Sojourn of a Penguin

February 28, 2021

Georgia: Five Historic Mansions in Savannah

Savannah's downtown area is one of the largest National Historic Landmark Districts in the United. With almost 300 years...

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January 27, 2021

New Orleans: Stay in a Historic French Quarter House

We were transported to the 19th century French Quarter as we walked inside the hotel, a historic mansion. Completed...

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December 19, 2020

Iceland: Chasing Lights

I had been waiting for a few hours, standing in the dark. I was on a ridge above a...

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November 26, 2020

Mexico: Journey to the Monarch Sanctuary

I climbed the steep hills for an hour or so at an elevation of about 10,000 feet. The trail...

Read More

Georgia: Five Historic Mansions in Savannah

February 28, 2021

New Orleans: Stay in a Historic French Quarter House

January 27, 2021

Iceland: Chasing Lights

December 19, 2020

Georgia: Five Historic Mansions in Savannah

Alex Baranda February 28, 2021 Georgia (US) Leave a Comment

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Savannah’s downtown area is one of the largest National Historic Landmark Districts in the United. With almost 300 years of history, the city attracts millions of visitors annually because of several notable historic buildings. Here are five Historic Mansions in Savannah worth checking out that we saw in our recent trip to the city.

New Orleans: Stay in a Historic French Quarter House

Alex Baranda January 27, 2021 Louisiana, United States 2 Comments

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We were transported to the 19th century French Quarter as we walked inside the hotel, a historic mansion. Completed in 1839, its main hall and the adjacent double parlor remain much as they were in their early days. Antiques and period artworks decorated the hallway. An ornate chandelier hanged above the main hall. A vintage red sofa sat against one wall sandwiched between two end tables with decorative lampshades. Paintings adorned the wall over the couch, and a large mirror occupied the opposite wall. The hallway floor was tiled marble, while the double parlor was all wood. We felt that we turned back time and stepped into the antebellum era of New Orleans when it was the wealthiest city in the nation.

Iceland: Chasing Lights

Alex Baranda December 19, 2020 Europe, Iceland 18 Comments

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I had been waiting for a few hours, standing in the dark. I was on a ridge above a glacial lake. I was cold. It was below freezing. I could not feel my fingers. My hands were digging in my pockets, looking for some remnants of heat from the hand warmers I placed there hours prior. I had two cameras on a tripod taking photos on a timer. My nose was running. My face was so numb I cannot feel it. I thought I must be nuts to waiting there in the cold. Then all of a sudden, when I

Mexico: Journey to the Monarch Sanctuary

Alex Baranda November 26, 2020 Mexico, Nature, North America, UNESCO World Heritage Site 9 Comments

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I climbed the steep hills for an hour or so at an elevation of about 10,000 feet. The trail was a mix of stairs and dirt paths equivalent of climbing 600+ stair steps. My legs were like jelly when I reached the site, but it was so worth it. There were hundreds of thousands of monarch butterflies! I can hear the wingbeats as they swarm like bees in the oyamel fir trees. My day started in Morelia, Mexico, in the Michoacán State, some 5-6 hours West of Mexico City. My next destination is El Rosario Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary, a few

California: A Wild Walk to a Hidden Waterfall

Alex Baranda October 28, 2020 California, Nature, United States, Waterfall 1 Comment

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I kept looking back and kept my ears open as I made small steps on the tracks. I was ready to get out of the way in case a train came through. The reward for a little wild walk on the active tracks was a beautiful waterfall, Mossbrae Falls. Water drips on the mossy canyon wall into the Sacramento River. Mossbrae Falls is arguably one of the most beautiful and scenic waterfalls in California or anywhere. It flows into the Sacramento River in the Shasta Cascade area in Dunsmuir, California. Springs feed the falls that course down the canyon wall into

New Zealand: There and Back Again, a Hobbit’s Tale

Alex Baranda September 22, 2020 Movie Sets, New Zealand, The Hobbit 3 Comments

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I had not slept in over thirty hours, yet I was still wide awake! I had a pint of the finest Southfarthing apple cider at the Green Dragon Inn before stuffing myself at the Hobbit feast, where an abundance of meats, side dishes, and desserts filled the tables. After dinner, I strolled towards the big tree, Bilbo Baggins’ party tree, for an evening of merriment listening to Hobbit tales and dancing while singing Hobbit songs! I was in the Shire in Middle Earth! The Hobbit (or There and Back Again) by J.R.R. Tolkien is one of my favorite books. “In

San Francisco: Five Spots for Night Photography

Alex Baranda August 21, 2020 California, North America, Photography, United States 1 Comment

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San Francisco, California, is the cultural, commercial, and financial center of Northern California. It is the 16th most populous city in the United States and the fourth most populous in California. Colloquially called The City, it has a mix of eclectic architecture and several iconic landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz Island. Fog (known as Karl) often rolls in and adds a cool element to the view. Here are some of my favorite spots for night photography in The City. 1. Saint Ignatius Church. The Catholic Church on the University of San Francisco, a Jesuit University, is

Hawaii: Lava meets the sea

Alex Baranda July 27, 2020 Hawaii, National Park, Nature, North America, United States, Volcano 5 Comments

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The Kilauea volcano, the youngest of the five volcanoes that form the Big Island of Hawaii, first erupted in 1983 and has continually been spewing lava ever since. One of the most spectacular ways to view this natural phenomenon is at sea, where the lava drips into the Pacific Ocean. Fortunately, for the tourists, it’s also the most accessible. Lava Ocean Tours is one of a few operators with a permit to navigate close to the lava flow. The company offers a lava sight-seeing boat tour throughout the day, but the dawn tour provides the most beautiful views of the

Paris: Five Spots for Night Photography

Alex Baranda June 26, 2020 Europe, France, Photography 1 Comment

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Paris, France is a major European city known for its art, fashion, culture, and food. It is often called the City of Light (La Ville Lumière) as an early adaptor of gas street lighting on its boulevards and monuments and its role in the Age of Enlightenment. Today, the city lights up at night, and it’s beautiful, with its iconic landmarks and monuments all lit up. Night photographers revel in Paris’s lights. Here are some of my favorite spots for night photography in the City of Light. 1. Eiffel Tower. The iconic tower is arguably the most recognized symbol of