I knew this adventure would be an intense one when an hour into my first Patagonia hike pleasant weather changed instantly into gusting winds bringing sheets of icy water that knocked me to the ground. Just then, one of my guides, Sergio, proclaimed with his finger raised to the sky, “THIS is the real Patagonia!”

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Some time ago I completed a photography tour at North Carolina’s Outer Banks, a string of narrow islands off the east coast of the US. Tourism numbers for the Outer Banks peak in the summer months, however when I visited in October it was an entirely different story—it showed a wildly popular American beach destination as a virtual ghost-town. Right away I was struck by the sheer quantity (thousands) of beach cottages throughout the coastal towns of Nags Head, Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk and Duck. The empty seaside and weathered beach charm made for an intriguing photography subject, while cloudy skies helped bring an element of mystery.

Here are my ‘postcards’ attempting to capture some of wonderful charm of the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Please enjoy.

Today’s sunrise at Jeanette’s Pier in Kitty Hawk lacked the colors I hoped for, so I got creative with long exposures.

Wild horses roam the beaches and sand dunes of Carolla, much like this beauty who I saw stealing seeds from bird feeders.

The Sea Foam Motel looks to be straight out of a Wes Anderson movie, doesn’t it? It is also on the National Register of Historic Places.

Sea oats are abundant along the coast of the Outer Banks. Not only are they gorgeous under the warm glow of a setting sun, their roots help protect against erosion.

Hugo (right) joined me on shoots for both sunrise and sunsets. We go way back.

The Outer Banks is home to numerous piers much like this one. This was shot with a 4-second exposure to make the water look silky.

oOo

Sea temperatures here in late October are too cold for my liking (68 degrees or so) but fine enough to walk on the beach and get your feet wet. Surprising to me though, the cold water doesn’t seem to dissuade playful kids or the local surfers.

Another drawback of being here in October is that most restaurants are closed. Because I had an excellent local guide, we enjoyed the best food options possible including Duck’s famous chocolate donuts served hot, fruity acai bowls, and a breakfast spot with homemade biscuits to die for. The temperatures were very moderate throughout the trip and honestly it was great to have a mix of sunshine and overnight rain showers that brought in dramatic clouds.

In summary, skip the crowds, the traffic and the lines and visit Outer Banks in the autumn. For more information please visit www.outerbanks.org.

Thank you for visiting TrySomethingFun.com!

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Hi friends! I’m recently back from a culinary-focused visit to Tokyo and I wanted to share some tips that made the experience far more smooth than last time. Without question, the most effective thing was having a simple pocket-sized wifi router which provided unlimited internet for me and my friends at all times. What a life saver this was in terms of navigation, finding train routes and times tables, booking tickets and finding the best food in any area. Ninja WiFi is the brand I chose and they make it incredibly easy by letting customers pick up and drop off their wifi router at the hotel or in the airport. I now have a partnership with Ninja WiFi and they’ve extended a 10% discount to you when you click the banner here to reserve a wifi router:

Simple Travel Tips for Visiting Tokyo:

• Reserve a pocket wifi router for the duration of your stay whether you think you’ll need it or not. Get 10% off if you use Ninja WiFi.
• Rest on your long flight with the GoSleep eye mask before you land in the often-overwhelming city of Tokyo.
• Be aware of the two different train lines as passes for one do not carry over to the other. For planing the best train routes use the apps Rome2Rio or HyperDia available on both Android and Apple phones. Trains in Tokyo stop running at 1:00am sharp.
• Make your base in the Shibuya neighborhood. While AirBNBs are often cheaper than hotels, I don’t recommend it for first time visitors because you’ll appreciate the convenience of a front desk for travel assistance.
• Check out my frequently-updated list of crazy things to do in Tokyo. I promise this features things you’ve never heard of.
• Look up the calendar of festivals so you get a chance to experience any local celebrations while you’re there.
• Learn how to use Uber in Tokyo if that’s a service you like, though taxi cabs are the more common choice and they now typically accept credit cards.
• ATMs are easily accessed from inside 7-Eleven convenience stores (20,000 locations in Japan!).
• Plan only one main thing per day. Being ambitious will wear you down much quicker than you think. Take advantage of the natural areas which offer some peace and quiet to offset the busy-city chaos. Tokyo has at least a dozen large parks and gardens all very short walks from train stations, and another dozen or so shrines and temples located in beautiful natural surroundings.
• Slow down at one of the tea rooms of Tokyo; whether traditional or modern in style, you will thank yourself.
• Enjoy Tokyo’s Michelin star restaurants because they have more than any other city in the world. There are a number of great choices with meals priced at ¥1,000 or less, but I highly recommend the Michelin-starred ramen at Nakiryu. And yes, it is really fantastic.
• Get yourself a Japan guidebook and learn proper etiquette which can go a long way in Tokyo. I like the one called ‘Japan: The Essential Guide to Customs and Culture’.

Have fun in Tokyo and thank you for visiting Try Something Fun!

oOo

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For as long as I’ve been traveling it has been a dream of mine to bicycle through vineyards in France. I could picture myself riding among vineyards and wildflowers with the sun on my face and wind in my hair… well, this year it happened. As if straight out of a dream, my best friend was with me and the day felt like it could last forever. How grateful we both are to have shared this and I want to share it with you, too.

When I first arrived to Bordeaux, France a decade ago I was awe struck by this gorgeous city, yet totally confused because I expected to be surrounded by vineyards. I laugh when I think about that day. The thought of returning to Bordeaux and it’s surrounding countryside still excites me, though this time I have friends who operate a bicycle tour company called Rustic Vines and they’ve offered to show me the countryside as they do it best.

They are based in the medieval village of Saint-Émilion, one of Bordeaux’s principal red wine producing areas and home of the much praised Grand Cru classification of wines. Wines produced here are blends composed of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Thomas from Rustic Vines (who couldn’t have been more thoughtful and in love with the local wines) took us on a private bicycle tour of the countryside for a full day and was thoughtful to photograph it for us as well. These bicycles are electric and have three speeds so it’s our choice how much effort we want to put in on the ride. After getting familiar with how they work, there is no question that this is the best way to experience Bordeaux’s wine country—with the wind in our hair and sun on our face!

Bicycling Among Saint-Émilion Vineyards

The three of us set out on a morning in mid-April with Thomas leading the way to a gorgeous castle from the Middle Ages, Château de Pressac. What a fairy tale location! Here we learned how they make their wine and enjoyed tasting three award-winning wines along with a plate of cheese and salami. Wandering their property I made friends with a sleepy labrador dog and soaked up the view from the nice hilltop vantage point.

So silly we were bicycling past vineyards that were in the very early stages of their growth season, eventually making a stop at Château La Croizille to pick up our picnic wine. Thomas had arranged an excellent picnic location and just like Mary Poppins he unpacked so many goodies from the trailer hitched to his bicycle; fresh baguette, almonds, dried apricots, fresh melon (canteloupe), cherry tomatoes, prosciutto ham from Bayonne, salami with herbs, a delicious confit, plus several great french cheeses. We topped it off with sweet canelés baked earlier that morning. All of it was perfect!!

Later, we were warmly welcomed at Château Bernateau where the proprietor Karen Lavau shared their unique methods of growing grapes (techniques to prune them for maximum fruit) and showed us the first growth of the season in their vineyards. It’s a very exciting time for them. Surprisingly, this is one of the few producers of certified organic wine in Bordeaux which some say results in grapes that are “more fruity and expressive.” We had the pleasure of tasting five of their wines including some from their second winery called Château Tour Peyronneau, a couple of which stood out as being some of the best wine we could remember tasting anywhere.

oOo

This has been such a happy way to spend the day in Saint-Émilion. I hope this is helpful if you’re planning a visit to Bordeaux wine regions, or otherwise maybe I could send a little bit of sunshine and wildflowers your way.

Château de Pressac are welcoming hosts generous with their great wines. While views from the castle are great, I’d love to spend more time there and tour inside the whole castle.

Thomas and I at the edge of Château de Pressac, enjoying thee morning view of their vineyards.

First growth of the season at Chateau Bernateau and a couple of their wines we loved.

Thanks for visiting TrySomethingFun, and thank you to Thomas of Rustic Vines for the photos of our visit!

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A trip to the Galapagos Islands, no matter how or when, is an incredible experience and I highly recommend you go if you have the chance. While the abundance and variety of wildlife is absolutely stunning, the truth is that the animals are just some of the many subjects you’ll have the opportunity to photograph. The harsh landscapes, the human element, vibrant blue waters, white sand beaches, underwater sea life, dramatic skies, flora, land reptiles and birds in flight are just some of the photo subjects at your fingertips. Galapagos sunsets though… they are tricky, and not for the reasons you might think.

If you take landscape photography seriously you might sometimes use a photography or weather app on your phone to determine where and when the sun will set, or if there will be clouds to add some drama. Then you might get your tripod, camera and filters in place so you’re ready go with a nice composition that you’ve planned ahead of time. Frankly, I had to throw all of that out the window when cruising the Galapagos Islands. Landscape photography can be difficult near the equator because sunrise and sunsets happen very fast with only about a minute or two of nice light. Further, you will likely find yourself part of a tour group that is living aboard a catamaran or small yacht for the duration of the trip. By the time the sun sets you will most likely already be on your boat (which is either sailing or anchored and swaying) and your options for interesting compositions are minimal. And those great apps you use at home are useless because there is zero cell phone service. These are some tricky circumstances!

Over the course of my 11-day Galapagos cruise I didn’t have any opportunities to be on solid ground when photographing the sunset. I did however manage to come away with a few colorful sunset images that I wanted to share as inspiration if you’re heading to the Galapagos. For example, one evening a sea lion was napping on the stern of our boat and she made for a great silhouetted subject. I got a kick out of making the most of the tricky Galapagos sunsets and I hope you enjoy the images below.

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This sea lion enjoyed the sunset as much as we did on the stern of our catamaran.

These cloud formations would have made for an interesting time lapse, but on a moving boat a single photo was my best option. What a great pattern!

Colors in the sky had already changed, not five seconds later.

Here is the sunset as we boarded for the first time the EcoGalaxyII Catamaran at Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island, the largest settlement in the Galapagos. Oh, the excitement!!

Days later, anchored near Floreana Island and swaying in the gentle waters, the sun rapidly fell below the horizon.

Kicker Rock is incredibly majestic in the late afternoon and our thoughtful Captain made sure we had a glorious view up close.

This rich sunset fell upon our last evening in the Galapagos as we toured Genovesa Island.

Mighty crew members arrived to bring our group back to the boat at the end of our last day… we were hot and tired, but really it would have been a pleasure to stay another week. Gracias, mi amigos! And yes, I will be back.

oOo

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Hi friends! I’m home from a week-long stay in Bologna which I found to be low-key, easy to wander on foot, and satisfying in the fullest sense of the word. Bologna seemed like the obvious choice as a base for myself after wrapping a photography assignment in Italy and here is why; Bologna is the capital of Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region which is where bolognese ragu sauce, prosciutto di Parma, parmesan cheese, and aged balsamic vinegar originated. It also doesn’t hurt that Bologna is perfectly situated for easy day trips to Modena, Verona, Florence, Venice, Cinque Terre and Rimini.

My Bologna AirBNB apartment is a spacious one, located in the historic center and I recommend it for those looking for a comfortable place to stay in the area. The streets are lively both day and night and I appreciate that they are closed to automobile traffic on weekends. While I wouldn’t say this a particularly clean city (unfortunately many small streets have ugly graffiti, for example) I’ve found it to be without pretense which is nice.

One thing which makes this city unique is the twenty-five miles of covered walkways (porticoes), a proposed UNESCO World Heritage Site. Preserved for centuries due to their importance in Bologna’s history, each one is unique: medieval wooden-porticoes over buildings, gothic and renaissance porticoes that are integrated into buildings, and nineteenth-century porticoes where lower classes once lived. After an hour of wandering under the porticos it’s clear that they are all works of art in their own right and they are an essential part of modern city life.

First Things First. Where to Eat in Bologna

I do not regret my choice to eat bolognese pasta for dinner each night; tortelloni, tortellini, tagliatelle, or lasagna—just try and stop me! I quickly learned that bolognese sauce goes best with tagliatelle (and not spaghetti) because the meat sauce sticks best to wide noodles. I actually returned back to the US with bundles of bacon ricotta tortelloni and pumpkin tortellini. Yumm!

Equipped with restaurant recommendations from locals I enjoyed several places I can recommend including Trattoria Anna Maria, All’Osteria Bottega, Cremeria Santo Stefano, Caminetto d’Oro, and Trattoria Belfiore. The size and style of each place different from the last, it struck me that some things remained the same: the food simple and hearty, the house wine great, the company loud and Italian with the waiters joining boisterous table conversations. Further, I noticed that often the walls are sprinkled with sketches of nudes or street scenes, an observation that extended to my apartment and shops I visited. I wish I had tried the refreshing Pignoletto (regional fizzy white wine) prior to my farewell dinner because I could have been enjoying it every day. Pignoletto is similar to Prosecco, sometimes characterized by flavors of green apple and lime.

Are there more important things in life than pasta and wine? Well, Bologna is also world-famous for their mortadela, salami and sausage and their value is clear from the window displays alone. My mouth watering, several times I found myself gazing into the windows of some of the best delis in town and even wandering inside just to imagine how great it all tastes. Eventually I surrendered to Salumeria Simoni and later La Salumeria da Bruno & Franco, both at the top of their deli game and baking fresh bread each day. I could have tried every single thing they sell. Just. Need. More. Time….

Honestly, I’m not sure you could go wrong with any food in this city. Wait! I take that back–I bought some food and wine from a chain grocery store and it was a total waste, so maybe don’t bother with that. It’s easy to find the alleys lined with small charming restaurants and tables outside. Between the restaurants are typically specialty shops selling meats, vegetables and fresh pasta. Here’s the thing of it… none of this is some touristy gimmick; there’s no mistaking that this is a culinary hub and enjoying good food is a way of life.

My last evening in Bologna culminated with a serenade by a 98 year-old Italian gentleman as I dined on a covered patio, and then a walk home in the rain passing by musicians and lively groups gathered under the ancient porticoes. This is certainly a satisfying way to walk off lasagna bolognese and red wine.

Grazie mille, Bologna. I hope next time I can bring friends who will enjoy your food as much as I did.

 

My great apartment rental in Bologna.

The post Delicious Week in Bologna, Italy’s Culinary Hub appeared first on Try Something Fun.

• Akiba Go-karts: This is a great way to fulfill your Mario Kart fantasies. It’s a street legal go-kart that has become a whole Japanese sub culture. It is bigger than go-kart with an engine that reaches up to 60 mph and it’s low to the ground so you feel the speed. Make sure to visit AAA (in the states) to get an International drivers license before you go. It’s a very fun way to see the city and you’ll certainly get a lot of attention.
• Star Fighter Tour Bus: This space-themed tour bus takes you to any of their specific destinations around Tokyo, while it sends passengers on a series of virtual intergalactic missions with personal screens and controls and a totally interactive environment. It’s definitely the most entertaining way to get to the popular shopping area of Odaiba.
• Explore Tokyo on two wheels because every Sunday the Palace Cycling Course lends out 150 bicycles, from mountain bikes to tandems, on a first-come, first-served basis. It’s free and visitors have until 3pm to explore a designated route around the outside of the Imperial Palace.

• Get an anime manicure as artists at Ita Color’s Yellow will adorn your nails with a anime characters or designs of your choosing at a rate of ¥1,000 per 10 minutes.
• Get custom silly stickers made in these Japanese photo booths. Choose between various themed machines, deposit ¥400 and let the photo shoot begin. Once the photos are taken move to the editing area to add vaguely English catchphrases, animals, floral headbands, bright makeup, purple hair, blue eyes, etc. and you will be delivered a printed sticker of  yourself with big eyes, glowing white skin and legs longer than the Tokyo Tower.
• Day trip to the Hello Kitty themed amusement park, Sanrio Puroland.
• Experience video games in a Virtual Reality world at Shinjuku’s VR Zone.
• Relax at the Jakotsuyu bathhouse tucked away in the back streets of the old Asakusa district of Tokyo. The area is home to all manner of different baths from ordinary jacuzzi tubs to a bath with a mild electric current running through it designed to gently stimulate and massage your tired limbs. You will begin with a ticket from their vending machine with English instructions. Pay¥460, remove your clothes, wash yourself, and enjoy the soak.
• Rent a row boat on the river that runs directly through the city, which is particularly popular in cherry blossom season.

• Find ultimate vintage garments at Sokkyou boutique in the hip Koenji neighborhood.  More than just a used clothing store, it is an essential destination for those in search of truly one-of-a-kind garments.
• Harajuku’s cooler cousin Shimokitazawa is a well-kept local secret. The streets are packed with second-hand shops with everything from clothes and accessories to records, to other vintage and retro items. Shimokitazawa also has live music, small theatres and cool bars; it’s also a great place to people-watch while enjoying a little café or bar. If you happen to stumble on the cafe ‘Mixture’ try their famous espresso bread, made with coffee beans sourced from a popular nearby café.
• If you like small dogs, visit the dog Mall at Odaiba which I wrote about here.
• Tokyo has some amazing denim stores, check out the shops in the Ebisu area.
• Check out some very fancy Japanese department stores such as Takashimaya, Lumine or Daimaru.
• Don Quixote is a cool discount store located at 1 Chome-16-5 Kabukicho, Shinjuku, Tokyo 160-0021, Japan

• Yoyogi Park on every Sunday is one of the best places for people-watching in Tokyo. The park is popular with young locals who dress up in extreme costumes and have a good time posing for photos.
• Scratch beneath Tokyo’s surface and you’ll discover a vast network of deep underground tunnels that have become a tourist attraction. Public tours are offered at the Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel, otherwise known as the G-Cans Project. A word of warning: there’s no English translation on the tours, so get your pointing finger ready!
• Watch a live Sumo Tournament.
• Get tickets to a traditional Kabuki Theater.
• Visit Akihabara, known to some as “Electric Town” and is a hub for people who are obsessed with video games, arcades, manga, anime and all things electronic.

• Tsukiji’s School of Soba is 3.5 hours for one to three people. It is not cheap at 30,000Y (US $292) total for your group. But if cooking is one of your interests and you have the cash, go for it. Check out the other Japanese cooking classes they offer as well.
• Ninja Training class lasts 2 hour and you will ninja style meditation and several ninja techniques. $152 per student, or $15 to watch and not participate.

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Verona, perhaps one of the prettiest of Italian cities, makes for a very nice day trip from Bologna. Arriving at the Verona Porta Nuova station via comfortable high speed train, visitors still have a full day to explore even after the hour and twenty-minute train ride. With my 50mm lens firmly in place, I set off to see what this city has to offer.

Colorful buildings and restaurants line the road at Piazza Bra in Verona.

Verona, at first glance, feels modern, classy and clean with it’s high-end stores along smooth marble streets that wind through the center. Wandering on foot you will pass an ancient Roman amphitheater (Verona Arena), pretty gardens with water fountains and the balcony made famous by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliette. Eventually, you will come to the gem of this city; the beautiful gathering center known as Piazza delle Erbe. This square is one of the prettiest you’ll find in Italy and the more you look up, the more frescoes and architectural details you will find.

While I found the city to be incredibly beautiful and photogenic, Verona, in my opinion, can best be appreciated from atop the lookout tower known as Torre dei Lamberti or alongside the Adige River which is surprisingly quiet and empty. Here are some images intended to bring you on a day trip to Verona with me, even if just briefly. Divertitevi (enjoy)!

A young woman views Verona from the tower lookout.

The Ponte Nuovo is one of several bridges in Verona which extend across the Adige River.

Window displays in Verona’s shopping area are in a class of their own.

Piazza delle Erbe is home to an open-air market and is the central gathering point in the city.

Architectural details at Piazza delle Erbe are captivating like no other.

Looking down at Piazza delle Erbe from the tower above.

Ancient and surprisingly colorful frescoes adorn the buildings at Piazza delle Erbe.

Head for the river if you want to avoid crowds.

Where to Stay in Verona

When looking for accommodations abroad, I want to feel safe and comfortable while feeling the charm of the place, not in some hotel room that could be anywhere in the world. I want to distinctly feel the life and culture of that place. Verona is perfect for a romantic stay and I’ve found some beautiful accommodations I think you’ll enjoy. One of the best B&Bs in the heart of the historic center is Il Relais, or you can enjoy the fantastic apartments at Palazzo Camozzini, Guesthouse Relais Empire, L’Ospite Verona Apartments and Hotel Europa. If you enjoy AirBNB rentals, my favorite four wonderful Verona AirBNBs are listed here.

oOo

Thank you for visiting TrySomethingFun!

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I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to photograph this protected herd of American bison in Los Angeles, which you may be surprised to learn is open to the public. Though most of the bison in this particular herd are smaller than those in Yellowstone National Park, there is no doubt about their majestic stature. It was just nuts to have the largest of the herd stare at me from five feet away and then slowly walk right by me. What a moment!

I was invited by the William Hart Museum in Newhall, California, and was hosted by a wonderful animal caretaker named Rachael. She grew up on a dairy farm in Minnesota and has spent much of her life rescuing animals that couldn’t be released into the wild. Over the years she has worked with big cats, educated kids about wildlife and now works for Los Angeles County. She is amazing. At the end of my visit she asked if I wanted to meet Abby. Presuming Abby was someone from the office, I followed Rachael and eventually realized that we were not heading to the office… the anticipation of who Abby was had me very excited! Moments later we approached Abby, a beautiful and relaxed deer that could not be released to the wild having been raised as a household pet. Abby was so sweet to me, giving my hand and arm lots of licks as we exchanged hellos. Unforgettable! Thank you Rachael <3

History of the Herd: Donated by Walt Disney

Walt Disney brought wild bison to California from the midwest for filming in the 1960s. Eventually, eight of his bison were donated to the William S Hart Foundation where western silent movie actor William Hart (1864-1946) had a ranch in Santa Clarita. Here you can read the original 1962 news report of Disney’s bison donation. With a great love for animals, Hart donated his entire ranch to the City of Los Angeles stating in his will that there must always be animals there. I haven’t seen any of his movies but I’d like to come back to walk through the museum; I heard that Hart was best friends with Wyatt Earp, and was a good friend of Amelia Earhart who was photographed at his ranch. Could I have been walking where she once walked?

Bison Life at The Hart Ranch

These twelve bison roam each day every inch of their twenty-two acres of natural pastures with three canyons. It’s been a closed herd since 1962 which means that when the herd was donated, the males were castrated to avoid inbreeding. There is a definite pecking order, as with all herd animals. A female bison named Logan is the youngest and is at the bottom of the pecking order.

Living on a diet of hay and alfalfa, they get particularly excited when treated with grains. Some of us are easily pleased, ya know? Despite hot California summers these bison still prefer to roam atop their canyons in direct sun rather than finding shade. It’s no wonder their dense coat is shedding itself, some of them with dreadlocks. I felt a piece of bison fur that had fallen off; it was surprisingly scratchy and not soft at all.

The Importance of Bison in America

At one time an estimated thirty-million bison roamed the great plains. They are also the first ever American conservation success story after being brought back from extinction in the early 1900s. This was in no small part due to efforts by President Teddy Roosevelt, whom the bison named ‘Teddy’ at Hart Ranch is named after. Though current numbers of bison go beyond 500,000, only 4% of those are in National Parks or nature preserves, with the remaining 96% being livestock animals raised for their meat and hides.

In 2016 the US President signed the National Bison Legacy Act making bison the official National Mammal of the United States. Further, the US Senate has passed a resolution to officially recognize a National Bison Day each November which is celebrated at many nation-wide events listed here.

Please join me in visiting the William S Hart Museum and Ranch in southern California. Beyond their bison herd, you can visit their 1910 ranch house filled with early Hollywood artifacts and western collections, scenic hiking trails or most importantly laugh at their ridiculously entertaining alpacas. Learn more at hartmuseum.org. And please enjoy some images from my photo shoot, below.

oOo

oOo

Thank you for visiting TrySomethingFun.com.

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I had the company of fishermen (with their small dogs) who delicately argued with each other as they prepared fishing nets and a woman (Carolina) who sold me some of her prized produce; it is evident that this small community is proud of their heritage and customs. And so I enjoyed my nectarine with only the sound of lapping water, and tried to imagine what a life here would feel like. It’s probably not bad if this morning is any example…

I thought you’d appreciate this experience, so please enjoy.

Just one of many, this small traditional fishing boat calls Sorrento home though it’s clearly longing for Mount Vesuvius off in the distance.

A hand painted sign reads, “PIER Mar del Plata. Im memory of the many Sorrentines who sailed from here, to make great Mar del Plata and the whole of Argentina. (signed) The Sorrento community and the Mar del Plata”.

Sorrentine fishing boats called “gozzo” are built by hand using traditional ancient methods such as this one I walked by.

Legend has it that mermaids perched themselves on the rocks of Sorrento, luring sailors to their deaths with their siren songs. This mermaid is painted in red on the side of a wooden fishing boat in the marina.

I’m guessing this sight is a common one at any traditional Italian fishing port.

I imagine that this waterfront produce stand (under the green awning) is essential in such a tight-knit community. A nearby sign reads, “Frutta da Carolina” which translates to “Fruit from Carolina”.

Meet Carolina and her colorful produce.

Marina Grande’s only pier is another important piece of this fishing community, but at this rare moment it was alone with a view.

oOo

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