packing up our life in Holland, we were READY for our Corisca adventure. We had a super early flight - as in 6:30am departure early - which was an adventure in itself trying to get to the airport that early (buses and trains and lots of walking). But we made it on time, and after passing out on the plane we woke up just as we were beginning our descent. I immediately looked out the window expecting to see something to get my bearings and all I saw was a cruise ship perfectly framed by the tiny airplane window cruising along through the bright blue Mediterranean. We were in the Mediterranean, that was for sure.

Scotland // Glencoe & Ben Nevis

"You have to go to Scotland in the Fall!" That was the advice that we received a few months ago from a friendly Scottish woman that we had just met in a cafe in Chamonix. This was one of those cafes where the tables are so close together that you cannot help but overhear the conversation of the people next to you. In this case, we were glad for the close quarters since our table neighbors turned out to be super nice and right on the mark with their travel tips.

Fast forward a few months to where we find ourselves driving (on the wrong side of the road by the way) along Loch Lomond headed for the Scotland's northwestern highlands. This was a bit of a last minute trip. Fall was almost over and we weren't ready to let it go before getting out and seeing some amazing autumn colors. 

Glencoe was our first destination which is a small town on Loch Leven. It was raining pretty hard so we ducked into a local spot for coffee and steak pie. We got to talking with a local and found out that they had not yet seen much frost in the highlands which meant that fall leaves were still going to be out in force.  The local weather report was less exciting as it called for rain pretty much every day. This jolly old man was sure to remind us that there is no such thing as bad weather though, just bad clothing. 

Suited up for the rain, we spent the rest of the day exploring the amazing Ben Nevis valley. Another perk of being here in November was that there were barely any tourists. Ben Nevis can be a popular spot but we had this entire valley to ourselves. For the rest of the day, we hiked around this area soaking in the scenery. At sunset, the clouds broke and that golden hour light poured into the valley. Anna shouted from across a grassy field, "Jack.... we're in Scotland!" We both were smiling ear to ear.   

Slovenia

Culture shock in the Netherlands has been mild since most of the Dutch speak english and many of their customs aren't radically different from our own.  The topographic adjustment on the other hand has not been more noticeable. The Netherlands is flat. Really, really flat.  So, while the weather was still good and while Anna was still off working in Italy, I decided to head for some hills. For this trip I teamed up with a good friend from college, Cris Diaz. Cris has seen most countries in Europe thanks to his former life as a pirate (he tells us he worked on a cruise ship but we're not so sure) and so it was initially a challenge to agree on a place that neither of us had been to before. Luckily, Slovenia was still on both of our bucketlists and so the deal was sealed and plane tickets were purchased.

We flew into the capital city of Ljubljana (nicknamed L'juju for the rest of the trip to avoid pronunciation), rented a car, and drove straight to Lake Bled (pictured above).  One amazing feature we noticed about Slovenia right off the bat was how close everything was.  Within 30 minutes of the airport was the beautiful town of Bled and the lake of the same name. This place was unreal. The iconic landmarks consisted of a massive castle on a cliffside overlooking the lake and a tiny island in the middle of the lake with a castle of its own. To round out this amazing scene there were also the Julian Alps towering in the background.

After enjoying our fill of Lake Bled, we took to the gorges. The turquoise waters from Vintgar Gorge (pictured below) left an impression that I won't soon forget. 

  

Waterfalls are always a treat. Another goodie from Vintgar Gorge above.

Lake Bohinj (above) was a definite highlight of the trip. The first photo in this post was taken to prove to Anna that I stayed good on my "Always Swim" pact. The idea is simple - if given the opportunity, always swim. I made good on this at Lake Bled as well, but that is a story for another time.

On the last day of this quick trip, I dropped Cris off at the airport with a half day to kill before my own flight took off. Again, since everything in Slovenia was so close and I still had the rental car, I decided to head for the coast. I made it to Piran (above) before noon and spent midday exploring this gem. From the northern shoreline you could see Trieste, Italy. Funny story - I paid 1 euro to climb the big bell tower that you can see in this picture without realizing that it was 5 minutes til the hour. When I got to the top, all that I was thinking about was the view until "GONGGG!!!" I was within a foot of the massive bell when the thing went off. I think it cracked a rib. 

Slovenia was incredible. It is definitely a place that I would recommend, especially if you want to pack mountains, rivers, lakes, city, and coastline all into a long weekend.

Italy // Borgo Egnazia in Puglia

After Greece I flew to Bari in Southern Italy for another week of photographing events. We stayed at Borgo Egnazia in Puglia, which is the most magical, beautiful, romantic place I've ever been. The design and overall atmosphere of the residence was so comfortable and chic, and the interior design was stunning with lots of whites and cremes and the most impeccable details. I felt like royalty walking the grounds and was amazed at all that was offered - delicious breakfast buffets, authentic Italian open air dinners, and the kindest people.