Anna Brones
- http://www.annabrones.wordpress.com
Hi, I'm Anna. I currently live in Portland, OR where I spend a lot of time dreaming of my next adventure. You can email me at anna[dot]brones[at]weblogsinc[dot]com .
Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Photo of the Day (12.06.08)
For some reason I always have a severe longing for Europe when December rolls around. Yes, of course, it's cold and gray, but I miss the lights and sounds of European countries gearing up for Christmas. So when I went to look for today's Photo of the Day I obviously had a bias and therefore chose this great shot of the Eiffel Tower by Luke Robinson. I think it's fitting that he chose to do the photo in black and white; it fits the temperatures of the season. But at the same time, underneath the stark architecture and strong lines you can easily imagine the lively action going on down in the streets. I'm jealous of anyone that's currently there!
Have your own shot that you want considered for Photo of the Day? Submit it to the Gadling Flickr Pool.
Sounds of Travel 13: Ce Matin La
Here at Gadling we'll be highlighting some of our favorite sounds from the road and giving you a sample of each -- maybe you'll find the same inspiration that we did, but at the very least, hopefully you'll think that they're good songs. Got a favorite of your own? Leave it in the comments and we'll post it at the end of the series.For me, traveling music has to provide a good background. It has to to flow with your up and down emotions, fit a variety of situations, but be distinct enough that it brings back memories when you return home. For that reason, in my last post I wrote about St. Germain, which is one of my favorite artists to listen to while traveling. Along those same lines comes Air, another electronica-inspired group that hails from France.
As I wrote about St. Germain, music like this immediately takes me back to living in France; I can envision the first time and place that I listened to either of these two groups. But Air is a little more than that, the duo's second album Moon Safari has become my traveling soundtrack -- no matter what the destination -- and my song of choice is Ce Matin La.
Passports with Purpose: Travel bloggers fundraise for Heifer International
'Tis the season as they say. Yes, you could take part in the hectic Christmas shopping frenzy, or you could put your money to more philanthropic efforts. That's exactly the goal of Passports with Purpose, the brainchild of four travel bloggers: Debbie Dubrow of Delicious Baby, Pam Mandel of Nerd's Eye View, Michelle Duffy of WanderMom, and Beth Whitman of Wanderlust and Lipstick. The blogging divas all decided that this holiday season it was time to give back, launching PWP to allow travel bloggers the chance to help raise funds for Heifer International.Each participating blogger -- and if you're up on your travel blogs, you'll recognize many of the names on the list -- has gotten together a raffle prize. A $10 raffle ticket (which all goes to Heifer International) gets you the chance to maybe pick one of them up. Now, this isn't your standard school raffle with homemade baked goods and a year's worth of tree pruning; PWP prizes are something to get excited about. The list is long, but here is just a sampling:
- 3 Nights at the Wyland Waikiki in Hawaii
- Mountain Hardwear Women's Mynx Jacket
- Eagle Creek luggage
- A collection of 5 Lonely Plant books
Photo of the Day (11.29.08)
After a few hectic days of family, traveling and lots of eating, I thought many of us would enjoy a calming photo such as this one. Taken in Brecon Beacons, Wales by Theodore Scott this photo captures the peacefulness of the rolling hills and clouds, giving us a very relaxing image. I also like the rock wall that draws our eye in and pulls it back into the distance, far down the fields; great perspective!
Do you have an excellent travel shot? Submit it to our Gadling Flickr pool to be considered for Photo of the Day.
Photo of the Day (11.22.08)
I think this photo of Manarola, one of the five cillages of Cinque Terre, taken by stellarviewer, is very striking because of the dark clouds in the sky. What's even more interesting is that the photo was composed using five different images, which may be why we get such an intense sky.
Have your own great travel shot you think would make for a great Photo of the Day? Submit it to the Gadling Flickr pool for consideration.
Obese passengers in Canada have the right to two seats for price of one
Obesity on airlines is becoming a big issue. Just a couple weeks ago a flight attendant was ruled too fat to fly, and of course the overweight passenger debate is always one that flares up people's opinions. There are two schools of thought. The first is from the view of the passenger stuck next to an overweight one who takes up more than their fair share of space; a lot of people believe that they should have to pay for a second seat. But the second opinion comes from overweight passengers themselves, who believe that they have a right to more space. According to Reuters, today the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in the direction of the latter, declaring that obese people have the right to two seats for the price of one on flights within Canada. The original decision had been made by the Canadian Transportation Authority, who claimed that people that are "functionally disabled by obesity" deserve to have two seats for one fare. The Canadian airlines went to appeal, but the high court declined to hear it, meaning that the decision now stands.
Do you think the official decision is a fair one?
Google launches LIFE photo archive
One of the best ways to travel without leaving your home is through photography. Pictures have the ability to draw us into new cities, cultures, and traditions, allowing us to discover worlds that were once unbeknown to our eyes. And now thanks to Google we have a new way of traveling not only around the world, but through time as well.On Tuesday the Google blog announced that the internet company is making a LIFE photo archive available on Google image search. LIFE made a name for itself in the history of photojournalism, capturing many of the world's most important moments on film, but the really cool thing about this archive is that many of these images have never been published, meaning that we're getting to discover ones that have, until now, been sitting in old archives in the form of slides, negatives, etchings and prints.Twenty percent of the collection is currently online, and when they're done, there will be over 10 million images to search through.
What are some of the highlights of the collection? The Zapruder film of the Kennedy assassination; The Mansell Collection from London; Dahlstrom glass plates of New York and environs from the 1880s; and the entire works left to the collection from LIFE photographers Alfred Eisenstaedt, Gjon Mili, and Nina Leen. There are so many amazing pieces by some of the most influential photographers, it will be easy to spend hours searching the archive. And when you find one that really strikes your eye, you can even order a high-quality framed print of it.
You can access the collection here.
How will your holiday travels go? Do some research with the Holiday Travel Cutback interactive graphic
For me to get home for Thanksgiving, I'm lucky enough to only have to take Amtrak. Even though train stations are popping at the seams with travelers during the November holiday weekend, airports are even worse. And this year is no different.As a matter of fact, during this year's Thanksgiving and Christmas travel periods, airlines will operate about 2,500 to 3,000 fewer domestic flights than compared with the same periods in previous years. That means that one way or another, you're probably going to be affected. To visualize just how your travel plans might be impacted, USA Today's travel blog Today in the Sky has put together an interactive graphic to show how flight cutbacks by airlines could affect your travel choices.
The graphic can be used to find flight changes for select days from every domestic airport with flights to the following seven hubs: Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Houston (Bush) and Minneapolis-St. Paul. The map is dotted with red and green squares to signify fewer or more flights to the hub, making it pretty simple to see what routes are going to be more problematic. But if you're lucky, you'll find that your particular route has that great green box, meaning that you'll actually be able to take advantage of more flights to get you home for the holidays.
To check out the graphic for yourself, click here.
Photo of the Day (11.15.08)
I picked this photo, because often some of the best photography is about making the mundane interesting. Although airports are full of people and constant activity, it's probably not on the top list of photography destinations. But in this photo, Tapeleg manages to find a creative angle to shoot a scene that travelers probably don't even give a second thought to. I think it's the use of lines in this view of the Denver International Airport, and the fact that there are no people in the foreground, giving the shot a very clean feel.
Do you have a shot that should be considered for Photo of the Day? Submit it to the Gadling Flickr pool.
The Sounds of Travel 7: So Flute
Here at Gadling we'll be highlighting some of our favorite sounds from the road and giving you a sample of each -- maybe you'll find the same inspiration that we did, but at the very least, hopefully you'll think that they're good songs.Got a favorite of your own? Leave it in the Comments and we'll post it at the end of the series.
France. This is a country known for its music. The stereotypical accordion tunes from atop Montmartre embodied in the soundtrack of Amélie, the ballads of Edith Piaf, and the intense lyrics of adopted icon Jacques Brel (he was actually Belgian, but the French like him so much they seem to forget). But beyond those symbolic melodies that scream French roots, there's another side to French music. One that is much more urban, cosmopolitan and chic. It's the smooth, electro-jazz, slightly funky sounds of contemporary bands like St. Germain.
