A sweet taste of Bath

Bath is quite a gem I must say. Although I was looking forward to the trip and the prospect of discovering something new, I didn't have too many expectations before visiting the small city.  But, by the end of the short love affair I certainly left feeling "this chapter must be continued".

So a second trip to this sweet English Heritage site is definitely going on my bucket list!  Bath is a vibrant and historical city, it has so much to offer and here's a small taster of my visit to the Spa Town where you'll see below a view of Parade Gardens, Bath Abbey and the famous Roman Baths.

Copyright © 2014 Kimberley Sta-Maria. All rights reserved.

Promenading in the Cobblestone City

It had been a year and a half since my last trip outside the UK so I had been eagerly counting down the days for this short but sweet vacay.  I had my luggage neatly packed a month beforehand with checklists of things to do at the last minute at the ready (eager much?).

Prague has always been on my list of places to visit in Europe mainly for the aesthetic reason that I love cobbled streets! I was also intrigued with one of Europe's best-preserved cities with buildings from mostly every era still intact (e.g. from the medieval, baroque and renaissance periods). If you like walking, Prague is the best city for it as it is very small and compact that all the sights are located very closely to each other. 

My top 4 Prague picks:

Charles Bridge aka Karluv Most

This was the first sight we saw on our first evening.  My partner and I decided to take a stroll nearby our hotel without our guidebook or travel map.  Before we knew it, the bridge started to emerge right before our very eyes. As you may be able to tell from my tone, I was pretty excited about it!  The bridge was built in the 14th century and around the 17th century the bridge was beautified with baroque sculptures.

Strahov Monestary and Library

This place is home to one of the city's finest churches and it is located in an elevated area of the city which offers visitors a great place to stroll around and absorb the views of Prague from the top. It's awesome 800 years old library is one of the main highlights here and not only does it boast one of the oldest monastic collections in the country, it also holds 16,000 books.  Do you remember the library in the Disney film Beauty and the Beast? Well it reminds me of that! 

Astronomical Clock (in the Old Town Square)

You can't go to Prague and not take the time to pay this piece of masterpiece a visit. It was first installed in the 15th century and possesses many astronomical features. The clock shows the position of the sun, moon and stars while it's lower dial shows signs of the Zodiac.

The John Lennon Wall

We were close to missing out on this sight because of time constraints.  Needless to say, this was the last place we visited before heading back home. We decided an impromptu trip just two hours before our cab was due to collect us from the hotel (and may I add, we had not packed yet). Luckily it only turned out to be a 15 minute walk and it was worth it! This wall was once just an ordinary one but during the Communist era in the 1980´s, graffiti became prominent as a form of protest against the regime with messages of love and peace.

Copyright © 2014 Kimberley Sta-Maria. All rights reserved.

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The Liebster Award (& more about me)

A special thank you to Emily at pumpkinemilysmiles.blogspot.co.uk for nominating me for the Liebster Award, it was a lovely surprise!  This award is a fantastic way to learn more about new and fellow bloggers and I certainly enjoyed getting to know more about Emily! Thanks again :)

Here are the rules for the Liebster Award:

• Acknowledge the nominating blogger.
• State 11 facts about yourself.
• Answer 11 questions given to you by the nominator.
• Nominate 11 bloggers (who have less than 200 followers) for this award.
• Create 11 questions for your nominees to answer.
• Let the nominees know that they have been nominated.

Facts about me

• I use to play the violin.
• I was [very briefly] in Sting's video 'In the Moonlight' (the soundtrack song to the film 'Sabrina' starring Harrison Ford). I was part of a string quartet.
• My all time favourite TV show is Friends.
• My current favourite TV show is The Big Bang Theory... (just genius!)
• I am very shy.
• I love to play the guitar (I'm no pro, I'm a chords playin' kinda gal).
• I am currently using a 50mm f/1.8 portrait lens.
• I am a self-taught photographer. I have attended 4 workshops in the past and I think they are a great platform to learn alongside like-minded, budding photographers and also models in an informal environment.
• My favourite photo from a previous shoot is this one. Why? It was taken at a Lisa Lobanova workshop where I was still getting to know my SLR so I was not expecting anything. This photo turned out great and I love how it captures the 'Lady in Red' theme really well.

Copyright © 2014 Kimberley Sta-Maria. All rights reserved.

• My favourite romance film is The Notebook.  I've been in search for another romance flick to top this, but I've had no success yet.  Let me know if you have any suggestions!
• My favourite style icon is Olivia Palermo.

Questions from Emily

• If you can take a picture of anything what would it be? I would like to take street photography and portraiture's of the locals in India (Calcutta, Bangalore, Mumbai) and Tibet to capture their culture, tradition and way of life.
• Who is your favourite band? I don't have a single favourite band, so I cannot name one! A couple of great bands I like are Nirvana, Green day, Hanson, Daughtry and Kings of Leon.
• What is your favourite album? I have lots of favourite albums so the same principle goes where I cannot name just one! A few that I absolutely love are Dookie by Green day, Bad by Michael Jackson and Tragic Kingdom by No Doubt.
• What is your favourite song? Music and me by Michael Jackson.
• If you could meet anyone who would it be? The late Michael Jackson and the Dalai Lama.
• Your favourite thing to do... is listening to music.
• What's your favourite animal? Dolphins because of their intelligence and they are such sociable animals.
• What's your favourite flower? Lillies.
• What's your favourite shirt? My red and black chequered shirt from Zara.
• What is your favourite clothing item? Cosy tights.
• If you were trapped on an island, what five items would you like to have with you? A wind up radio, a reading book, knife, lighter and a tent.

Blogs I nominate:

• Abbie Hopper, studded-rose.blogspot.co.uk
• Belle, belleslook.blogspot.co.uk
• Sonia Mazzotta, justlondonliving.co.uk
• Anthony Hill, hangthecliche.com
• John Barker, iamjohnbarker.com/blog
• Jade Amber Rose, jade-amber-rose.blogspot.com
• Ten Thousand Kisses, tenthousandkisses.blogspot.co.nz
• Be Forever Lovely, beforeverlovely.blogspot.com
• Be More by Sophia Long, sophism10.tumblr.com
• Lulu-Megs, lulu-megs.blogspot.co.uk
• 20 Something Syndrome apieceofgrace.blogspot.co.uk

My questions:

1. Why did you start your blog?
2. How did you choose the title of your blog?
3. What have you learned from blogging?
4. What is a great memory from your past? 
5. Are you a planner? Or are you spontaneous?
6. What's your favourite song and why?
7. Name your favourite movie and why.
8. What's been the proudest moment of your life so far?
9. What inspires you?
10. What would you like to change about our world?
11. What is your favourite way to recover from a long and bad day?

Omar's Urban Transition

It's been a rainy couple of weeks here in Blighty so I thought I'd share a few photos I took in November last year with Omar, a work friend of mine. 

These shots were taken in the beautiful Holland Park and the Waterloo Graffiti tunnels which depicts the typicality of London's urban mix.  Omar's change of attires were very fitting for each location transitioning from city chic to urban cool.

If you ever take a trip to the graffiti tunnels, you must brace yourself for the paint fumes! Totally worth visiting though as I reckon this is one of London's hidden finds.  The graffiti arts on display are never the same and there are always one or two that are certain to catch your eye especially.

Copyright © 2014 Kimberley Sta-Maria. All righs reserved.

Meet Tyler!

How cute is this little fella?! Meet Tyler, 3 years of age.

This was my first stab at children's photography and what a fun and challenging experience it was. When I say challenging, I really mean it. As we know, kids are very active and I found myself having to keep up pace and ensure that my cam could hack it too!  That meant making sure my settings were at the ready the whole time.

Tyler's mum warned me of his love of being in front of the camera and boy she was right. We all had a fun day at the park and Tyler certainly enjoyed his stint at the playground! He was full of smiles the whole time and my goodness, lots of energy. Not to mention he's so sweet!  What do you think?

Copyright © 2014 Kimberley Sta-Maria. All rights reserved.

Cambridge

A few miscellaneous photos I edited, that I took on my trip to Cambridge a couple of years ago, famous for its University. It's a small city with lots of beautiful views, especially along the Backs. Punting is a must do and a great way to catch the iconic sceneries!

Copyright © 2014 Kimberley Sta-Maria. All rights reserved.