Arriving in Patagonia

After our first day in Santiago we boarded another flight South to Punta Arenas. While in Patagonia we stayed at Hotel Las Torres, a beautiful ranch right at the foot of the Torres del Paine. On our way to the hotel we had a chance to stop at the Estancia Cerro Negro (Black Hill Ranch), which is owned by the same family as Hotel Las Torres. There we experienced a traditional Patagonian lamb barbecue and learned about the farm. 

Before eating we received a tour of the farmhouse and learned about what life was like for the Kusanovic family (they moved to the region from Croatia). After our delicious meal and some time spent at the farm we were back on the road. A few hours later arrived at the park! Our driver was even kind enough to pull over several times for us to take photos of a beautiful blue lake and to observe a guanaco. The scenery was even more beautiful than I imagined, and I can't wait to share our three full days we spent in the park. Enjoy! 

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Santiago, Chile

I'm so excited to share the first of a few posts from my family's recent trip to Chile! My dad lived in Chile for a year when he was in high school as an AFS student and our whole family was finally able to make the trip to meet his host family and see the country.  First up was Santiago: we stayed there for one night before flying to Patagonia. We also stayed for another day after the flight back, so these pictures were taken over the those two days. Because of the New Year holiday I think we experienced a much quieter city than normal! 

Both of the hotels we stayed at were in the Las Condes neighborhood of Santiago, which I definitely recommend! From there we ventured Cerro San Cristobal where there is a gondola to take you up the hill, and also a large swimming pool and zoo. We mainly enjoyed the views from the gondola and from the gardens at the top, but the pool looked very inviting! Afterward we went over to the Cerro Santa Lucia which features the Terrazzo Neptuno. Another favorite of ours was the panoramic view of the city from the Costanera Center! You could see everything, and were lucky to not have an extremely smoggy day. We loved the warm weather in Santiago, especially since it was snowing back home. Next up, Patagonia!

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Patagonia Packing List

Hello, friends! In just a few short weeks I will be jetting off to South America with my family. We have never taken a post-Christmas trip before — let alone to Chile! Here a few items I will be backing for the Patagonia portion of our stay. I'm not quite prepared for what the weather and circumstances will be like, but I can't wait! Be on the lookout for lots of travel photos come January. I've already been wearing my new Patagonia around town and it is much warmer than it appears! I also have been trying to break in the Kodiak boots. Their quality is beautiful in person, I'm happy that they will serve me well outside of my travels, too. Are any of you headed on post holiday travels? 

ONE | TWO | THREE | FOUR | FIVE

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Diptychs 10

Pale pink, neutral tones & interior spaces this time around. 

1 Left | Right
2 Left | Right
3 Left | Right
4 Left | Right

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Italy GoPro Video!

It's done! I have been working on creating a GoPro video from Sophie and I's Italy trip for a few weeks, and it is finally finished! I love how it really captures what we saw from our perspective, and is a little less polished and formal than all the photos. Enjoy! 

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Amalfi, Positano and Ravello, Italy

Happy Friday! I can't believe I am already sharing our final photos from the Amalfi coast. After a quick breakfast at our hotel we were picked up for our bus tour. We were lucky to get seats facing the coast and white it was a bit of a scary ride the views were amazing. (I especially loved seeing all the lemon groves at the beginning of our drive.) Our first stop was Positano! Because Sophie and I had spent a few hours here the day before our main plan was to get a better picture of the beautiful church at the center of town. While it required stepping into a hotel lobby to get the photo, I think we succeeded! After a lemon slush and some shopping we were back on the bus headed for Amalfi. 

Sophie and I were really excited to spend some time in Amalfi since we only were able to see it from the water the day before. Our first stop there was in a beautiful paper shop (Amalfi is known for their paper), and I couldn't help but purchase a few things. After that we took some pictures on the church steps in very windy conditions. We loved walking around and peeking into some shops before heading to the beach. Sophie and I were very sad to get back on the bus after just over an hour exploring beautiful Amalfi. But it was on to our final destination of the day, Ravello. 

Ravello is a small town up in the mountains from Amalfi. It has been popular with musicians for many years, and hosts a special music festival. We choose to spend our time in the famous villa where this festival takes place. The views and gardens were spectacular! Our drive back to Sorrento was filled with classical Italian music and a view of Sorrento, Mount Vesuvius and Naples. Since this was our last night in Sophie and I choose to go out to a nice dinner and indulge in gelato from Puro one last time. After packing we went straight to bed to rest up for our travel day to Rome! Next week I will share how we spent our last day in Italy and a few final thoughts on our entire adventure. Have a wonderful weekend!

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