Think COLD this Friday

#FriFotos Theme = COLD

It's the middle of winter in North America, so it shouldn't be hard to come up with images depicting "COLD" for the weekly Twitter photo forum #FriFotos.

With all the cold temperatures sweeping the country and heavy snowfall, you may have had your fill of "cold" images.   Nevertheless, we have gone through our archives and have some inspiration for you. This image was made on a day earlier this year (brrrrrr).

(For those that don't know:  #FriFotos is a weekly photo forum by @EpsteinTravels @TravelDesigned @CharlesYap. Theme is revealed every Tuesday 12pm ET.)    Recently, @spencerspellman joined the team as a permanent co-host.  We even had the chance to co-host one week last year.)

Hubbard Glacier

One of our favorite sites during our Alaska cruises was the time spent cruising Hubbard Glacier.  If you've never been to Alaska we'll try to explain the experience.  The ship slowly enters the bay and immediately you start to see chunks of floating ice passing you by.  In the distance you hear the calving of the glacier (if you are fortunate) and see the blue glacial ice.  It is quite the site to see, especially if there is another ship in the bay along with you.

The best vantage point is from your balcony or one of the open decks if you haven't booked a balcony cabin.   We highly recommend a balcony for an Alaska cruise.   You can go inside your cabin and warm up between photos if you want to.

It doesn't matter what side of the ship you are on because the captain will make a 360 degree journey so that everyone has the opportunity to see the glaciers.  Here are a few of our favorite images.  We'll post a few more for the forum as well.
Cruising Hubbard Glacier (click to view photo album on our FB fan page)
(click on the photos for larger view)

Join Us this Friday on #FriFotos

We invite you to go through your photo archives and find some examples of "COLD" to share on #FriFotos this Friday.  If it makes you shiver, and you need to get away to somewhere "WARM", let us know and we can help you with that as well.

If you like Travel & Photography join us each Friday!

Follow #FriFotos on Twitter and Facebook

Follow us on Twitter: @ChrisPappinMCC  Pinterest: CruiseWithChris Pappin and Facebook: CruiseWithChris Pappin Cruises Inc

Stay Warm Everyone .... 

 

Smiles, Everyone Smiles

Fantasy Island - Smiles, everyone...smiles!

When @FriFotos announced this week's "Smiles" theme, the first thing that came to mind was the old Fantasy Island show where Mr. Roarke (Ricardo Montalba) lined the staff up and told them to smile as the guests arrived.   That became the catch phrase which is still remembered today.

Making Others Smile

The next thing that I thought about is how fortunate I am to have the opportunity to make other people smile each and every day.   My job (if you want to call it a job) is to match your vacation dreams with reality.  I know that once you arrive at your vacation destination (and possibly sooner) you are going to have smiles on your face.   How great is that?

My Own Smiles

I've also had the good fortune to have had many opportunities to smile personally as well.   For those that know me, you know that I don't really like to have my photo taken and my husband has to either work hard to get a picture with me smiling or catch me off-guard.   Sometimes, I can't help but smile, like in some of the images I'm including in my submissions for #FriFotos.

(For those that don't know:  #FriFotos is a weekly photo forum by @EpsteinTravels @TravelDesigned @CharlesYap. Theme is revealed every Tuesday 12pm ET.)    Recently, @spencerspellman joined the team as a permanent co-host.  We even had the chance to co-host one week earlier this year.)

Galapagos

My all-time favorite cruise was on Celebrity Cruise Xpedition to Galapagos.   As you can see in this picture, I had a smile from ear to ear as we embarked on one of our exploratory excursions via Zodiac boat.

You can read more about that trip in our blog post: Diary of Celebrity Xpeditions Galapagos.

The image above was taken on Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas.   I love penguins - even the stuffed variety, so that brought a smile to my face as well.

Greek Isles

Another of my all-time favorite cruises was our trip to the Mediterranean.   That trip started in Rome and ended in Venice with several stops along the way in Greece.

Here I'm pictured smiling in Santorini, which was indeed one of the best stops of the cruise.

Split, Croatia

What could be better than an unexpected surprise?  I couldn't have imagined how beautiful Split, Croatia would be until we actually arrived at the KRKA National Park & Waterfalls.

Read more about this trip in our blog post: Diary of Cruise with Chris to Greek Isles

Would Any of These Make You Smile?

I suspect that they would bring a smile to your face if you love nature, history, seeing new places, or simply getting away from your daily routine.

Of course, every trip can have a unique set of requirements in order to bring a smile to your face.  Knowing about the various destinations, the ships, the land resorts, tour operators, the do's and dont's for each destination, etc.  means that I can play "smile maker" (kinda like a match maker for creating happiness).  

Smiles from the Staff

Just like on Fantasy Island, the staff of cruise ships, resort destinations, hotels, excursion operators, and even passengers you meet during your trip can contribute to the enjoyment of your vacation.  When they have smiles on their faces, you can't help but smile back.  

Here, a few of the naturalists that were onboard the Celebrity Xpedition pose for a picture.  During our short visit to the Galapagos, we learned a lot from them and really enjoyed the visit because they were fun to be around.  They enjoyed what they do for a living and their smiles were genuine.

Add Your Smiles Photos to #FriFotos

We invite you to go through your photo archives and find some examples of "Smiles" to share on #FriFotos this Friday.  We think that doing so might even bring back a smile to your face as you remember a past experience.

If you like Travel & Photography join us each Friday!

Follow #FriFotos on Twitter and Facebook

Follow us on Twitter: @ChrisPappinMCC  Pinterest: CruiseWithChris Pappin and Facebook: CruiseWithChris Pappin Cruises Inc

Smiles, Everyone .... Smiles

 

Least Likely Location for Stained Glass

Can You Guess Location 

for Our Next 

Stained Glass Collection

You can probably guess that the following stained glass works of art are inside a casino.  But can you guess where? 

What is the least likely location in your mind?

Do you give up?   Go ahead take a guess (don't cheat).

#FriFotos #greatINDOORS - Inspiration for Series

We started this series of articles in preparation for our guest co-host appearance last Friday on #FriFotos #greatINDOORS.    If you aren't familiar with #FriFotos it is a weekly photo forum by @EpsteinTravels @TravelDesigned @CharlesYap. Theme is revealed every Tuesday 12pm ET.

Every week in preparation for our participation, we search through our archives for a few images that meet that week's criteria.   Some themes are hard, while others, like last week's #greatINDOORS provide a wealth of possibilities.   

Royal Caribbean Jewel Of the Seas

This stained glass piece is actually built into the staircase that takes you from one level to another inside Casino Royale aboard Royal Caribbean's Jewel of the Seas.   There are several more stained glass windows throughout the casino.

We've posted several more examples on our Pinterest page, All Things Glass Around the Globe.

As the name implies, it won't be limited to images of stained glass windows.   Anything made from glass, including glassware, chandeliers, and blown glass, will be pinned for your enjoyment.  We welcome your feedback as well.

(Click on images for a closer look)

Our Stained Glass Journey Thus Far: 

Stained Glass Around the World

Stained Glass Around the World Part 2

Stained Glass Off the Beaten Path

Where will we be next?

Follow #FriFotos on Twitter and Facebook

Follow us on Twitter: @ChrisPappinMCC  Pinterest: CruiseWithChris Pappin and Facebook: CruiseWithChris Pappin Cruises Inc for more ideas.

Visit Great Indoors Across the Globe

Yusupov's Palace (click image to enlarge)

Look Inside

When Traveling the Globe

Look at your travel pictures from a recent trip. Divide them into two categories: pictures taken outside (landscapes, buildings, people at work and play) and secondly, those taken indoors (hotel rooms, airports, cruise ship interiors, train stations, museums, furniture, paintings, chandeliers).

Have you taken more images inside or outside? If you are like most travelers, you probably have more images outside. There's nothing wrong with that - just an interesting theory on my part.  We have two challenges for you if you are willing participants.

Join Us Friday for #FriFotos #greatINDOORS

This week's Twitter  #FriFotos theme is #greatINDOORS. #FriFotos is a weekly photo forum by @EpsteinTravels @TravelDesigned @CharlesYap. Theme is revealed every Tuesday 12pm ET.

We are very excited to be guest Co-Hosts this week.   As avid followers and participants in this weekly photo adventure, we have enjoyed countless hours searching through our photo archives for those perfect representatives that demonstrate the given theme.   Equally exciting has been exploring the images of our fellow contributors.   We have virtually traveled around the globe and anxiously await each Friday's image collection.

YOU should participate.  It's easy - just tweet your images on Friday (any time / in your time zone - across all time zones if you like).   Simply add a description and include #FriFotos #greatINDOORS.
See all the rules here.

Challenge #2

If you've gone through your images, from one or more recent trips, and find few images captured INDOORS, why not consider adding a few more #greatINDOORS images during your next trip?  

Have a Plan: Just as a football coach and the team review footage, statistics, and other information prior to game day, we like to research each destination in advance of our visit.   If you have a travel professional, they can help you identify local attractions of interest.  You can always search on the internet, including #FriFotos for ideas.

Having a plan helps to assure you will have a photo journal that you can share with family, friends, and even the larger online community.   We like to pay it forward by sharing our images online.

About the Image Above

During a Baltic cruise, we spent two complete days in St. Petersburg, Russia where we explored many of the main attractions.   These images were captured INDOORS at Yusupov's Palace.  It was built by one of the richest families of Russia during Tsarist times and is one of the most amazing buildings in all the world.   Truly this is an excellent example of the #greatINDOORS.

Crystal Chandeliers, tapestries, exquisite furniture, and art are amongst the items you will see on your guided tour of Yusupov's Palace.  The guides speak excellent English and share background information which will enhance your visit.

Join me Friday along with my other co-hosts for a fantastic journey indoors from sea to shining sea.   We'd love to see some of YOUR images as well, so help me make this one of the most successful #FriFotos themes by participating.

Follow #FriFotos on Twitter and Facebook

Follow us on Twitter: @ChrisPappinMCC  Pinterest: CruiseWithChris Pappin and Facebook: CruiseWithChris Pappin Cruises Inc for more ideas.