travel: inspired by gustave flaubert

As soon as I read this Gustave Flaubert quote, it resonated with me. The 19th century French writer so succinctly sums up one of the many ways travel broadens our horizons and expands our minds. I love the perspective that every trip I take provides to me. How good it is to see how other people live. 

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le tour de france - 100 years!

The Tour de France is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, and this year's 21 day cycling event is unlikely to disappoint! It kicked off today in Corsica and will wrap up in Paris on July 21st. One of my favorite travel memories was watching and cheering the cyclists in the final stage of the 2001 Tour. 

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a year ago...italy

A year ago my husband and I had just returned from a fabulous vacation in Italy. We spent time in Tuscany, Umbria, and Rome, and what a wonderful time it was! Isn't part of the fun of vacations thinking back and reminiscing about all of the adventures that were had? There's nothing like looking through the photos we took to remember all of the fun and the laughter - happy memories all around! It's also something else to think about everything that's happened in the time since this trip. What a year we've had! 

Here's a photo that sums up the lovely bucolic feel of where we stayed in Chiusi, Tuscany...truly, a small slice of heaven!

walking through an olive grove

And, a little glimpse of the gorgeous grounds.

day dreaming: lavender fields

I love the look of rows and rows of lavender blooms. Visiting Provence during lavender season is on my bucket list of travel destinations. I can't even image how sublime the fragrance must be!

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meet me in miami

I'm headed to Miami tomorrow to enjoy the ocean, sun, and great food. With as long as winter has been this year, this trip will provide a much needed dose of warmer temperatures. And since Miami's food scene reflects the city's incredibly diverse population, there's always something that keeps my interest piqued. 

travel + photography

Lately, I've been working on organizing travel photos. It's been a pleasure to cull through the many, many photos that my husband and I have taken on our trips together. Here are a few snapshots from a handful of my favorite spots. What happy memories!

In order these are from Boulder, Ildiri, Granada, Vieques, and Chiusi. 

the view {vail}

With a fresh dusting of snow and aspens still clinging onto their golden leaves, the scenery in Vail was beautiful!

flowerful friday: special edition - inspirational gardens

Today's Flowerful Friday post looks at a few photos of gardens that I find amazingly gorgeous. They are so well designed, and they range from structured modern to bucolic bliss. Wouldn't it be nice to travel to these locations and wander through these spaces in real life and get lost in each garden's unique setting and beauty? For now I'll be sticking to looking at these stunning settings, dreaming, and getting little pieces of inspiration for my own little garden. By the way, you can click onto these images for a larger view. Do you have a favorite?

Happy Friday!

almost gothic like arches, but with a modern flair
filled in with regal purple and verdant green

this could be perfection

wisteria tunnel = heaven?

bucolic bliss

I can only image the fragrance of these roses!

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travel makes you richer

Regardless of where you prefer to travel to, travel allows us to see and experience people, places, and things that are outside of our everyday world. Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer...how very true! 

Everyone has their own idea of what makes for good travel - some like the peace and calm of camping in the wilderness, some prefer the bright lights and boldness of Las Vegas or Disney World, others are looking to get a feel for the reality of other people's everyday. What is it that you look for in an ideal travel experience? 

I came across a great interactive by Conde Nast Traveller, check it out for its cool graphics and interesting facts: 

http://cntrvlr.com/NFeLFp

travel: yoga from the road

Yoga is my go-to mode of exercise when I'm traveling. It's invigorating in the morning and relaxing at night. I bring along my travel yoga mat and some tunes on my iPad, and voila, I have my own little yoga zone. Here are a few of my favorite yoga asanas, all of these images were found on Pinterest.

 

Stretch and breathe!

minneapolis: cityscape

I'm traveling for work and arrived in my hotel room this evening to find sunshine bouncing in from reflections off of the neighboring buildings here in downtown Minneapolis. This city has some beautiful architecture, and when contrasted against a deep blue sky and punctuated with bright bursts of sunshine, it makes for a stunning cityscape.

flowerful friday: remembering tuscany

Today's post combines a few of my favorite things: flowers, travel, and photography. I adore flowers for their beauty - colorful and oftentimes fragrant. I love travel because it opens my eyes and mind to new places and ideas. And, I am so very fond of photography for its ability to capture what the mind's eye can sometimes forget. Here are a few shots from a trip to Tuscany a few months back. 

wildflowers in Tuscany

a close up

me, taking all of the beauty in...ahh!

Happy Friday!

sunrise in the desert #2

Another beautiful sunrise here in Las Vegas...

sunrise in the desert #1

I'm spending this week in Las Vegas for work. With open vistas and an ombré sky, sunrises here in the desert are beautiful. 

explore embrace learn live



For those of you who are regular Inside the Pomegranate readers, you know that travel is one of my favorite activites. I've been told, appropriately so, that "travel is my healing balm."  There's nothing like getting away from it all, seeing new places and experiencing new cultures, and coming home with a fresh perspective. 

And, while I'm traveling this week for work and not "pleasure", I can't help but stop and look and learn. Tonight when I have a little more free time I am looking forward to connecting with a friend and embracing the local food scene here in Minneapolis.

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dreaming of tuscany, part 3

It's the time of year when our television gets unusually high use, because it's Tour de France time. Last night while taking in the race I spotted red poppies along the road, like what I had enjoyed seeing in Tuscany recently. And just like that memories of Tuscany came flooding happily in my mind's eye.

red poppies of Tuscany 

meandering through an olive grove

the gorgeous view

Oh, happy memories!

a picture speaks a thousand words

Speechless...

photo credit unknown

If you're ever looking for some instantly transporting images, you should check this site out: http://dontcallmebetty.tumblr.com/, it's where I came across this amazing photo.

inspired by great photography: umit kavat

Coming across a great photograph makes me want to become a better photographer. Isn't this photo by Umit Kavak stunning? 

If you'd like to check out more of his beautiful art: 

http://500px.com/fetteho.  

dreaming of tuscany, part 2

Oh, happy memories!

dreaming of tuscany, part 1

The great thing about returning from vacation are the happy memories we bring home with us. A gorgeous olive grove in Tuscany is what's on my mind this beautiful morning.