So the end of our big Europe trip comes to a close with our 2 last days spent in the amazing city of London. We started off with our typical approach of taking the open top red bus tour considering that we had such a short time in the city and wanted to see as much as possible. Again I still feel like no matter how touristy the bus tours are, they’re perfect for sightseeing comfortably with an audio track of history and give you the option of getting on and off at all the best spots in the city whenever you like. It beats planning out a metro tour or taking taxis by a mile and costs hardly anything in comparison.
London completely lived up to all the news reports about having a ridiculous amount of security cameras in every square inch of the city. I definitely felt safer though in terms of security, but it’s still a strange feeling to know that someone is always watching hehe.
After riding the bus tour for the day we decided to follow up on the free Thames River cruise tickets that were included in our bus tour. That was pretty cool but since it was overcast all day, it was a bit chilly. After the cruise we went for a sky ride on the famous London Eye. It’s basically a monstrous ferris wheel with huge capsule-shaped, glass-enclosed cabins that give you an incredible view of London. This is where we took yet another one of our ridiculous band member shots. You may have noticed that in quite a few posts from this trip that there have been a series of us making an attempt at lame band member shots as well as me and Brian’s large, fake food-eating series.
Oh and FYI, the battle ship shown in front of the Tower Bridge was in service on D-Day in Normandy so that was a cool sighting since we had just come from Omaha Beach a day earlier.
So after checking out of our bed & breakfast in Bruges, we decided to rent a car (WARNING…Don’t rent through Europcar!) to go on a road trip along Northern France. Let me tell you, driving in France is pretty odd when you can’t translate road signs at 100km an hour or when you’re making your 5th circle inside one of the many roundabouts. Luckily they do drive on the same side of the road and stay out of each other’s way. Literally if you are in the fast lane on one of the many 2 lane freeways and you aren’t going fast enough, they will ride your bumper so close that you can feel their breath on the back of your neck. And it’s totally common, nothing personal as I watched everyone do the same thing to each other. Just get over, and let them zip by. It was also nice having my wingman Brian doing the human navigation so I didn’t end up in Barcelona by mistake.
We had a couple destinations ready and just figured we’d take in the countryside along the way and make it up as we went along. First stop, Honfleur. This little gem was revealed to us by the friendly staff at Hotel Fevery in Bruges and we were not disappointed. Honfleur has cobblestone streets lining a small harbor of sailboats and it was much less touristy than any other stop on our entire trip. We ate at a local jazz club/restaurant and listened to one of the best little jazz acts I’ve ever heard. I’m hoping to post some HD footage taken with our new Canon 5D Mark II in the near future in which the jazz band is featured.
After Honfleur we kept driving east to a small area called Carantan in which we had a bed & breakfast reservation. Kimee found us this amazing farmhouse estate tucked away in the middle of nowhere that was seriously fairytale-like (it’s the shots of the farmhouse with a reddish orange sunset). We were extremely relieved to finally arrive because we had become a little lost and accidentally pulled up to another estate that had an incredibly angry large boxer dog awaiting us at the doorstep. We eventually ran into the groundskeeper and his wife, who were near 90 years old and knew zero English. So through a ton of hand gestures and nodding he was able to point us to our actual lodging down the street. Damien & Steve run the bed & breakfast and were seriously incredible hosts. They went out of their way upon arrival to make us feel at home. They also spent tons of time on the internet trying to sort out our Europcar rental issues. They also make a killer breakfast menu. Be sure to look them up at La Mare Palu on tripadvisor.com.
Along the way on our road trip Marissa and Kimee noticed a beautiful field so we pulled over, played in it like children and grabbed a few shots while we took in the view.
We were on our way to Mont St. Michel next. It’s actually the second most visited place in all of France aside from the Eiffel Tower. You may have seen a feature that was done on Mont St. Michel on PBS by travel guru Rick Steves. It’s this amazing castle-like city built on a formation of granite which is surrounded by the ocean at high tide. WOW, what a sight. Even when we were just seeing it from a distance along the highway, it was almost like you had to blink because it looked so surreal. The Mont St Michel link above has tons of info from wikipedia so be sure to check that out.
Next stop, Normandy. We decided to watch “Saving Private Ryan” the night before leaving for Omaha Beach, Normandy. It’s honestly almost too difficult to take in the magnitude of what took place once you’re actually on Normandy’s coast. Though once you see some of the monuments with actual soldier’s names engraved on them you start to scratch the surface as to how important D-Day was for the entire world. You’ll see a shot of me standing in one of the countless craters that were created by all the bombing in 1940. We can’t tell you how bummed we were that we missed the American Cemetary by a matter of minutes before closing it’s gates; ugh! If you haven’t been to Europe before, just know that places close early everywhere so be the early bird for sightseeing and be sure to get whatever you need before lunch time as almost all businesses also close up for about an hour and a half.
BE SURE TO WATCH THE FLICKR SLIDESHOW AS IT HAS TONS MORE SHOTS NOT INCLUDED IN THE POSTED GALLERY!
Here are some shots from our stop in Bruges while over in Europe a week ago. Brian and I were especially excited to see the city as we’re big fans of the hilarious dark comedy, In Bruges, with Colin Farrell. If you haven’t seen it yet, definitely add it on your netflix queue. Weird movie, but funny as Colin Farrell one a golden globe for his comedic role in the film.
Bruges is often referred to as another version of Venice. I can see the resemblance but it’s definitely much different in terms of the vibe, look of the buildings and the locals. The food was outstanding along with the famous belgian chocolate and beer. You can pretty much walk anywhere in Bruges as it’s super small. Kimee found a bed and breakfast that worked out really well; Hotel Fevery was the name. We walked all over the city, took a boat tour, and climbed 366 steps up the famous Belfry Tower; which was built in 1240! On our last night there we actually found an underground Irish Pub that was a serious gem. The place was packed and had a live duo that was playing all of Marissa favorite songs. This was one of my favorite nights by far. Later that night we actually found a dance club that was packed and goin’ off. In Bruges of all places! We couldn’t stay long though as it was too packed to bend your elbows. Was funny hearing all the Belgians singing along with American songs and dancing club style to even songs like “Twist and Shout” lol.
Oh props to Brian for taking some sweet shots of me and Riss, thanks brotha! Oh and that’s Brian behind the medieval caged hole LOL.
While in Paris we decided to take the metro and do a day trip to the Palace of Versailles. Once we got there we were in complete awe of the size of both the Palace and grounds themselves. The property is massive. The Palace has an incredible history as Louis XVI & XIV along with Marie-Antoinette resided and walked these grounds so many years ago. From Wikipedia…”The court of Versailles was the centre of political power in France from 1682, when Louis XIV moved from Paris, until the royal family was forced to return to the capital in October 1789. Versailles is therefore famous not only as a building, but as a symbol of the system of absolute monarchy of the Ancien Régime.”
Kimberlee West (one of the Boudoir Divas) offered to take some shots of Marissa and I while at the Palace so we couldn’t resist since she’s an awesome photographer and we haven’t had any pro shots in quite a while. Thanks Kimee, they turned out sooooooooooo good! I love the look of the shots.
The four of us had such a good time walking the grounds and taking in all the history. To clarify, the four of us being Weston, Marissa, Kimee and Brian. Not sure if I mentioned this in a prior post but Brian is one of my best friends from way back in Elementary school. No…to answer your possible question, Kimee and Brian are strictly friends, period. :). Believe me, I should know since I slept alongside Brian for almost 15 nights on our trip. The most hilarious part about it is that he said he had to regularly push me to the other side of the bed because in my state of slumber I must have thought he was Marissa and tried to snuggle LOL. Sorry bro, I know my beard stubble and leg hair must have given you the creeps.
While at the Palace of Versailles, we eventually came across a huge body of water on the property in which you can rent a small row boat for only 11 euro. This was definitely one of the highlights of our entire trip. The beauty of this place is indescribeable.
Marissa was lovin’ this outing in particular because she’s a huge fan of period films and was already a big fan of the Marie-Antoinette movie directed by Sophia Coppola. It was kind of cool too because we actually saw the movie the last time we were in France at a local theater in Nice before it was released in the U.S. Oh and the shot with all four of us jumping, only three of us got the timing right…my bad. There’s some additional shots in a flickr slideshow at the end of this post so be sure to check those out too.
Here’s some more shots from our recent trip to Europe…specifically Paris. Included are shots of the famous Louvre Museum, The Arc De Triomphe, Eiffel Tower and as always tons of couples making out in the streets beside their Vespas, lol. The city of Paris is littered with history and some of the most amazing structures you’ll ever witness. I also took a shot of a news kiosk with Barack Obama on the front because I was amazed at how relevant the U.S. is in Europe. I saw more photos and heard more news on our country and government than I ever imagined.
Much, much more to come including Bruges, Belgium, Northern France, and London…Stay tuned!
Back in the US of A! Woo hoo! So we just got in last night from our big Europe trip and since I finally have an internet connection and some time, I wanted to get some shots of the demo engagement session up on a post. These shots were taken on the final day of The Boudoir Divas Photography workshop in Paris where I lead an engagement shoot demo with a couple from Holland named Corneli & Mark. The demo covered how we shoot at Bouchér when on location, how we look for light, interact with our clients and nail our exposures.
Mark & Corneli couldn’t have been easier to work with. We shot super early in the morning to ensure that the streets wouldn’t be too busy so it was freezing. Poor Corneli was looking like she was about to go into hyperthermia when the camera wasn’t on her and she still looks stunning in the shots. What a trooper! Thanks again guys. And thank you to the workshop attendees for getting up so darn early.
Bonjour! So we’re in Paris, it’s day 5 and I can already tell that it’s going to be the trip of a lifetime. For those that may not be entirely informed as to why we’re here, The Boudoir Divas (Marissa Boucher & Kimberlee West) put on a photography workshop in Paris for 3.25 days that just officially ended today. Congrats Marissa & Kimee! They did such an amazing job leading the workshop and really put 110% into making it as informative as possible for the photographers attending. There were 12 attendees, 5 models, 2 flats, and 2 hotels and lighting equipment to rent so it was a pretty tall order logistically but with a combined effort between Crystal, Brian and myself behind the scenes, we were able to help make it happen. I think it was a huge success. The final day was this morning as I led an engagement shoot demo and covered everything Marissa and I do when shooting on location. We actually all met up at 6:30am and started shooting when the sun was still coming up. The Eiffel Tower was our backdrop so it was quite the visual to take in. The models for the engagement shoot were actually a couple that drove here all the way from Holland! Mark & Cornelli you were awesome! They were such good sports and rocked it despite how freezing cold it was at sunrise. I’ll be posting photos soon so be sure to check back.
Unfortunately, we had a rough start trying to get to Paris initially though ;p. Well I should say I had a rough time. So we’re all scanning in our passports at the San Diego airport and when it comes to my turn, my passport won’t scan. Came to realize that I mistakenly brought my expired passport when checking in! Cue panic. To say I was stressin’ out would be the understatement of the year. Marissa, Kimee, Brian and Crystal were already through security and by the boarding gate and there I was alone, curbside praying to God that Marissa’s parents could make it back to the airport in time with my passport. Marissa’s parents weren’t all the way home yet from just dropping us off so I called them up in a crazed moment. Believe it or not, they were able to grab my valid passport from our safe in the apartment. Although while I was on the phone with Marissa’s parents trying to talk them through the safe code, it wouldn’t open after 5 attempts. I knew that after a few more attempts it would digitally lock itself out but on the 6th try they had it! I literally made the flight by a matter of minutes, whew! Cecelia, Joel, I LOVE you guys and you truly saved the day. Any favor, anytime, you let me know Mom & Dad 2!
But my misfortune hadn’t quite ended…I spent a majority of our first 6 hour flight cramped on the 3×3′ airplane bathroom floor, puking. Let’s just say the plane got a little turbulent, well, really turbulent! That was magnified by also being seated in the very back of the plane. This young kid next to me on the flight also got sick along with a few other people so I know I wasn’t just being a big sissy; although my friend Brian felt compelled to call me one still, lol. They had to bring in a cleaning crew after the flight! I couldn’t wait to get off of that bathroom floor but just when I thought we were going to finally land, we almost touch down and then the pilot pulls up and takes off again! The winds were too strong so he had to take another pass. I was in the bathroom when we actually landed slamming into the walls, tons ‘o fun. :). Can I get a break? Yes, the next 7 hour flight from D.C. to Paris was a total contrast as I took 2 Dramamine before getting on and slept through the whole flight. Thank you God!
The photography workshop didn’t officially start until a day after arriving so we had some time to get settled in and see the city. We’ve actually already covered a lot of ground. Saw Notre Dame, The Pantheon and the Eiffel Tower. We loved just strolling up to an outdoor cafe on an intersection corner to people watch. Brian and I were also able to check out Pere Lachaise cemetary in which Edith Piaf, Frederic Chopin, Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison rest in peace. Oh and I had to take Brian to the Catacombs as it was one of the most insane things I saw last time I was here. There are so many photos that I want to post but since I can’t put them all up here I also included a flickr slideshow so be sure to check that out! One of my fave shots is the final shot of this post where I just snapped a shot on the fly of this couple kissing by the Eiffel Tower. They had no clue and I’m so glad I shot it because it’s the epitome of the city of Paris. Couples everywhere are doing the PDA thing like there’s no tomorrow! (Public Displays of Affection) ;p
Just wanted to share a few shots I took in the past couple days while hanging out in Paris with Marissa and Weston. Am I just the luckiest Studio Manager ever? Thank you for bringing me, guys!
Here is Weston (Westoohn) letting his French heritage shine! He’s such a funny sport! Jokester.
The time is here! The “Europe to no good” trip will commence very soon. It snuck up on us so fast. On Sunday we leave on a big adventure for a photography workshop that we (Weston and The Boudoir Divas) are hosting in Paris, and then a road trip through Northern France, train to Belgium, and a ferry to London! We plan to journal as we go on this blog and our Diva’s blog, if internet is accessible.
We have been working around the clock to get our “To-Do’s” under wraps. After all this is our big vaca before wedding season goes into overdrive so we wanted to make sure we left without any serious anxiety about things being “undone.” If anyone has any traveling tips they are much appreciated. We are pretty familiar with France and London but still, I am sure there are plenty of you out there who know way more than us.
Crystal, our fantabulous studio manager, will be with us the first leg of the journey in Paris, but Amanda and Deena will be keeping up shop back at home so don’t hesitate to contact us. We will be doing our best to check email, but no promises, since you just never know what a trip abraod entails.
