This past weekend, Jordan and I flew up to Berlin to experience the phenomenon that is German Christmas markets! Ever since I found out Christmas markets existed, I have wanted to visit one (in Germany specifically). This year, that dream came true when we traveled to Berlin to get the full market experience.

There are many, many Christmas markets in Berlin (between 80 and 100 to be not exact at all). Since there are so many to choose from, we enlisted the help of friends to decide which to check out. Our friends Pauline and Ben, who live in Berlin, hosted us and took us to two markets: Weihnachtszauber Gendarmenmarkt and Weihnachtsmarkt am Schloss Charlottenburg. Bless their hearts because it was Saturday night and the markets were hoppin!  My photog friend, Caitlin, also recommended Weihnachtszauber Gendarmenmarkt, as well as Lucia Weihnachtsmarkt in der KulturBrauerei.  They did not disappoint!

I am usually not a fan of crowds, but I have really sucked it up this year to attend some remarkable events (like the Christmas markets and Oktoberfest). Also, I forgot the battery for my camera (ugh, again!), so you can see some of my iPhone images from these two markets over in my “highlights” on my Instagram (and no, you don’t have to have Instagram to view them).  All of the photos in this post are from Lucia Weihnachtsmarkt in der KulturBrauerei.

Three Berlin Christmas Markets

Lucia Weihnachtsmarkt in der KulturBrauerei

Weihnachtszauber Gendarmenmarkt

The first market we visited was Weihnachtszauber Gendarmenmarkt. It was beautiful and very classic and traditional. All of the markets we visited offered a large range of handmade goods crafted by artisans and Christmas food (ahhhhmazing!!!), but this one offered entertainment as well. We really loved this one, but it was probably the most crowded. There was also a 1€ entrance fee, but don’t let that stop you.  We also experienced snow while we were there! See my iPhone photos from this market here.

Weihnachtsmarkt am Schloss Charlottenburg

The second market, Weihnachtsmarkt am Schloss Charlottenburg was literally in the very front of Charlottenburg Palace!! What a picturesque setting!! This market had over 250 vendors (it seemed bigger than Gendarmenmarkt) and beautiful illuminations of the market itself and the palace. Like Gendarmenmarkt, you could purchase many handmade items and traditional Christmas foods and sweets such as: stollen, spritz biscuits, marzipan, gingerbread, mulled wine, and freshly-baked bread. The mulled wine (aka Glühwein) was our favorite of the night. We tried to collect as many Glühwein mugs as we could! See my iPhone photos from this market here.

Lucia Weihnachtsmarkt in der KulturBrauerei

Before we headed back to Sicily, we made another stop at Lucia weihnachtsmarkt in der KulturBrauerei (Lucia Christmas Market). This market was recommended by a photographer friend who lives in Berlin, Caitlin (check out her work here). This Christmas market was much different than the other two, as it is dedicated to the Scandinavian countries. You might be wondering why it’s called “Lucia,” this is because Lucia is the light-bringer of the dark winter in Sweden and other Nordic countries. This market was particularly cool because there are a variety of Scandinavian delicacies available to taste, including over 20 variations of mulled wine (we tried three)!  Lucia market is also unique in that it has unique “open-air mantle heating,” places where people can slip into hanging warmed fur coats, and a mobile sauna (without wheels or undressing).  You could also buy exotic meats to eat.

Lucia Weihnachtsmarkt in der KulturBrauerei

In honor of Veteran’s Day and Military Family Month, I hosted my very first mini session giveaway. The response was completely overwhelming, which of course, made me super excited! Out of 437 entries, the beautiful Clark family was randomly selected for the shoot!!

Even though our community here is relatively small, I had never met the Clarks before. However, through our session planning, Stephanie and I found out that we have so much in common (especially when it comes to wardrobe)!

The Clarks met me in a place that I personally find stunning, Ortigia Island, which is located on the southeastern coast of Sicily. We walked and talked and just generally hung out while little baby Hadley stole the show! She’s undeniably the most photogenic baby I’ve ever seen!

Stephanie, Will, and Hadley, I am so grateful to have your family as my very first giveaway winners. You guys are so much fun; I can’t wait to photograph you all again!!

The Clarks | Veteran’s Day Mini

Jordan and I traveled to Munich to join our friends at the Oktoberfest festival and see what the city had to offer (*spoiler alert* a lot!)  We LOVED Munich!  The city was so clean and so easy to navigate.  The food was seriously amazing (of course!!) AND, our friends were able to join us.  Overall, it was one of my favorite trips – and this is significant because I was initially so hesitant to go.

*To skip all this jazz and read specifically about Oktoberfest, click here!*

Flight

We flew EasyJet to Munich and Condor back to Sicily.  Both flights were easy and smooth.   The flight to Munich was definitely one of the most beautiful flights I’ve ever taken, as we flew right over the Alps.

Beer

You don’t have to go far to get a good beer once you land in Munich.  Ashley, John, Jordan and I all reunited at a bar right in the middle of the airport.   The beer was so amazing that we looked for it all over the city, with no luck.  We wondered if we just thought it was good because it was our first beer upon arrival.  But, after getting to the airport early just to have another, we determined the beer is really just that good.

I later looked it up online because I still really wanted to know where to find it.  As it turns out, it is literally only sold at the airport, hence the name Airbräu.  I am very entertained by this fact, but also pleased because it means all flights through Munich will result in me acquiring this beer.  Spend the extra 5 minutes in the airport to savor one of these babies.

Food

We visited quite a few food joints in Munich, but I only have photos from one: Spatenhaus at the opera.  This beautiful place was situated, well, right in front of the opera house (as the name states).  I also noted the adjacent Louis Vuitton 🙂  Anyway, the food here was very traditional and done exceptionally well.  The service was also pretty good!

Some of our other favorite spots included:

• Hirschgarten – Hosts the largest beer garden in Munich (and possibly in Europe) that seats over 8,000 people!
• Brasserie Tresznjewski – Visit for an amazing brunch (seriously drooling just thinking about it)!
• Augustiner-Keller – Third largest beer garden in Munich, seating 5,000 people!  The traditional food here was some of the best we had!
• Ratskeller – Location is very central (like Spatenhaus at the Opera).  It’s a restaurant in a cellar with regional dishes (which were delish!) and huge beers!
• Platzl Karree Boden & Bar – For a nice drink in an incredibly scenic setting.
• Hofbrauhaus – Check out this traditional beer hall if you want to get really crazy!  We just walked though, as all of the noise and excitement (aka drunkeness) was just too much for me.

Special thanks to Ashley for helping me out with this section!

Nymphenburg Palace

My mind was totally blown the moment we stepped into the Palace.  With its Baroque architecture, the rooms were absolutely stunning! Nymphenburg Palace opened in 1675 and was originally the main summer home of the former rulers of Bavaria (House of Wittelsbach).  You could spend quite a bit of time here if you choose. Make sure to bring your camera (I forgot my battery. Boo).

Munich Residence

Another one of my favorite tours was Munich Residence.  It was also centrally located, so very easy to access.

As one of the largest museum complexes in Bavaria, we were completely unprepared for a museum of its size!  We decided to check it out prior to heading to our Oktoberfest reservations on Saturday.  This lead to us running out of the labyrinth toward the end.  It is recommended that you provide adequate time to walk though (at least the Palace portion) if you visit.

The Munich Residence started as a castle in 1385 and was gradually transformed by the rulers over the centuries into a palace served as the seat of the government.  It was the residence of the Bavarian dukes, electors and kings from 1508 to 1918.  Today, the palace is home to art collections from the Renaissance to the early Baroque and Rococo epochs to Neoclassicism.  Honestly, it is something to behold!

Odeonsplatz

Large square near Munich Residence and in the central part of the city.  An art festival and huge farmers market both popped up while we were there.

Marienplatz

Marienplatz is the city-center square with a larger than life cuckoo clock (The Glockenspiel), St. Peter’s church, two town halls & a toy museum.

I was most excited to see The Glockenspiel, but we actually had a really hard time arriving in time!   For your information, The Glockenspiel is active every day at 11 a.m., 12 p.m., and 5 p.m.  If you visit between November and February, the 5 p.m. performance doesn’t occur. The performance is approximately 12 minutes long and ends with a cuckoo bird coming out above the display.  It was pretty neat to see!

As a side note, you can climb the tower of St. Peter’s church to get an amazing view of Marienplatz and the city.  We didn’t have time, unfortunately.

Day Trips from Munich

We slept too late to do any of the day trips we planned, but here are some ideas for you:

• Salzburg, Austria – Technically, you can make this a day trip, but I’d probably stay a night or two. Trains from Munich to Salzburg take approximately 1.5 – 2 hours. On an average weekday, there are 36 trains per day on this route.  There are tons of things to do – from sightseeing in the city to hiking in the Alps.
• Nuremberg, Germany The trip is approximately 1 hour via train. It’s the city in which the Nuremberg trials were held, but also is known for its medieval architecture, especially in the Old Town.
• Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site  Right outside of the city and around 30 minutes to 1 hr via train. It’s the site of a former Nazi concentration camp.  It has been converted to a memorial and museum.

Living in Sicily presents ample opportunity to explore Europe and “country-hop,” as I like to call it.  I’ve met some people who don’t care to travel and others who LOVE it as much (or more) than I do!  Katie and her family are definitely the latter.  Before I even stepped foot on the island, I happened to stumble upon Katie’s blog, Planes Trains and Babies.  Planes Trains and Babies is essentially a family travel blog that provides practical advice and resources for traveling with children. Through reading about her experiences and travel tips, I started to get really excited about our move abroad.  Little did I know, we would later form the perfect photography-travel partnership! To say I’m excited would be an understatement!

To begin our work together, Jordan and I met Katie, Jon, and Bella in Ortigia for our a family shoot.  The purpose of the shoot was not only to snap some beautiful family photos, but also to provide more focus for creating her family travel brand. Not only is Katie a travel writer, but she is also an independent family travel consultant!  I have already utilized her talents and believe me when I tell you, she is SUPER HELPFUL!!  Travel planning has never been something I particularly enjoy (I just love the trip!!), but Katie is amazing and makes the entire process exciting and seamless.

If you’re planning a trip (big or small), contact Katie here.  In the mean time, check out the magic we created together this past weekend 🙂

The Browns | Family Travel

If you’ve ever read my blog before, you probably know I write about two main subjects: photography and travel. Besides my little family, they are my greatest loves!! So, when the opportunity presented itself to combine the two in Barcelona for a family session – I jumped!!!

For those of us who live in Sicily, it’s a big deal when family members come to visit.  Rachel and AJ are a part of our community here, and to commemorate a visit from AJ’s parents, they wanted a family photo!  Originally, Rachel inquired about photographing their family in Sicily, but I was (fortunately?) unavailable on the date she requested.  Upon talking with her more, I learned they were planning an amazing family adventure to Spain, Portugal, and France with AJ’s parents!  So, I thought, “Why not just photograph this beautiful family in another country?” And thus the planning began!

The Eustaquios’ first destination was Barcelona, so we met up there for an iconic sunrise shoot at the Arc de Triomf.  Although it was early, we had a ton of fun and LOTS of laughter.

Rachel, AJ, Eric, and Carmen – Thank you all so much for including me in a small part of your family vacation! I hope you had an absolute blast and love the photos for years to come!

The Eustaquios

You guys know how much I LOVE couples and maternity sessions!  So, I HAVE to start out by saying Yvonne and Edward are THE SWEETEST couple I’ve ever met. They are seriously so sweet and I love them so much for that!!

The moment I first met them in person, they both assured me they they were not models and that they would be horrible at taking photos. So silly. Because they were both complete naturals!!!! Once they got into the shoot a little bit, I think they might have even had a little fun 😉

I know you won’t believe this, but Yvonne was basically nine months pregnant in these photos!! Little baby David came into the world just a few short days after. I, personally, never would have guessed!

Yvonne and Edward – thank you sooo much for entrusting me with your maternity photos. You guys are naturals in front of the camera!! Little David is so lucky to have such sweet and caring parents and I am so lucky to have met you both. PLEASE let’s do another one!!!

Yvonne + Edward

Out of all of the countries in Europe, I have visited Germany more times than any other. What can I say? I guess I find Germany quite charming! I haven’t visited a city there that I didn’t like. With that being said, I originally did not want to visit Munich or go to Oktoberfest. I know, I’m weird right? I’ve heard a lot of people say that Oktoberfest isn’t even something that Germans do. It’s an American attraction, a drunk fest. Blah, blah, blah. So, when Maddie and Justin invited us to go, I thought, okay, maybe. And then, when my best girlfriend, Ashley, who lives in the US told me she was thinking of going and wanted to meet there, I couldn’t say no. Maddie + Justin + Ashley + John in one city = a solid yes for me. Who cares what city or what event? Thus my trip to Munich and Oktoberfest came to fruition.

Since this was one of my longer trips, I’m going to divide it into two posts – one about Oktoberfest and one about Munich itself. This post will be about Oktoberfest, both our personal experience and some tips!

So first, let me say – I’m really glad I went!  I had an amazing time and lots of fun even though I don’t do crowds.  The experience itself was worth it!!

The Oktoberfest Festival

I’m not sure what I really expected, but Oktoberfest is a… festival!!  Ha!  They have a ton of really cute stands that sell everything from crepes (see below), to pretzels, to Lebkuchen Heart Cookies (see below), to souvenirs and attire.  I also saw a stand with five or six different types of fish on a stick (also see below!)….

Most people who attended Oktoberfest wore traditional attire (Drindl’s for women and lederhosen for men).  I wasn’t sure if it was appropriate or not, but it was definitely encouraged by all of the locals I met.

• Drindls come in mini (short), midi (mid-length), and long.
• You’re supposed to tie the knot on the skirt according to your “status.”  A knot on the right indicates you are taken and left indicates you’re single.
• You can buy them on Amazon (much cheaper!!) or in Munich (very expensive!).  If you want to buy them in Munich, look for second hand shops (we found new Leiderhosen to cost from 500 to 1,000 euro!)
• I’d also recommend wearing a (small – big bags aren’t permitted in the tents!!) purse and shoes you don’t mind getting beer on.

Oktoberfest also hosts a huge variety of amusement park rides!  They looked tempting (heard they were good), but alas beer.

Tents & Tickets

Probably the top questions pertaining to Oktoberfest include: “How do I get tickets?” and “Which tent is the best?”  I think the answer to both of those depends on who you ask.  We actually acquired zero tickets for ourselves – both sets of friends acquired them for us.  So,  I will tell you about how they did this.

Maddie’s Method:

Maddie Googled: “The 12 Octoberfest Tents” and then went to each tent’s website and applied for tickets.  Each tent has different application dates, with some starting in January and most ending in July.  According to Maddie, most tents opened for applications in March, so if you decided you wanted to go to Oktoberfest after March, it might be difficult to get a good table.

Ashley’s Method:

Ashley decided she was going purchase tickets to Oktoberfest in July.  At this point, prime time for purchasing tickets had past.  Thus, the only way to get them was to buy them from a reseller (which is actually not allowed, but quite a few people did it!).  Tickets are much more expensive this way than Maddie’s way.  However, this is great if you aren’t able to plan a year ahead.

Ashley elected to go to Oktoberfest on Saturday night (prime time – also most crowded).  We shared a table with people we didn’t know, but it was A TON of fun!

Our tent for Saturday night was Hacker-Pschorr.  It was a beautiful tent and the people were spirited!

Hacker-Pschorr with Ashley + John

Festhalle Schottenhamel with Maddie + Justin + Family

We took the time to visit every single tent there, and every single one was unique in its own way.  Thus, I don’t have a recommendation for which tent to visit.  My only recommendation is to pick one and ENJOY all Oktoberfest has to offer!!

I know they are traditionally called a “cake smash,” but this one was definitely a “cake bash” because the whole family had fun! Little Lincoln is turning O-N-E soon and his parents wanted to commemorate this special time with a smash! His mom did an ahhhhmazing job making all of the decor (I mean just LOOK at that banner!!). Lincoln was seriously crazy for the cake. He tried his best to dig in on his own, but it was just too difficult for him to get into. So, mom, dad, and big sister Hailey joined in on the fun! Everyone took turns feeding Lincoln, he fed himself, and there was even and impromptu cake fight!!

Kelsey and Justin, thanks so much for having a blast with me this morning! I’m not sure I’ve laughed that hard in a long time. I hope you LOVE the photos!! Happy FIRST Birthday, Lincoln!!

Lincoln Turns ONE | Cake Smash

There are a few things involving photography that I love: CUTE couples and beaches! This session had both. Elizabeth and Matt are the cutest parents to be! I was so excited when Elizabeth invited me to shoot their Aci Trezza maternity session because I have been DYING to shoot there. And, of course, Elizabeth and Matt are serious sweethearts!!!!

Our original plan got nixed due to rain. It’s rainy season here in Sicily, and I’ve found that rainy season is no joke! So, we rescheduled and crossed our fingers. Even on our reschedule date the sky looked a little daunting. But that just means that the clouds in their photos are super cool!

Elizabeth already had the location of the photos picked out (I love you for that!!!). She knew exactly what she wanted, which made my job super easy. Elizabeth said when she thought about where she wanted her maternity photos to be, she decided that no place was more appropriate than home. And Aci Trezza is home. If you know me, you know I love things that are meaningful, so this really made my heart swell.

I haven’t known Elizabeth and Matt for long, but I can tell they are going to be wonderful and loving parents. I am so excited for baby C!!

Elizabeth and Matt, it was so wonderful to meet you! Thank you so much for the opportunity to eternalize these fleeting moments for you!

Elizabeth + Matt + Baby C

If you know me, then you know I LOVE FOOD! Like, love, love food. So, when I met up with Kaylee and Kelsi to discuss the possibility of working with their company, Fuel Your Tomorrow (FYT), I was already drooling!  FYT is a local meal prep and delivery service that focuses on fresh and healthy foods. Essentially, Chef Kaylee prepares meals on a weekly basis that are hand delivered to your door. All you have to do is ‘heat and eat!’ Gourmet home-delivery meals? Sign me up!

I have to admit, I had never tried FYT’s food prior to the shoot. But after tasting all of their dishes, it didn’t take me long to sign up for my first delivery! Not only was it was incredible to watch Chef Kaylee prepare and plate the meals, but their gourmet food both looks and tastes like heaven!

Check out seven of FYT’s delectable dishes and some of the behind the scenes action below. You’ll even see a special guest chef in the photos for the third meal!

Since I know you’ll want to sign up too, head on over to their website, Facebook, or Instagram to see more of their work and order your first meal!

A Sample of FYT’s Fall Food Spread

1. Grilled salmon, garlic seared asparagus, basil-mint chimichurri, pea shoots, shaved radish, and crushed almonds

2. Roasted fennel with rucola and frisée. Walnut frico, crispy bacon, red grapes, and pomegranate vinaigrette

3. Chef Kaylee’s shepherd pie with roasted sweet potato mash

4. Spicy pumpkin soup, bacon, and marinated feta

5. Grilled flank steak, herb butter mashed potato, sautéed asparagus tips, and portobello gravy

6. Sage roasted cornish game hen, cauliflower purée, pan seared brussels sprouts, and tri-color quinoa

7. buttered scallops, butternut squash purée, lemony zucchini, and mint