Europe Travel | Powerful Goddess Portraits

When in Rome: Best Photo Locations

22 Oct 2019 Leave a comment

by Powerful Goddess Portraits by Sharon Birke of DoubleSmart LLC in Art and Architecture, Europe Travel, Travel and Leisure Tags: Best Italy Travel Guide, Rome attractions, Rome photo locations

Sometimes the road less traveled

is less traveled

for a reason.

Jerry Seinfeld

What is your favorite corner in the Eternal City?

Piazza Navona

This is my favorite piazza for its open space, sculptures in fountains and its nightlife of hawkers, locals and street artists. This is the neighborhood I consider central for booking a hotel to stay in because I can walk in every which direction to different neighborhoods.

The Tiber River

There are lots of points along this river that you could use. Here are three of the most popular choices.

The view to St Peter’s Basilica – The view down to St Peter’s from Ponte Sant’Angelo is one of the best in Rome. Certainly the best along the river Tiber. Aim for sunset and blue hour to make the best of this location.
Castel Sant’Angelo – Looking along the same bridge, Ponte Sant’Angelo, is Castel Sant’Angelo. The lines of the bridge leading up to the Castel offer another great photo from this location.

Altare de la Patria (aka Vittorio Emmanuel monument or The Typewriter Building)

The Altare della Patria (Altar of the Fatherland) is an imposing structure with striking architecture. Get up close to get interesting details of the sculptures. You can take the elevator to the top for the views.

Spanish Steps

Always crowded with tourists because it’s iconic and has been featured in popular movies set in Rome. New regulation does not allow people to sit on the steps anymore which takes away from its personality.

The Colosseum

Among the “new” 7 Wonders of the World is the Colosseum. Can you imagine its glory days when the entire structure was wrapped in white marble? There are plenty of good options for photographing this masterpiece, so let’s look at some of the potential photographs you could take.

Arriving at dawn means you can photograph the Colosseum with no people with the bonus of catching the sun peak through its arches.

Trevi Fountain

Completed in 1762, this still counts among Rome’s most popular tourist attractions. Its statues are dramatic backdrops for portraits if you can avoid the crowds by waking early or elbowing your way to the front row. Crowds can provide an important narrative element to a photo, giving the image context and life. To get the best of crowds in a photo you’ll want to get above them.

The Pantheon

This building has a lovely dome with genius construction in allowing rain to fall from the hole in its center and flow down the gently sloped marble floors with built in drains. If you get lucky at night to catch its front foyer lit, you can create a fun picture with someone in the spotlight juxtaposed with the gigantic pillars.

For a wide shot of the entire building, come at twilight when it is lit up and you’ll have the blue skies to complement the yellow glow of lamp lights.

St. Peter’s Basilica

Get lucky with the Pope’s appearance or enjoy the details in the architecture and the mosaics that look like very fine paintings.

Best time to photograph Arrive early to avoid queues at tourist locations. Sunrise and sunset are fun for playing with shadows. The twilight hour after sunset is magical when the sky is that shade of blue that complements the brightness of streetlamps.

Click on “Leave a Comment” (top left) to share your favorite corner in the Eternal City. All photos on this page from Google images.

xoxox

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Managing Member, DoubleSmart LLC

201 697 1947

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Glamour Portraits of the Goddess in Every Woman

The Unusual Selfie

29 Sep 2019 2 Comments

by Powerful Goddess Portraits by Sharon Birke of DoubleSmart LLC in Creative Women Photography, Europe Travel, Family Adventures, Fantasy, Glamour Portraits, Motherhood, Unique and Personalized Gift Ideas Tags: 3D necklace, Dragon eggs, Dubrovnik Croatia travel, etsy jewelry, Game of Thrones, Mother of Dragons Fantasy, Unusual selfies

The best advice I’ve received is

”No one else knows

what they’re doing either.”

Ricky Gervais

All our friends, family and Facebook’s facial recognition software already know what we look like so how about we give them something more interesting to see than just another selfie?

Here’s how I made these Unusual Selfies without needing a selfie stick:

Get a Folio Case for your smartphone. Coach.com has a fun selection in leather to hold your cash/cards as well as protect your phone’s glass surface. More importantly, it serves as a stand to angle and prop up your phone so you can use its timer (and AF lock) to compose the shot before you jump into the frame.

Google knows everything. In researching my travel itinerary, I stumbled upon another mom’s blog which mentioned that Dubrovnik is a film site of HBO’s epic series Game of Thrones (GoT). My sons are great fans of this show so I thought it would be funny to impress them and sign myself up for a GoT themed city tour there.

Prep the prop. As inspiration for this GoT tour, I decided go as one of the show’s main characters, Daenerys, aka “The Mother of Dragons” who wears the best costumes among its lead cast. I packed a fantastic 3D print replica of her Mother of Dragons necklace as well as three custom painted dragon eggs from Etsy.com.

Dubrovnik is King’s Landing in GoT, the capital of the story’s 7 Kingdoms. It has imposing medieval fort walls flooded with tourists. You’ll have a better chance of enjoying the place all to yourself if you visit in winter. Finding a quiet spot can be impossible so keep an eye out for locations with relatively few passersby. Be patient and wait for a lull in the crowd to get a clear background. From the pier, for example, I walked along the base of the fort until I found an outcropping of rocks facing the sea that also happened to have an angle of the castle known as the Red Keep in the show. I took time positioning the dragon eggs and iPhone until I got the shots I wanted to tell my story—an especially poignant one for a mother of three (dragons) who have all flown the nest. Rain clouds were perfect for the mood and a scarf billowing in the wind added the effect of dragon wings.

If someone offers to take your picture, all the better! At the Iron Throne (GoT souvenir shop at Boshkoviceva 7 in the old town), my GoT tour guide impressed me with the filters on his Samsung even as he envied how my iPhone takes creamier pictures in daylight.

Click on “Leave a Comment” (top left) to share your best selfie trick without a stick.

Xoxox

xoxox

Give the women you love the most unique gift

of elegant and timeless portraits with a

Powerful Goddess Gift Certificate

for a most memorable photo shoot for up to three people!

Managing Member, DoubleSmart LLC

201 697 1947

Sharon@PowerfulGoddess.com

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Glamour Portraits of the Goddess in Every Woman

Greece To Me

18 Sep 2019 Leave a comment

by Powerful Goddess Portraits by Sharon Birke of DoubleSmart LLC in Europe Travel, Family Adventures, Food and Wine, Travel and Leisure Tags: Athens luxury hotels, Athens shopping, gold jewelry, Greece travel guide

It’s nice to know that there are Greek gods out there,

because you have somebody to blame

when things go wrong.

Rick Riordan

To begin celebrating empty nest, let me take you along on a European adventure that I will feature over the next few months with glimpses of Croatia and Italy. First stop, Athens!

After seeing some ruins one moonlit night 1867, Mark Twain concluded “We have seen all there is to see,” and set sail for the islands. I have met a few travelers who share this attitude thus I have not hurried to visit. If there is truth to Athens’s reputation as ugly, dirty, even dangerous, that you should get in and get out as quickly as you can, then we can, at least, spend a day there. If you need to check off the Parthenon, the Acropolis, the Agora, etc. off your list, arrive early in the day so you might spare yourself a long queue before the heat gets miserable. I feel sort of “been there, done that” after a well-traveled tour guide in Sicily assured me that the Greek ruins in Sicily are far better preserved than those in Greece so my brief stop in Athens will be about mingling among people, not stones.

Stay at the Hotel Grand Britagne (photo at top of page) if you’re a fancy old world Europhile. I like that its location straddles the Kolonaki and Plaka districts so you can walk either way. They have the best views from their rooftop restaurant and bar. The rooftop of the Electra Metropolis Hotel gives you an even better close up view of the Acropolis.

For the quiet romantics who prefer a boutique hotel experience, check out the quaint Palladian Home in the Plaka.

Check out the upscale Greek version of Eataly at Yoleni’s in the higher-end Kolonaki district where you will find a bit more foliage amidst the hilly streets of shops and restaurants. The Travel Porter blog lists where to dine and shop in this neighborhood.

In the shadow of the Acropolis, the Plaka is like a village within the city for those who don’t have time to island hop. It’s arguably the nicest commercial neighborhood in Athens without car traffic. Even regular tourist shops have amazing postcards to make your friends wish they had traveled with you. I’m happy to breach my “no jewelry shopping as a tourist” rule to find a truly golden souvenir from Byzantino Jewelry store (120 Adrianou Street), an artist-owned shop that makes quality modern jewelry, as well as copies of ancient museum pieces.

To keep kids of all ages occupied while you browse, send them to the nearby Children’s Museum, the Music Museum or for art lovers, the Frissiras Museum of Contemporary Greek and European Painting at 7 Monis Asteriou Street. The only museum of its kind in Greece, it houses a private collection of contemporary paintings and drawings as well as temporary exhibitions by Greek and European artists in two fully renovated neoclassical buildings of the 19th century.

Cafes may be pricier on the main roads (Kydatheneon and Adrianou) and around the squares, but they are worth the fun of people watching. Everyone who comes to Greece walks down these two streets, true crossroads of civilization.

Cine Paris is the best outdoor movie theater in Athens with a bar, featuring movies in English with Greek subtitles. The theater is on the roof with a view of the Acropolis so you can get lucky and witness the colors change during its sound and light show. This is also one of the best places to browse and find unique gifts for movie fans because their shop sells the Greek versions of movie posters from the 60’s to today.

For those who need their ouzo, stop by Brettos Liquor store. This was the oldest distillery in Athens. Admire the old barrels and the colored bottles that line the walls all the way up to the ceiling. It has a tiny bar where you can get drinks by the glass.

George Dolkas T-Shirt and Swatch Shop may be your best bet at finding those last Olympic Pins people fanatically collect and trade. He offers the more tasteful shirt collection in the Plaka. If you walk up Kekropis Street next to the T-shirt Shop, you will find the small workshop of Dimitris Koutelieris (14 Kekropis Street) on your left. Dimistris makes furniture and art out of recycled objects and materials. His creations include smaller pieces that you can carry home with you.

Anafiotika is the cluster of small houses built on the slopes of the Acropolis above the Plaka. The name Anafiotika is from its original inhabitants who were stone masons from the island of Anafi who built Athens in the mid-19th century. Anafiotika is as close as you can get to imagine wandering around the back streets of a Greek island like Mykonos without leaving the city.

I found the best picture of Anafiotika on this blog post with a cheeky title on Athens Insider: If Athens Were a Dating App, Which Way Would You Swipe?

Click on “Leave a Comment” (top left) to add your Athens favorites. (All images on this page from Google.)

xoxox

Give the women you love the most unique gift

of elegant and timeless portraits with a

Powerful Goddess Gift Certificate

for a most memorable photo shoot for up to three people!

Managing Member, DoubleSmart LLC

201 697 1947

Sharon@PowerfulGoddess.com

www.PowerfulGoddess.com

Glamour Portraits of the Goddess in Every Woman

Barcelona In Winter

20 Jan 2019 2 Comments

by Powerful Goddess Portraits by Sharon Birke of DoubleSmart LLC in Europe Travel, family vacation, Glamour Portraits Tags: Barcelona nightlife, barcelona travel guide, Barcelona with teens

It is the right of a traveler

to vent their frustration at every minor inconvenience

by writing of it to their friends.

Susanna Clarke

With all this forecast of snow that fails to show, I dream more and more of living in the Mediterranean where the weather is mild and the culture varied. I adore French style and Italian gusto, but food can win me over, especially fresh and tasty seafood served in appetizer portions that the Spanish call “Tapas.” To inspire a stop in (if not a move to) Barcelona, here’s an easy itinerary that you’ll enjoy even in winter:

Start with a city bike tour to give your cramped airplane legs much needed exercise while covering a good chunk of the city. Whether renting bikes on your own or riding with a group tour, make sure you include the city’s beach front boardwalk. Locals and tour guides are your best resource for information on how much to tip restaurants/taxis, where to find the best of this and that, etc, so don’t be shy to ask! And see this woman running in the photo? That will never be me! 😉

Learn about local culture with a tapas tour by Barcelona Local Experiences where you sample traditional favorites in food and wine at four historic tapas bars.

Catch a Flamenco Show at the grand and gorgeous Palau de La Musica. If you’re a fan of architecture, the Palau runs guided tours to brag about its interiors which will allow you to admire the beauty of its glass dome with daylight. If traveling with young ones, they’ll stay more awake at the Tablao Flamenco Cordobes (though I’m not a fan of its location in the touristy Ramblas) where dancers’ vigorously stomp their feet at eye level. For a casual yet sexier ambiance, book an after dinner table at the courtyard of Palau Dalmases.

Shop for fresh produce at Santa Caterina Market followed by a paella cooking class at Cook & Taste Barcelona. Their pretty kitchen in the middle of nowhere was a very lovely surprise. To make them easier to find, look for the Conessa sandwich shop at a corner of Placa de Sant Jaume and walk up the small street right beside the shop.

To appreciate the genius of Gaudi, your first stop among his creations should be the attic museum at Casa Mila (aka La Pedrera) where exhibits give you an idea of how this master architect took inspiration from nature in design and how he was able to calculate the weight bearing loads of the spiraling pillars for his building’s structures without mathematical formulas. For best photo lighting, time your rooftop visit of this apartment building right around sunset. The mid-afternoon is when you catch sunlight streaming beautifully through the stained glass windows of the Sagrada Familia. Casa Batllo has a fun theatrical tour only on Sunday afternoons with costumed characters relating the story of the pretend Batllo family and Gaudi.

Runner Bean Free Walking Tour has very capable and enthusiastic guides who deserve to be tipped generously.

Nightlife

Click on this Barcelona nightlife link for a comprehensive list aside from their newer nightclubs (Shoko, Carpe Diem, etc.) lined up on the boardwalk by the casino and Frank Gehry’s fish sculpture. The entrance to the clubs look like small pop up stores that make you wonder how they can possibly fit enough people for a wild party. They don’t. They actually use things called stairs and elevators to take you down to a lower level–where the umbrellas add additional dining options facing the beach. 😉

Where to stay

Not the W Hotel if you want a central location. For ease of walking in all directions, I love the Eixample neighborhood where the streets are wider than the old city sections of El Born or Barri Gotic. Around the two Gaudi houses of Casa Mila and Casa Batllo will situate you near Ramblas de Catalunya where locals shop. El Palace is my royal favorite. with its cozy retro nightclub lounge in the basement, featuring a jazz trio or vocalist on weekends.

Where to eat

Vinitus – Vinitus has 2 locations of tapas bars in Eixample. I enjoyed the smaller one with its cozy booths in some shade of blue. They don’t bother with reservations so go early and though I’m not a fan of bread pudding, you must find out why I had to have some.

Behind Casa Mila – Dora for the most tender and thinly sliced octopus and the feel of an old world neighborhood restaurant.

Placa de Sant Jaume is where many bike and walking tours meet. As I mentioned earlier, there’s the tiny sandwich shop called Conessa at one corner of the square that’s known to be the best in the city. Around another corner of the square, I enjoyed the high ceilings and food at Lonja de Tapas on Carrer Sant Jaume 1, 8.

Best Seafood Paella at Salamanca in Barceloneta and if you want to pick out your own live lobster, La Barca del Salamanca on the pier.

Best Churros in town is said to be at Xurreria Manuel San Roman, Carrer de Banys Nous 8.

El Nacional – I can’t vouch much for the food but you must see this former carpark that has been beautifully converted into a lively restaurant square with a selection of half a dozen dining options with a gelato counter up front. Ladies must check out their fun cabaret style powder room behind the stairs, too.

Located in the far northeast corner of Spain, Barcelona is a popular stop for cruise ships and a comfortable three hours from Madrid on the high-speed AVE train. Those who plan on renting a car can start in Barcelona, take the train to Madrid and sightsee Toledo, all before picking up a car — cleverly saving on several days’ worth of rental and parking fees.

Click on “Leave a Comment” (top left) to share your best Barcelona travel tip.

xoxox

Give the women you love the most unique gift

of elegant and timeless portraits with a

Powerful Goddess Gift Certificate

for a two hour photo shoot of up to three people!

Managing Member, DoubleSmart LLC

201 697 1947

Sharon@PowerfulGoddess.com

www.PowerfulGoddess.com

Glamour Portraits of the Goddess in Every Woman

The Romantic Road

27 Sep 2018 Leave a comment

by Powerful Goddess Portraits by Sharon Birke of DoubleSmart LLC in Europe Travel, family vacation, Glamour Portraits, Travel and Leisure Tags: Best Europe travel tips, Germany tour, Germany wine tasting, Original Disney castle, Romantic Road Germany, romantic spa hotels

I married a German.

Every night I dress up as Poland

so he invades me.

Bette Midler

Dreaming of your next anniversary, honeymoon or escapade for two? What’s now called The Romantic Road used to be a major trade route during the Middle Ages and has been re-branded today featuring plenty of old world charm. It is Germany’s most scenic drive through rolling hills past vineyards, restaurants, lush parks, historic castles, and old towns that transport you back in time. Mapped out in 1950, this “formal” route through the southern provinces of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg helped rebuild Germany’s tourism industry after WWII.

To get started, fly into Frankfurt or Munich and rent a car. For the love of all that is good and metallic, skip the compacts and rent a fast BMW, Audi, or Mercedes. You’ll be on the Autobahn and you’ll feel safer with a big engine when everyone else is going 120 mph.

I love spontaneity and waking late, but it’s not a vacation if I have to drive (or cook.) So I opt for the trains and, even better, an organized bus tour. There is much to be said about leaving all the planning and booking to someone else though I can’t rave as much about the “See you on the bus by 7:00/8:00 am” schedule. To be fair, there is no way I’d get to see half of a tour’s itinerary if I’m left to my own late start devices.

Photo up top is lunch by the Mosel River on a fine summer’s day. This area is home of the Reisling grape and where there are vineyards–no matter how slanted on a hillside–there’s wine! Nearby is one of the oldest and largest wine estates in Germany, Bürgerspital, situated in a beautiful and historic courtyard right in the middle of Würzburg.

The casino in Baden-Baden has got to be the most glamorous I’ve seen even though they humbly defer to being second to Monaco’s. I’d have to agree that their facade and lobby do not do justice to the interiors that’s still stunning after over a century.

Where to stay: Brenners Park Hotel & Spa is excellent in location, food and service with superb attention to detail.

In Munich, join a bike tour to add variety to your fitness routine and stop by the English Garden to see their famous surfers. This all white church in the city could inspire your next wedding or anniversary (cake.)

Where to stay: The Mandarin Oriental is modern and elegant, but the Bayerischer Hof has the prettiest lounge under a blue dome with a white bar set on a stage at the far end. If you can’t sleep early, there’s a nightclub in the basement with a live band most weekends.

And what’s romance without a bit of fairytale? Neuschwanstein in Bavaria is the castle that inspired Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty version in Disneyland. I completely missed this highlight in a previous tour due to a shroud of fog so I’m thrilled to report I made it this time around. While many of its rooms went unfinished whenThe Swan King who designed this castle died, the intricate workmanship that executed his vision in the finished rooms. Tickets are time specific and if you’re late to claim them at your appointed hour, they’ll be quickly snapped up by some other tourist.

Where to stay nearby: Hotel Das Rübezahl, a spa hotel at the base of the Alps with a welcoming fire in the lobby, a glass of sparkling wine on arrival, and views of the castle from bedroom balconies.

For more sights along the Romantic Road, see Germany Travel Guide. Fun fact: While Americans have been captivated by the “Romantic Road” and the classic movie “The Sound of Music” filmed in Salzburg, many Germans have not heard of either one.

Click on “Leave a Comment” (top left) to share where you’d map out your own romantic road.

xoxox

Give the women you love the most unique gift

of elegant and timeless portraits with a

Powerful Goddess Gift Certificate

for a two hour photo shoot of up to three people:

Managing Member, DoubleSmart LLC

201 697 1947

Sharon@PowerfulGoddess.com

www.PowerfulGoddess.com

Glamour Portraits of the Goddess in Every Woman

Paris for Teens and Tweens

18 Jul 2018 5 Comments

by Powerful Goddess Portraits by Sharon Birke of DoubleSmart LLC in Europe Travel, Family Adventures, Glamour Portraits, Travel and Leisure Tags: Best Paris attractions, Paris luxury hotels, Paris rooftop bars, Paris spas, Paris things to do, Paris with teens

Airplane travel is nature’s way

of making you look

like your passport photo.
Al Gore

Though teens might consider getting their own car as the best gift of all, plane tickets with a plan for adventure that gets another stamp on their passport could be better for creating family legends from shared memories. I want my young adult wanna-bes to seek the stories that are different as well as familiar in people of other cultures and feel at ease in unfamiliar lands. How else will they truly know that the world has so much more to offer beyond their daily routines and virtual tech obsessions?

Paris being a favorite gateway to Europe, a lucky teen is going to see the best of the best with mom as tour director–thanks to my curated list of fun possibilities culled from previous visits and research. Keep this page handy for your family because it is only a matter of time when the travel winds will blow you through the City of Lights. I’ll be severely testing how far I can keep up my style using the “How to Pack Light“ tips for our extended trip!

Begin with a city bike tour with Paris Charms and Secrets, orienting you through the essential and hidden corners of the city. Your guide will fill you in with interesting facts and tales that will keep you enchanted through 4 hours of pedaling or not–thanks to their electric bikes. Choose their afternoon tour because your guide will likely time your stop at the Eiffel to coincide with its 6:00 pm twinkle time.

A popular eerie attraction, the Catacombs are the city’s old mineshaft-turned-mass grave. The tunnels are lined with the bones of millions of citizens who were laid to rest here by King Louis XVI before getting his own head chopped off.

For movie and theater buffs, the Studio Harcourt gives you the starlet experience with a cinematic black-and-white portrait shoot to commemorate your Parisian adventure. Everyone from Brigitte Bardot to Marilyn Monroe has had their photo taken here.

If waiting in line for the towers of Notre Dame is not your idea of fun, tire your teens out with the impressive climb up some 300 stairs to the top of the Sacré Coeur. Six o’clock in the evening is Vespers when you might get lucky hearing the mystical voices of the Bénédictines Sisters at the church reeling you back in time to how life must have been like there in the 18th century as you view sunset over the city. Sigh!

For a swim in the city with local Parisians, Piscine Molitor is the prettiest old school swimming pool in Paris which was recently renovated. You can surprise your teen with a treatment at The Spa by Clarins or go for drinks and a salad on the rooftop. This is a members-only kind of place except if you get an Escale Molitor package at the spa (one-hour treatment +access to the pool, hammam, sauna, and gym). Book well in advance.

Curious to cook? I’m not, but as a mother, I’m a firm believer in the proper training of future husbands especially when you are in a country known for le gourmet. La Cuisine has a variety of cooking classes from macarons and baguettes to apertifs and entrees.

For treasure hunts to engage even those who are not art enthusiasts, see what fun and games THATMuse can plan for your museum of interest.

Then, of course, Versailles… A stay at the Trianon Palace, a Hilton Waldorf Astoria luxury property, is the closest thing to feeling like Marie Antoinette. If you can’t stay the night, you can book treatments at the Guerlain Spa and enjoy its beautiful pool, go for a walk in the royal garden, then have a spectacular Michelin Star lunch at the veranda of Gordon Ramsay au Trianon. Wear comfy shoes please.

If not Versailles, then at least the Opera Garnier in the heart of Paris for its version of the Hall of Mirrors and so much genius behind the architect’s choice of design and construction elements. Join a guided tour run by the opera house or an independent walking tour that covers its surrounding neighborhood.

As tourists, early birds get the worm and wait less in queues at popular attractions. If you’re not into worms, wait for later in the day to go when the masses have been let in.

A note on museum tickets: All Kids under 18 enter free (or EU citizens under 26 with proof of age). For adults, get your entry tickets from the  Louvre website because they are they cheaper and allow you into a much faster security line than tickets bought elsewhere like getting a “Paris Museum Pass” from the Paris Tourist board which covers most monuments & museums (eg, Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, Versailles, etc) or through your hotel.  Note that tickets sold as ‘skip the line’ passes could have you standing in longer queues than the Louvre’s own e-ticket line.

With or without teens, eating will never go out of style where there’s a lot of walking and sightseeing involved. At the Trocadero, Monsieur Bleu’s terrace has one of the best views of the Eiffel tower with very good food. Note that on Saturdays and Sundays, Monsieur Bleu offers free babysitting services on the French floor (there’s also an American floor) with a disco for kids on Saturdays and other fun activities on Sundays. Dress well because shorts on a hot summer’s day may get you turned away despite having reservations.

A cross between Parisian and Japanese, Le Kong is a futuristic Japanese restaurant with curved floor to ceiling windows decorated by Philippe Starck at the top of the Kenzo building. Perfect spot at sunset to be surrounded by Louis XV armchairs, plasma screens, a fluorescent staircase and a carpet of pebbles.

L’Oiseau Blanc (the White Bird) at the Peninsula Hotel is named for a French plane that crashed over the Atlantic in 1927 during a transatlantic flight attempt. The restaurant’s décor pays homage to the pilots, complete with a small-scale replica of the biplane that looks like it’s flying off the terrace. Even if you’re not a history buff, you’ll appreciate the sweeping views of the Eiffel Tower.

Every weekend between 4:00 and 6:00 pm at La Bauhinia bar of the Shangri-la Hotel, Pastry Chef Michaël Bartocetti celebrates a veritable French ritual and a moment dear to little ones and grown-ups alike: the Goûter! A superb buffet of traditional French pastries to satisfy every sweet tooth. Reservations at +33 (0)1 53 67 19 91 or by email: labauhinia.slpr@shangri-la.com.

Click on “Leave a Comment” (top left) to share your Parisian favorites for the family to enjoy. Enjoy your summer adventures and try not to miss me too much. Bon voyage and a bientot!

Photos on this page courtesy of Google Images.

xoxox

Give the women you love the most unique gift

of elegant and timeless portraits with a

Powerful Goddess Gift Certificate

for a two hour photo shoot of up to three people:

Managing Member, DoubleSmart LLC

201 697 1947

Sharon@PowerfulGoddess.com

www.PowerfulGoddess.com

Glamour Portraits of the Goddess in Every Woman

Italy With Teen

21 Feb 2017 3 Comments

by Powerful Goddess Portraits by Sharon Birke of DoubleSmart LLC in Europe Travel, Family Adventures, Glamour Portraits, Travel and Leisure Tags: Europe Travel, family vacation, holiday with teen, Italy tour

A good holiday is one spent

among people whose notions of time

are vaguer than yours.

J.B. Priestley

Winter break now and Spring break soon! With Milan offering the best airfare accessible to favorable climes by train, here is a quick week’s itinerary if you can travel light with your teen.

From Milan’s Malpensa airport, take the Malpensa Express train to Milan Centrale and connect with the fast train (Trenitalia.com) to Rome.

In Rome, book a hotel (at least 3 nights) between Piazza Navona and the Pantheon so you’re in a lively area in the evenings near restaurants in any direction.

Some Rome tour options are on my When In Rome Again blog post.

Take a morning train to Florence Santa Maria Novella and before exiting the station, leave your luggage for a small fee at the depot along the wall where you see the sign for Track 16.

Florence in a day: You can’t miss the outdoor sculptures at the Piazza Vecchio, the fantastic embossed door of the Baptistry, museums galore, Pitti Palace, if the weather is lovely, catch the sunset at Piazzale Michelangelo for panoramic views of Florence and to say hello to yet another David statue.

Take the evening train to Venice Santa Lucia station and book an overnight stay at one of the hotel’s across the canal so they can hold your bags while you sightsee the next day.

Venice in a day: Catch the vaporetto to St. Mark’s Square and feed the pigeons, admire the golden mosaics of the cathedral, climb up the bell tower, shop a bit, walk to Rialto Bridge and if you’re an early bird, catch the vendors setting up shop at the open air market. If you haven’t had enough of churches and museums yet, there’s the Accademia, the Scuola Grande and the Doge’s Palace. If you’d rather row a gondola than sit in one, check out Row Venice.

Take the evening train to Milan and stay near the Golden Triangle of designer shopping (ie, Via della Spiga, Via Sant’ Andrea and Via Montenapoleone). You’ll be within easy walking distance to the very well preserved Sforza Castle that holds a good collection of museums.

Click on “Leave a Comment” (top left) to add your Italy travel tips.

xoxox

Ceiling at the Vatican

Even a very tall man appears to be a midget at the mini-Hall of Mirrors of the Doria Pamphilj mansion in Rome

Michaelangelo’s David and work in progress at the Accademia in Florence

Rape of the Sabine Women at the Piazza Vecchio, Florence

Would you rather ride or row?

Sunset in Venice

xoxox

Give the women you love the most unique gift

of elegant and timeless portraits

with a Powerful Goddess portrait session Gift Certificate:

Managing Member, DoubleSmart LLC

201 697 1947

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Glamour Portraits of the Goddess in Every Woman

Germany Travel Guide

04 Nov 2016 2 Comments

by Powerful Goddess Portraits by Sharon Birke of DoubleSmart LLC in Boudoir Photography, Europe Travel, Glamour Portraits Tags: Christmas markets, family Europe travel, Germany tours, Luxury Cars, luxury hotels

Travel makes you understand

that you should not think

you’re always right.

Christian Louboutin

Linderhof Palace is a most adorable mini-Versailles in the alps for one royal recluse

It is the season for Christmas markets soon and if you’re headed to see some in Germany, here are other sights I enjoyed the most:

Prettiest hotel bar at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich. They also have a little nightclub in the basement with a great band playing pop and classic dance tunes.

Bumped into dream cars from every decade at the Mercedes Museum in Stuttgart

Made sure my crown jewels are still where I left them… was this at the treasury in Munich?

Try a horseless carriage ride through a small town, scenic woods and farmland

Rothenberg is a medieval city that survived the war unscathed by sheer luck of circumstance…

…Hear how from Rothenberg’s Night Watchman. History teachers can learn a thing or two from him on how to dress the part while regaling the crowd with humorous narratives.

Though it wasn’t on my original wishlist, Dresden was a lovely surprise , turning out to be my favorite city this tour. Bombed for no good reason during the war, the women of the town saved what they could from the rubble and re-used these to restore the city center back to its former glory. The Zwinger Palace is now home to three museums with its restored courtyard of elegant fountains and sculptures. I loved strolling through its upper level walkway, imagining how many women were subliminally seduced in an afternoon stroll surrounded by the countless sculptures of fat cherubs, lovers, women holding food or children, all suggesting fertility and love.

I felt positively royal in my room at the Crown Prince Suites of the Kempinski Tauschenberg Palace Hotel. With very high ceilings and space wide enough for dancing, both sides of my bedchamber had double connecting doors to adjoining rooms–perfect for the discreet entry and exit of guests or lovers. Standing right in the heart of town, this palace was originally built as the residence of the king’s favorite mistress. Below is what the bombed shell 😉 looked before and after restoration.

One of the amazing treasures at the Residenza is this galleon carved in pure ivory. Do you see the tiny sailors climbing the ropes? The middle mast has the royal seal “embossed” on its thin billowy sail.

Berlin was too, too modern for me. I like to travel to Europe for old architecture and they are doing a great job restoring the few structures that have remained standing like this Cathedral by the river.

A very modern Holocaust memorial

Found Cinderella’s carriage at the Nymphenburg Palace in Munich

Click on “Leave a Comment” (top left) to share your own German faves.

xoxox

Give the women you love the most unique gift

of elegant and timeless portraits

with a Powerful Goddess portrait session Gift Certificate:

Managing Member, DoubleSmart LLC

201 697 1947

Sharon@PowerfulGoddess.com

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Glamour Portraits of the Goddess in Every Woman

My 7 Fave Books About Paris

26 Jun 2016 1 Comment

by Powerful Goddess Portraits by Sharon Birke of DoubleSmart LLC in Best Books for Women, Europe Travel, Paris Travel Tags: best books on Paris, French style, Parenting, Paris guide

America is my country

and

Paris is my hometown.

Gertrude Stein

“I don’t like reading!” must be the only chorus my two younger teens agree on. They usually bicker like cat and dog yet form a united front on the topic of books, stubbornly glueing their noses to the computer. If it’s any consolation for a mother, at least, their older brother in college actually values the occasional recommendation, discussing his insights and revelations when we talk on the phone. He says this may simply be a function of age and how the book resonates with his current life journey. I say one out of three kids is not a bad average, yes?

In honor of this blog’s favorite French fan’s birthday, here are stories set in Paris you’ll want to chill with on or off the beach this summer:

The Flaneur by Edmund White. Because meandering strolls with no particular destination is so very Parisian, observing the everyday theater on the city streets.

Paris to the Moon by Adam Gopnik (2001): What would it be like to raise children in Paris? An American writer shares his adventures starting a new career and family abroad.

Almost French by Sarah Turnbull. An Australian’s memoir of her giant leap, moving to Paris and marrying into a different culture.

The Paris Wife by Paula Mclain. Would you marry a struggling writer much younger than you? Could you be friendly with your husband’s mistress? A story told from the point of view of Hemingway’s first wife.

My Life in France by Julia Child. How did the student become the master? Julia tells of her move to Paris with her husband before she figured out what she wanted to do when she grows up.

The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George. A bookseller helps heal wounded hearts by prescribing the perfect story for them to read, eventually mending his own.

Lessons from Madame Chic by Jennifer L. Scott. shares her 20 style secrets learned while living in Paris.

Click on “Leave a Comment” (top left) to share what’s on your summer reading list. Stay cool and tres chic!

xoxox

Give the women you love the most unique gift

of elegant and timeless portraits

with a Powerful Goddess portrait session Gift Certificate:

Sharon Birke

Managing Member, DoubleSmart LLC

201 697 1947

Sharon@PowerfulGoddess.com

www.PowerfulGoddess.com

Glamour Portraits of the Goddess in Every Woman

When In Rome Again

14 Jan 2016 2 Comments

by Powerful Goddess Portraits by Sharon Birke of DoubleSmart LLC in Europe Travel, Italy Travel, Motherhood, Parenting Tags: Best Family Vacation Europe, Parenting Teens, rent a ferrari in italy, Rick Steves Audio Tours, Rome Italy travel tips, spring break with teen

In Italy,

they add work and life

to food and wine.

Robin Leach

Piazza Navona on a rainy day last visit

After last year’s whirlwind mother-daughter holiday (see posts London with teen and Paris Charms with Teen,) the older brothers realized that traveling with mom need not just be an excuse to get their pesky sister out of the house. This Spring break, Brother #1 has signed up for his turn to go on a mother-son rendezvous.

Argentina was first choice because he’s interested in tango (and the pretty ladies that go with it,) but that’s too long a schlep from Boston for a week off. He got all excited over Iceland, but I refuse to be any place colder in March. Where can he hop on an easy flight to get to relatively mild weather, see art, architecture, and engineering marvels everywhere he turns, while avoiding hordes of tourists? Why, Rome in March, of course!

Audio tours

Before you even start packing, let celebrity guide Rick Steves’ audio tours stoke your imagination and enthusiasm.

A few fun things to do in Rome after you’ve covered the basics:

Rent a Ferrari

This IS Italy! Why not?

photo by Conde Nast Traveler

Ostia Antica

Also known as “The better Pompeii,” Ostia Antica is only 30 minutes North of the Colosseum, compared to Pompeii’s 4 hours South. This used to be the bustling commercial port of Rome when the Romans controlled the Mediterranean. Wandering around the ruins today, you’ll see well-preserved remains of ancient brick structures from docks, bakeries, warehouses, apartments, mansions, shopping arcades, baths and sculptures–a peek at Roman lifestyles 2,000 years ago.

And if your travel companions are allergic to museums, a couple of light and lovely options are:

Palazzo Doria Pamphilj

This private mansion off the Piazza Venezia on Via del Corso is also a museum open to the public. An easy walk from the Colosseum past the Typewriter building (aka The Wedding Cake or Il Vittoriano Monument.) I love its rich interiors and their mini version of Versailles’ “Hall of Mirrors.” Listen to the audio guide recorded by a family member of the Doria Pamphilj as you walk through the elegant rooms and art filled halls, pay the extra 5 Euros to tour their more private apartments. Caffe Doria breaks the museum standard fare with its delicious and generous portions for lunch and tea/coffee in old world charm.

photo by Palazzo Doria Pamphilj

Galleria Borghese

Hike up to this mansion of Cardinal Borhese that is now a small museum for lovers of classical paintings and sculpture. Make advance tour reservations, leave your handbag home to avoid one more queue to check it, get there early before the crowds, and take your sweet time with their audio guide that is not shy about describing the underhanded ways that wealth and treasures get acquired. Afterwards, you can stroll through the gardens or rent a bicycle wagon in the park surrounding the property.

photo from Google Images

The Galleria Borghese is an easy walk down to Piazza del Popolo with its ancient obelisk and open square. Plenty of restaurant choices along the way as you head down Via del Babuino to the Spanish steps.

Galleria del Cembalo

Between the Spanish steps and the Tiber River at a wing of the Palazzo Borghese, fans of photography can admire exhibits in rooms with ornate high ceilings.

Click on “Leave a Comment” (top left) for your Rome travel tips.

xoxox

Give the women you love the most unique gift

of elegant and timeless portraits

with a Powerful Goddess portrait session Gift Certificate:

Sharon Birke

201 697 1947

Sharon@PowerfulGoddess.com

www.PowerfulGoddess.com

Glamour Portraits of the Goddess in Every Woman

Barcelona Travel Guide

06 Nov 2015 3 Comments

by Powerful Goddess Portraits by Sharon Birke of DoubleSmart LLC in Art and Architecture, Europe Travel, Travel and Leisure Tags: barcelona travel guide, Dali Art Museum, europe family travel, Gaudi architecture, women tours

Kilometers are shorter than miles.

Save gas–

take your next trip in kilometers.

George Carlin

The roof of Gaudi’s Casa Batillo

I usually say I prefer to feed my eyes before my stomach, but as I’m packing for Barcelona, I realize that I may not have to choose one over the other in this city. I love the genius of Antoni Gaudi‘s unique yet practical architecture, intrigued by the twists of Dali’s surreal art, and ready to feast on a wide variety of tapas. Here’s what I’ve got lined up:

Stay at Hotel El Palace Barcelona, where else for Goddesses?

Barcelona Day Tours for a welcome overview of the city and a side trip to Montserrat for wine tasting.

Catch a Flamenco performance at Gaudi’s jewel box theater El Palau de la Musica. Take a tour of the theater during the day when the sunlight makes the stained glass windows sparkle.

Stained glass at Gaudi’s Palau de la Musica Catalana

Join a bike Tour with Excursions Barcelona and pay a little extra for the convenience of an electric bike. They offer a free walking tour downtown starting at Plaza Catalunya at 11:00 am each day.

Barcelona Architecture Walks gives you a range of itineraries depending on your style of buildings. This fish sculpture is Frank Gehry’s.

If you’re into city views, the Cathedral de Barcelona has an elevator that takes you to the roof for better views than at the Sagrada Familia.

For a change of scenery, Spanish Trails is another popular option to take you out for the day to see Surreal Cadaques and All Things Dali, including a drive along the shores of the Costa Brava.

Surreal art by Salvador Dali

Click on “Leave a Comment” (above left) to share your Barcelona travel tips. Ole!

All photos from Google Images

xoxox

Give the women you love the most unique gift of elegant and timeless portraits

with a Powerful Goddess portrait session Gift Certificate:

Sharon Birke

201 697 1947

Sharon@PowerfulGoddess.com

www.PowerfulGoddess.com

Glamour Portraits of the Goddess in Every Wife & Mother

Marseille: Shade and Shadow

12 Jul 2015 2 Comments

by Powerful Goddess Portraits by Sharon Birke of DoubleSmart LLC in Europe Travel, Family Adventures, Glamour Portraits Tags: France Marseille luxury hotels, Marseille France travel guide, Mediterranean tourist attraction, South of France beaches

Boy, those French–

They have a different word

for everything!

Steve Martin

Mature romance by the water is how I will remember Marseille. With its Mediterranean harbor of clear blue waters coyly inviting you for a dip, sunshine 300 days of the year, a spread of restaurants representing its multicultural population, Marseille has all the good stuff tempered by a rough-edged reputation. It’s a three hour train ride from Paris and an easy commute from the smaller cities of Aix-en-Provence, Avignon, Arles and Nîmes when you’re in the South of France.

Marseille is both gritty and pretty–full of graffiti and locals who warn tourists not to wander in certain areas after dark or even during the day. Despite this, I had a wonderful time traveling with easygoing photography lovers who had much enthusiasm for the town. Marseille reminds me of the less savory parts of ourselves we’d rather skirt over and the dark corners of our psyche that might prove to be less dangerous if we embraced them.

The freshest seafood right off the boat! At the fish market, this octopus stealthily tried to grab some lunch before he became someone else’s lunch.

Stay at the Intercontinental or chill on their terrace bar and restaurant with its view of Notre Dame de la Garde. Thanks to Anais, Gerard and Olivier for charming service!

InterContinental Marseille Hotel Dieu, 1 Place Daviel, +33-4-1342-4212

At the MuCEM (Musée des Civilisations de l’Europe et de la Méditerranée), admire the engineering genius and patchwork shadows of its lace facade made of cement. Check out the sea view from their restaurant “Le Mole Passedat.”

7 Promenade Robert Laffont
Marseille, France
+33 4 84 35 13 13

Underneath this Cathedral (across the street from the MuCEM) is Les Voûtes Marseille: home to shops, restaurants, bars, etc…

Open air Tango in the square on Friday evenings by the ferry dock. I loved seeing elderly couples walking hand in hand, dancing tango in the open air, women much older than I am still wearing high heels and above the knee dresses on date night. C’est si bon!

Hop on or off a boat to swim, visit the calanques, the Frioul, and the prison of “The Count of Monte Cristo” (a movie you’ll want to re-watch!)

Go topless at this most adorable little cove near Le Petit Nice, a Relaix and Chateaux boutique hotel best known for the Marseillaise specialty dish, bouillabaisse.

For casual rooftop dining with sea and marina view among good looking locals:

Rowing Club, 34 Boulevard Charles Livon, 13007 Marseille, France
+33 4 91 90 07 78

Best couscous is at Le Kahena, beside the white church corner of the Vioux Port.

Le Kahena, 2 Rue de la République, 13001 Marseille, France
+33 4 91 90 61 93

Foster and Partners’ Ombriere reflecting steel pavilion at Vioux Port.

Had the most delicious meal at the casual garden of La Passarelle. Look up when you’re facing their kitchen to find this embroidered artwork.

La Passarelle, 52 Rue Plan Fourmiguier, 13007 Marseille +33 4 9133 0327

Limo to/from the airport and anywhere else:

Taxi Perez (Joseph’s phone 0613360991)

Click on “Leave a Comment” (above left) to add your South of France travel tips. Vive Le France!

Watch my slideshow on Youtube

xoxox

Give the women you love the most unique gift of elegant and timeless portraits

with a Powerful Goddess portrait session Gift Certificate:

Sharon Birke

201 697 1947

Sharon@PowerfulGoddess.com

www.PowerfulGoddess.com

Glamour Portraits of the Goddess in Every Wife & Mother

Paris Charms With Teen

25 Mar 2015 2 Comments

by Powerful Goddess Portraits by Sharon Birke of DoubleSmart LLC in Europe Travel, Family Adventures, Glamour Portraits Tags: Best family travel, Girls Guide to Paris, mother daughter travel, Paris travel guide

A good holiday is one spent

among people whose notions of time

are vaguer than yours.

JB Priestley

Have you met a doorman as young as this?

What would you do if you just got back home from too many weeks on the road and your husband dares, “Can you get back on a plane tomorrow?” Do you say, “But this… but that…?” No! No! No! You book tickets the next day, tell your daughter to pack her bags, and get on a flight the day after. This sudden turn of events left my teen in a daze, “I can’t believe this is really happening!”–she thought the upcoming school break meant being glued to her pajamas and iPod. Nah!

This being her very first trip to Europe, our itinerary was designed to please her. “No museums, no shopping,” she insisted. “No Disney, no queues,” I countered. We walked to and from the Seine, taking in magnificent architecture, pink skies, and painterly scenes at every turn.

At my favorite Pont Alexandre III, I found this scorpion catching the Eiffel. For the best portraits with the Eiffel as background, wake up before the tourists, head to the Trocadero and have that fabulous marble platform all to yourself!

Stay at the Paris Le Grand Hotel

2 Rue Scribe, 75009

+33 1 4007 3232

Love this elegant atrium where a piano man plays classical or jazz tunes in the early evenings. The Le Grand has large (for Europe) rooms at a most central location. The Opera’s golden facade and the metro are at your doorstep.

Bike Tour with Paris Charms and Secrets

Fancy seeing the city like Parisians on bikes? We did! But I must admit these electric bikes saved me from un-chic huffing and puffing! History buff Xavier (or Paris Charms and Secrets founder, Olivier) takes you around the best sites, sharing little known facts of Paris lore. Make this your first activity upon arrival so you’ll know–among other secrets I’m not telling–which Louvre entrance has less of a queue than underneath that iconic pyramid. Take the afternoon tour and they’ll time a 6pm stop at the foot of the twinkling lights of the Eiffel. My teen remarked, “If my history teacher told stories like Xavier, learning would be so much easier!” Ah-men!

When you’ve had too many macarons and can’t be bothered lining up for the sweets at Angelina, pick an eclair at L’eclair de Genie, 32 Rue Notre Dame des Victoires, 75002, phone +33 1 8479 2340.

Find Marie Antoinette’s last handwritten note (among other historical artifacts that belong in a museum) at the restaurant, Le Procope, 13 Rue de l’Ancienne Comédie, 75006, phone +33 1 40 46 79 00. We spotted a waiter calling Napoleon, “Will you ever pick up the hat you left here, Sir?”

I did make an exception to our “no museum, no queue” agreement with a day in Versailles. She had zero idea what Versailles was about so she cooed at the palace’s golden gates and lavish decor, walked wide eyed through the sumptuous interiors, and it was only after we finished touring the palace that it finally dawned on her, “You know, this is like a museum!” Aha!!! 😉 Here, I take a moment to commiserate with a statue underdressed for the winter’s cold.

Did I say “No ‘Buts'” when opportunity presents itself?

At the Hall of Mirrors, Versailles

If this trip weren’t such a whirlwind, I would have introduced my teen to Paris’ great artists before we got there. She would have enjoyed a scavenger hunt of scenes from Monet’s “The Boathouse on the Seine,” Marc Chagall’s “Paris Through the Window,” Van Gogh’s “Sidewalk Café at Night.”

For walking tours, there is Paris Walks for daily local variety in different neighborhoods. For guides with academic backgrounds specializing in your area of interest, book a private tour with Context Tours. And when your teen can’t walk one more step, take a trip on a bateau-mouche, the glass-enclosed boats that ply the Seine, giving you a graceful overview of the city.

To see earlier Paris travel related posts, enter “Paris” in the search box on the top right of this page. In the near future, I’ll list my favorite books set in Paris. Until then, click on “Leave a Comment” (above left) to add your tips for Paris travel with teens. xoxox

201 697 1947

Sharon@PowerfulGoddess.com

www.PowerfulGoddess.com

Glamour Portraits of the Goddess in Every Wife & Mother

London With Teen

25 Feb 2015 4 Comments

by Powerful Goddess Portraits by Sharon Birke of DoubleSmart LLC in Europe Travel, Family Adventures, Glamour Portraits Tags: Best Family Vacation Europe, Biscuiteer's Boutique London, Hyde Park London horseback ride, London Eye, Luxury Hotel London, Mother Daughter holiday

I sometimes wonder if

Americans are fooled by our accent

into detecting brilliance

that may not really be there.

Stephen Fry

London-Eye-Family-Travel-Sharon-Birke

Last week, I suddenly found myself in London with a young travel companion who–though smitten by the British accent–did not come to visit the Queen nor her crown jewels, completely determined to avoid museums at all costs. Some shopping maybe? Not that either. So what else was left to do? Plenty, it seems!

Keep an eye on the London Eye

Skip the endless queue and buy tickets ahead online for the 3:30 pm guided tour

London SE1 7PB, United Kingdom
+44 871 781 3000

Trot through Hyde Park on four hooves with these beauties of Hyde Park Stables. They couldn’t trust beginners like us to hang on to the reins while holding a camera, so this is our best shot right by the stable.

63 Bathurst Mews, London W2 2SB, United Kingdom +44 20 7723 2813

Boudoir high tea, Madame?

Have a party designing your own at

Biscuiteer’s Boutique in Notting Hill

194 Kensington Park Road, London W11 2ES, United Kingdom
+44 20 7727 8096

Watch a show at the grand Royal Albert Hall

Kensington Gore, London SW7 2AP, United Kingdom
+44 20 7589 8212

I spy a scorpion! Watch the modern Sherlock Holmes British TV series to whet teen curiosity for this icon of mystery

From the London Eye, a sunset stroll over the Charing Cross pedestrian bridge takes you to my favorite hotel in London:

The Corinthia

Whitehall Place, London SW1A 2BD, United Kingdom
+44 20 7930 8181

My teen had no interest in a guided tour so I’ll just pass on a recommendation by a Powerful Goddess client: Context Tours for guides with academic backgrounds to match your tour of interest. You won’t have to wonder if the stories they tell you is just another fairy tale. London Walks is famous for its 7:30 pm Jack The Ripper tours.

And if you’re in town at the right time, Vauxhall disco roller skating happens on weekends and The Magic Circle has a once a month event open to the public.

For those who are not particularly museum averse, the Victoria and Albert is my favorite for art and design!

Click on “Leave a Comment” (above left) to share your favorite tips when you keep calm and travel to London with teens. xoxox

201 697 1947

Sharon@PowerfulGoddess.com

www.PowerfulGoddess.com

Glamour Portraits of the Goddess in Every Wife & Mother

Carnival of Venice

05 Feb 2015 2 Comments

by Powerful Goddess Portraits by Sharon Birke of DoubleSmart LLC in Europe Travel, Family Adventures, Glamour Portraits Tags: Best Family Vacation Europe, Best Masks and Costumes, Caffe Florian Venice, Luxury hotels Venice, masquerade ball, Venice Carnival

If you can visit Venice

only once in your life,

make it Carnivale!

S. Birke

Share this link to watch on Youtube http://youtu.be/szPv4UIFFzg

Shouldn’t you be in Venice right now? What better place for adults to remember how to play and have fun than Carnivale–the world famous winter event that attracts revelers and tourists from every corner of the world. Before fasting and introspection, the ten days before Lent is an endless round of parties and feasts for the eyes anywhere you turn! How can you possibly keep a serious face when you’re surrounded by people who take costume even more seriously, preening strangers who revel in the anonymity of masks, robes and cloaks, cheerfully posing for any passing camera?

2015 Calendar

Events, parties and masquerade balls

http://www.venice-carnival-italy.com

Where to stay

The Gritti Palace

http://www.thegrittipalace.com

Hotel Danieli

http://www.danielihotelvenice.com

Aman Canal Grande Venice

http://www.amanresorts.com/amancanalgrandevenice/home.aspx

Where to see the most costumes

Masks and costumes congregate in various sites around Venice. Weekends are the busiest. They usually start the day posing in front of the gondolas outside the Doges’ Palace at St. Mark’s Square. You can follow the revelers when they change venues and stroll elegantly to the Arsenale, a church around the corner or take the ferry to San Giorgio and Burano Islands. Those who prefer the more authentic period costumes hang out at Caffe Florian for tea in the afternoons.

Venice Carnival 2015 runs until February 17. If you’re not the type to dress up, done a mask at least. This year’s theme “The Most Delicious Feast in the World” celebrates Italy’s culinary traditions and triumphs so if you insist that masks and costumes are really not your kind of eye candy, feast on delicious looking Italians instead!

Click on “Leave a Comment” (above left) to share how a mask helps you tell your truth. xoxox

201 697 1947

Sharon@PowerfulGoddess.com

www.PowerfulGoddess.com

Glamour Portraits of the Goddess in Every Wife & Mother

Stockholm In Love

17 Sep 2014 1 Comment

by Powerful Goddess Portraits by Sharon Birke of DoubleSmart LLC in Creative Photography, Europe Travel, Family Adventures, Travel and Leisure Tags: best stockholm sightseeing, instagram travel, iPhone photography tips, Stockholm, travel photography tips

Traveling is like flirting with life.

It’s like saying, ‘I would stay and love you,

but I have to go… this is my station.’

Lisa St. Aubin de Teran

I’m back from another European jaunt where I met a city I’d move to in a heartbeat–or at least when it’s summer! 😉

Stockholm is vibrant, cosmopolitan, surrounded by a crisscross of waterways, verdant parks, buildings both old and new, and a crowd of charming elegance. I found that I quite enjoy being around people and public transportation that show up exactly when they say they will. The taxi fare situation is another matter…

While I make an effort to bring a camera, I find myself reaching for the stealth of the iPhone for street and travel photography. Add the ease of instagram for filters and web sharing et voila! How much more fun can you have? Plenty more when you’re traveling with family and friends as tag-along models.

Click on “Leave a Comment” (above left) to add your favorite travel and fun photography tips.

xoxox

In the photo above: Add a foreground element to make a unique cityscape. While I tried to position the sculpture of the man with an eagle “cape,” these lovers showed up adding an even more dynamic layer.

When telling a story with pictures, set the stage with a wide opening shot (caught a pun there!) This is the ferry I took from Helsinki to get a break from running to/from airports. I framed the ship and waited for the next cargo truck to hit some sunlight. The bright yellow panel is an excellent focal point and the red gates act as a leading line to direct the viewer’s eye. On Instagram, I usually pop contrast (the icon that looks like the sun above the filter choices) before deciding if the photograph looks better with one of the filters. Many times, popping contrast is all you need. In this case, the ship’s hull was not that shiny–the reflection you see on it is of the skyline behind me on the glass walkway where I was standing. But, hey, would you have guessed that?

As a committed night owl, I have to bribe myself to catch a sunrise. While the ship sailed through the Swedish archipelago, everyone photographed the same view from the railing. I stepped back to include my fellow early birds for a unique sunrise photograph no one else has. Including people in your pictures helps give a reference for scale and literally adds life. I framed for the green lamp post and waited for the man in the matching jacket to walk (movement is always interesting) a certain distance from it to balance the composition. Notice the diagonal from the lamp to the man on the far left that eventually leads your eye to the horizon. And how lucky the folks in the background knew to stand with spaces between them so they’re not one dark blob?

The tiny island of Skeppsholmen may not figure much on most travel guides. But if you want to get the best views of the city, this is where you want to be! Walk past the Grand Hotel and the National Museum over a short bridge with a crown in the middle (see second to last photo below). You’ll find the Asian and Modern Art Museums there. I brought glorious weather with me, so I preferred tracing the perimeter of the island. Local friends give you the best insider tips–Thank you, Lars and Wiveca!

The light over the cityscape looked perfect during my stroll. Whenever you find great light, remember to turn around and see what could be interesting behind you. I found this car that drove straight off a comic book! The shadows of the bikes/chains intersect with and lead attention towards it. On Instagram, I popped contrast and chose a filter that pleased me. One of the pleasures of creation is: Choose what makes you happy.

A good rule for portraits? Run to where there’s laughter! Here, a tourist takes a turn with the high tech equipment of a bubble artist in Gamla Stan. I love how the onlookers as well as the statue behind them are all rapt with attention on the girl. Are they mesmerized by the action or her thigh highs?

Gamla Stan is the old city of Stockholm where only pedestrians are allowed. It has two of my favorite restaurants: (1.) Mr. French Brasserie for fabulous waterside views, excellent service, and their finger licking red shrimp appetizer. (2.) Le Rouge is very sexy red velvet for dining with someone you can cozy with.

The diagonal of the vine covered wall against the rhythm of the windows of the yellow building caught my eye first. This couple taking their “selfie” and the sun flare were wonderful bonuses. I also loved how the statue above them appears to be taking her own selfie or checking her cellphone. Give your viewer a layer of elements to discover.

I adore men in suits with red socks! There’s a sign of someone with a sense of humor if not brave fashion style. This man walked too fast for my iPhone to catch a good shot of his socks, but his simple dark form is a perfect anchor for the diagonals of the cars and the stripe of the bike lane that lead the viewer’s eye to the background. I love how the passing cars replicate the rhythm of the windows on the buildings’ facade. The black and white filter creates a classic look.

God(dess) is in the details. This red chair is a signature Scandic design so it’s good to include in the narrative. What I was really photographing was the pair of red socks that sat still for a proper photo this time.

Keep an eye out for shadows and patterns, use diagonals or curves with foreground and background elements. The title of this piece is “I Leave My Crown in Stockholm”…

…As well as my heart! Use reflective surfaces like (shop) windows that also serve as a framing device for your next selfie.

xoxox

Sharon Birke

201 697 1947

Sharon@PowerfulGoddess.com

www.PowerfulGoddess.com

Glamour Portraits of the Goddess in Every Wife & Mother

Fearless at Fifty

12 Mar 2014 2 Comments

by Powerful Goddess Portraits by Sharon Birke of DoubleSmart LLC in Best Books for Women, Europe Travel, Glamour Portraits, Women's Empowerment Tags: 50th birthday celebration, Fear of Fifty Erica Jong book, International Women's Day, Venice Carnival Period Costume

You don’t stop laughing when you grow old.

You grow old when you stop laughing.

George Bernard Shaw

Before Fifty Shades of Grey and Sex and the City, there was Fear of Flying (1973) by Erica Jong. I have yet to read this novel that introduced a notorious phrase to the English language through the heroine’s honest and exuberant retelling of her sexual (mis)adventures. What I’ve read is Erica’s midlife memoir Fear of Fifty (first released in 1994 when she turned 50) that continued to provoke, inspire, and stand as an icon of self-discovery, liberation, and womanhood.

This classic came to mind because last Saturday was International Women’s Day and I remember reading Erica’s chapter on her writing sabbatical in a Venetian palazzo. I thought, “Every woman should have such freedom!” I also recall sharing her impression of Venice as a dead and dying city–but that was obviously before I heard about Carnival!

Fear of Fifty looks back and ahead, assessing the costs, rewards, the meaning of one woman’s journey. Erica’s memoir “goes right to the jugular of woman who lived wildly and vicariously through Fear of Flying” with entertaining stories and provocative insights on a woman’s identity, love and loss, sex, marriage, aging, feminism, and motherhood.

And how far have women really come since the golden age of petticoats? We gave up the corset and dutifully bind ourselves to the gym and diets. We join the workforce to make our own money and the right to be eternally exhausted, never quite sure where the end of the rainbow is in doing and having it all. After all, we must look forever young and fabulous while still running the home and feeling guilty about our (neglected) relationships. We boldly proclaim women can do what men do while our daughters are lulled by the same fairytales of the one ideal man, the notion of that elusive union of money, sex, love, romance and fidelity leaving many in a state of dubious singlehood or perpetual marital discontent. Will the day ever come when we’d drop the farce of calling unpaid housework “mother’s love”? Will we live to see the pegs of hierarchy buried and affirm the disparate choices every woman makes to be the best for herself?

As fifty beckons in my own horizon, I am honored to witness tired and wilted women transform into radiant blooms when they decide to give themselves the appreciation and sense of purpose they’ve been waiting to be given. To see the great power in surrendering the fight of “I’m every woman” and letting the chips fall where they may. To perceive our wrinkles as trophies of a life full of laughs and tame serious adult business with more fun, play, and dress up. To allow disappointments to clarify who matters and the possibilities that lie beyond the pain. To see the beauty aging offers with the wisdom and courage to say “To hell with it!” If the Social Indicators Research (2010) is right about women being happiest at age 74, how different would the rest of our lives be if we laughed in the face of fear much, much sooner?

Click on “Leave a Comment” (above left) to share old fears that make you chuckle today.

xoxox

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xoxox

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xoxox

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xoxox

201 697 1947

Email me

www.PowerfulGoddess.com

Glamour Portraits of the Goddess in Every Wife & Mother

Best of Venice

05 Mar 2014 3 Comments

by Powerful Goddess Portraits by Sharon Birke of DoubleSmart LLC in Europe Travel, Italy Travel, Luxury Hotels Tags: Best Venice Restaurants, Best Venice Tourist Attractions, Best Venice Travel Tips, Venice Sightseeing, Venice Things to Do

Venice is like eating

an entire box of chocolate liqueurs in one go.

Truman Capote

As a passionate night owl, I was pleasantly surprised by the pleasures of catching the sun rise over Venice, soft blue making way to gray or sunny skies.

The one thing to know aside from timing your visit with Carnival is that there are no porters nor cars past its train station. Walking is how everyone stays fit. As a tourist dragging heavy luggage, your back will thank you if you choose a hotel with direct canal access. Skip the queue for the bus, the vaporetto and the schlep over a few bridges by hiring a private taxi from the airport (110 Euros or share a ride for 30 Euros per person.) To buy a private taxi ticket at the Marco Polo airport, keep left when you walk out of baggage claim. Their booth sits like an island in the middle of the hall.

Money matters: get the best exchange rates using your ATM or credit card. If you want to watch your dollars magically halve, cash exchange counters charge about 30 Euros per transaction. Tipping is generally not expected but with wages that have not caught up with the Lira’s conversion to the Euro, why not? Service and/or cover charge are automatically added to your bill at restaurants.

San Marco Square

Join the early birds in owning the town before the street lamps go off at 6:30 am. Be the first in line to see the Basilica interiors and climb the second level to better admire the artwork on its golden domes. But as soon as you notice puddles of water spreading on the pavement, get yourself out of San Marco quickly before the tide floods the square.

Doge’s Palace

A masterpiece of Gothic architecture, the Doge’s Palace (aka Palazzo Ducale in Italian) is a landmark of building elements and ornamentation. The public entrance is through the Porta del Frumento, under the colonnade of its 14th century waterfront façade.

Cafe Florian

On San Marco square, the place to see and be seen especially during Carnival is Cafe Florian. The crowd that gathers here adore elegant period costume that transport you back in time amidst authentic 18th century decor.

Terrace with a View

Because I love rich velvet on everything, I had to dine where the seats are upholstered in it! Hotel Danieli faces the water next to the Doge’s Palace. Service at fancy hotels has its share of critics because of the expectations that are as high as the price they command. Know that you are coming here for its unrivaled view of the city. (Photo from kiwicollection.com)

Venice-Restaurant-Terrazza-Danieli-at-dusk

Rialto Bridge

For almost 300 years since it opened in 1591, the Rialto Bridge (Ponte di Rialto) was the only way to cross the Grand Canal on foot between the districts of San Polo and San Marco. Probably the most visited structure among tourists today, it is best photographed when you’re on the water from a gondola, water taxi or the vaporetto (public water bus.) Three walkways cross the bridge: two along the outer balustrades and a wider one in the center with shops on both sides. (Photo by National Geographic.)

Bridge of Sighs

This bridge behind the Doge’s Palace has a bleak history. A more romantic version comes from local legend that promises lovers eternal love and bliss if they kiss on a gondola at sunset under the Bridge of Sighs as the bells of St. Mark’s Cathedral toll. This legend is the plot line of the movie A Little Romance starring Laurence Olivier and Diane Lane.

San Giorgio Island

To get to the island with the brick church steeple that beckons across the water, take the #2 Vaporetto in front of Hotel Danieli. Twilight is the best time to photograph the city lights and panorama.

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Murano and Burano Islands

Murano Island is the home of hand blown glass and the famed Venetian chandeliers. It is the first stop of the same ferry that takes you to Burano Island known for its lace and colorful house facades.

Gondolas

Even without a charming gondolier, Venice has no better known icon.

Click on “Leave a Comment” (above left) to add your Venetian favorites.

xoxox

201 697 1947

Email me

www.PowerfulGoddess.com

Glamour Portraits of the Goddess in Every Wife & Mother

Where to Stay in Paris: 2 Jewels

24 May 2012 4 Comments

by Powerful Goddess Portraits by Sharon Birke of DoubleSmart LLC in Europe Travel, interior design, Paris Travel Tags: architecture, Christian Lacroix, Hotel Le Notre Dame Paris, Hotel St. James Paris, luxury hotels, Paris, Paris hotels, solo travel for women

There ain’t no surer way to find out

if you like people or hate them

than to travel with them.

Mark Twain

Solo travel is a privilege and an education. Once or twice a year, I take a “mommy’s vacation”–preferably somewhere I’ve never been before. This is one of the ways I expand my comfort zone, open my eyes to inspiration and possibilities, and feed my joy. I take time off from catering to everyone else’s needs, preferences, and opinions and pay attention to my own: when I want to wake up or sleep, where I want to go, what I want to do or not. I love traveling light with just carry on luggage and my own agenda–though “traveling light” is relative with my darling Mark III (aka, camera.)

If you’ve never traveled alone, what better destination for a first solo expedition than Paris? Like jewel boxes of delightful surprises, these are two hotels that I would be very happy to return to. Click on “Leave a Comment” (above left) to add to your favorite places to stay in Paris and other destinations you recommend for easy solo travel.

Hotel Le Notre Dame (1, Quai Saint-Michel 75005 Paris +33 1 43 54 20 43) is a tiny gem updated by Christian Lacroix with a view of–guess what?–the Notre Dame. Being in the center of the City of Light, there is no quiet moment if you keep your windows open, however, its interiors and view are like no other. An easy walk to the Latin Quarter, St. Germaine des Pres and the Marais, this hotel let’s you trace the Seine to reach the Louvre and the Tuilleries, too. On your walk back, stop by another jewel box with stained glass windows, the Saint Chappelle, to experience live classical music in a setting that moves me to tears. On a rainy day, you can people watch at the brasserie downstairs while enjoying the biggest escargots in town. The Saint Michel neighborhood is chockfull of restaurants and bars with a hopping nightlife for locals and tourists alike. The metro and RER B train to/from the airport are right across the street.

In the cozy lobby of Hotel Le Notre Dame…

…Grab a velvet seat for a corner “office on the road” with a view.

Be the master of the stairs (because the elevator is tiny)

Room 31 at Hotel Le Notre Dame

For a more quiet and luxe retreat, Hotel Saint James (43, Avenue Bugeaud 75116 Paris +33 1 44 05 81 81) is the only chateaux hotel in Paris. Tucked away west of the Arc de Triomphe, its water fountain welcomes you before its charming and elegant staff. The lobby of bold black and white, velvet furnishings, and vibrant wallpaper throughout the 48 distinctively decorated rooms/suites are a feast for the eyes. (Tip: Request a room facing the fountain.) And what’s not to love about their massage room with gilded mirror and chandelier? The Champs Elysee and the Eiffel are about 15 minutes on foot. A few steps outside the hotel’s gate is a metro stop I didn’t investigate, preferring to explore this city mostly walking, bathing in its renowned light.

The view from Room 306 facing the fountain.

Hotel St. James Lobby

Whimsy on the back stairs

Waiting room at the spa

201 697 1947

http://www.PowerfulGoddess.com

Photography for the Goddess in Every Wife & Mother

xoxox

Paris: What to See and Do?

24 Apr 2012 4 Comments

by Powerful Goddess Portraits by Sharon Birke of DoubleSmart LLC in Culture and Arts, Europe Travel, International Travel Tags: architecture, Art, couture, design, entertainment, fashion, nightlife, Paris, sightseeing, Yves Saint Laurent

If Chanel gave liberty to women,

Yves Saint Laurent gave them power.

Fondation Pierre Berge-Yves St. Laurent

Sunset at Le Pont Alexandre III, my favorite bridge in town

On my return trip to the City of Light., I may not change my mind about the Eiffel Tower being an eyesore, but I am open to being converted into a Francophile. Click on “Leave a Comment” (above left) to tell me what else to add to my list:

Le Barrio Latino in the Bastille (Metro Ledru Rollin) for four floors of dancing and dining.

Piano serenade at the Four Season George V Dine or chill with a drink at their cozy lobby bar and restaurant, admire the history of the opulent carpet and tapestries.

Crazy Horse (12 Avenue George V 75008) for burlesque in an intimate, old world setting.

Privacy with high tea at the Mariage Freres (13, Rue des Grands Augustins) on a charming, exceedingly quiet Parisian street. When you enter the door, you’re transported to another time with dark wood furniture and tea tinted yellow walls lined with their iconic black and red lacquer tea packaging–beautifully detail oriented and deserving of being voted #1 luxury tea brand by Newsweek.

Musee de Artes Decoratifs (107 rue de Rivoli 75001) because I love objects that are both functional and pretty. This museum is at the end of one arm of the Louvre, offering exceptional temporary shows and a fabulous permanent exhibit. I hear museums are free on the first Sunday of every month, at least for their permanent collections. I’m thinking of Sunday brunch at their great new outdoor cafe facing the Tuillerie gardens. too.

Fondation Pierre Berge-Yves Saint Laurent (5 avenue Marceau 75116) houses the workshop studio of the great designer and their current exhibit “Kabuki” is dedicated to Japanese costume theatre. I’m very curious to see emblematic haute couture prototypes and YSL’s design sketches where he used masculine codes to give women security and audacity whilst accentuating their feminity.

xoxox

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Best of Venice

San Marco Square

Doge’s Palace

Cafe Florian

Terrace with a View

Rialto Bridge

Bridge of Sighs

San Giorgio Island

Murano and Burano Islands

Gondolas

Where to Stay in Paris: 2 Jewels

Paris: What to See and Do?

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San Marco Square

Doge’s Palace

Cafe Florian

Terrace with a View

Rialto Bridge

Bridge of Sighs

San Giorgio Island

Murano and Burano Islands

Gondolas

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Contact the photographer of the Powerful Goddess in you!

This blog feeds a woman's joy and courage to make the most of what she's got through inspiring books, features on iconic or everyday women, fun tips on relationships, personal growth and worldwide travel.

Recent Posts

Categories

Archives

Creative Commons Licensing