Napa Valley

One hears a lot about wine from Napa. We had the opportunity to join another couple to Napa Valley to enjoy life the way it was intended. Eating, enjoying good wines and good company. From sparkling wine over crisp Chardonnay to a red wine with a finish of blackberries we enjoyed every sip.

Ripe Grapes

Now we are back home and we have all these wonderful memories that make a typical day in the office seem to be almost pleasant again.

Paris

There is nothing wrong with going to Paris for a second or third time (or 4th or 5th), right? There are so many museums to see and the new Picasso museum just opened this year. I was floored to see one of my favorite painting in the flesh (actually oil) that I made a stained glass from - Grand Nature Morte au Guéridon.

Gargoyle at Notre Dame



The view from Notre Dame towards Sacré-Cœur is rewarding after standing in line for a couple of hours, but it is so worth it.

Train Ride in Switzerland

Not that I am a train buff, but riding the steam train of the Furka Oberalp railway was definitely one of the highlights of this year. The cogwheel railway was reopened in 2010 to the public during the summer, after a maintenance crew re-installs a bridge every spring (otherwise it would be swept away by avalanches).

Steam Engine of Furka Oberalp

The vintage engine gets a well-deserved rest at the entrance of the summit tunnel.

San Francisco

In spring I was fortunate enough to "have to go" to San Francisco to attend the BUILD conference from Microsoft, where they introduced Windows 10 to the developer community. We added a couple of days and spent time to explore one of the cities that have a very unique character.

Golden Gate Bridge

We rented bikes and rode them over the Golden Gate to Sausalito. I remember it was very windy, and the fog just added a little mystery to the experienced of the iconic bridge.

Arizona

It started with Ruth having to go to Tucson on a business trip. As I have not been to Arizona at all, we thought that we could spend a couple of days checking out the country side and drive up North to Page to see the Southern Antelope Canyon and bring home a couple of nice pictures.

Antelope Canyon

Being in the canyon and shoot pictures on a mandatory tripod was an experience that I will not forget for quite some time. Very unique, dusty and so colorful.
On the way back we visited the Biosphere 2 facility, one of those man-built structures that have fascinated me since it opened, but I never knew exactly where it was. It was definitely worth stopping.

Because the entire structure is sealed, the air pressure change must be handled somehow to adjust for the difference in temperature between day and night. The above dome contains a membrane that keeps the pressure constant. Pretty amazing what technical challenges they had to overcome.

A Chandelier from Murano

This summer we visited Murano and came home with a nice chandelier. I know what you are thinking... no, not with a traditional chandelier, but with one that resembles tulips and has LED lights built in.

It's a piece of art - it's a master piece.

It shipped in three big boxes and it took us about 2 hours just to unpack every part. Laid out on the floor they looked like mummies. After that the unwrapping started. Each segment was wrapped individually.

Individual Pieces

After 4 hours of  work the "monster" was up and hanging. The result is stunning, see for yourself.

Here I would like to thank the entire Schiavon Art Team for their creation and specifically Massimiliano for helping us with the design.

We enjoy it every day!

Venice

This year we went to Venice and we didn't know we would book a room at a wonderful hotel at the Grand Canal that the historic regatta was going to be held. It is arguably one of the most important events in Venice dating back to the second half of the 13th century.

Regatta

After arriving at the airport we took a water taxi to our hotel, the Sina Centurion Palace, just in time to watch the parade with a glass of sparkling wine from our private balcony. It was unreal. The palace is a architectural gem with 20 feet tall ceilings and we felt like kings. It's located right next to the Basilica Di Santa Maria della Salute.

We were lucky enough to see Venice from it's best side, colorful and romantic.


Grand Canal

After getting "lost" in the alleys of Venice, we always were rewarded with a delicious dinner like one of my favorites, fish risotto.

We also visited Burano, which is a smaller island with very picturesque canals and it offers a more relaxed atmosphere. The wheel of life seems to turn a lot slower here than in Venice or Murano.



Burano

See you next time!