Last weekend, our friends Justin and Maddie took us to Taormina, which is located about an hour away from where we live, on the north-eastern side of the island.
Taormina is the cutest little hilltop town that has incredible views of Mount Etna and becomes a huge attraction in the summers. After visiting, I can see why!
After arriving and parking, we walked through the town toward the Teatro Antico di Taormina, which is another ancient Greco-Roman theater. While walking through, we stopped at many shops and churches along the way and enjoyed the general splendor of the town, weather, and atmosphere.
The wall that surrounds the old city, and a mosaic contained within it.
Duomo di Taormina
The old town.
The village itself is perched on a cliff overlooking the Ionian Sea. When walking though the old town, we noticed that there were many, many stairs and tiny little alleyways.
One thing I love about Italy – all the dogs! Unlike in the US, dogs are welcome almost everywhere. My favorite place I’d seen them might be in the Apple store at the mall. We saw this cute little one all dressed up with its owners in the old town. I’d take more photos of the dogs here, but I’m waiting until I know enough Italian to ask permission first!
Along the way to the Teatro Antico di Taormina, we stopped at Bam Bar for a granita. A granita is a dessert that is somewhere between sorbet and Italian ice. It has may traditional flavors including strawberry, almond, mandarin, and lemon. I had mandarin and Jordan had strawberry. They were incredibly delicious.
Eventually, we made it to the Teatro Antico di Taormina! They offer discounts based on age and citizenship for entry into a many historical sites here, and there was quite a debate at the ticket counter about Jordan’s age… it must be the mustache!!
The Teatro Antico di Taormina is the second largest ancient theatre in Sicily. The fact that it is a brick structure dates it to Roman times, but the plan and arrangement of the structure are Greek. Thus, it is assumed that the current theatre was rebuilt on an older theatre of the Greek period. It overlooks the ocean, which is quite a site to behold!
On the way back to the car, we checked out some art and stopped by La Pignolata Guinness Cannoli for the best cannoli I’ve ever had!! And, Maddie picked us some fresh clementines straight from the tree.
Once in the car, Justin drove us down the hilltop a bit to an amazing overlook.
After the overlook, Justin drove us up the hillside to Bar Turrisi. The walk to the bar was beautiful.
Walking in, it looked just like any other restaurant, except for all of the discreet decorations of… well, penises. From the floor tiles to the menu, there were penises everywhere!
We selected a table on the top floor and watched the sunset with a traditional appetizer and drinks (I had a “kamasutra”).
After our drinks and snacks, we then went to Catania for dinner before retiring for the night. We were exhausted, but the trip was SO MUCH FUN!
Look out for our next post to hear more about our first solo day trip. We chose to check out some place new.. and I can’t wait to blog about it!!
Our first weekend in Sicily, we explored Catania. For our second weekend, we joined our friends Justin and Maddie at Murgo for Maddie’s 23rd birthday! Murgo is a winery, restaurant, and B&B that sits at the foot of Mt. Etna just north of Catania. The drive there was quite beautiful.
Once we arrived, we located our table and then took a walk around the grounds to take in all of the general splendor.
Our table, specially reserved for Maddie!
The grounds were breathtaking! And, there were plenty of dogs to go around, as is typical in Sicily.
We then moved inside for lunch. Murgo’s resturant features agriturismo style food, which is freshly made food served family style. They served course after course (I think there were 5 all together), along with their speciality crafted wines.
And those were just the second course!
The third course was pasta.
And fourth, meat!
The last course was dessert, which was yummy, but the real favorite was Maddie’s cake from Caroline’s Soulfood. Not only was it beautiful, but it was DELICIOUS!! The cake was unicorn themed toped with a vanilla bean Swiss meringue frosting, pistachio Macarons, fruits, and cotton candy.
After lunch, we took some empty liter water bottles to the barrel room for a fill up (seriously, straight from the hose). For 2€ each, we got to bring back two liters of wine for later! We also got a tour of their cellars and factory to see where the wine is made. However, it was in Italian, so don’t ask me a lot of questions!!
Maddie and Jordan also took turns getting weighed on an old school scale.
Hopefully, it was a birthday for the books for Maddie! I know we had a great time.
This weekend, our wonderful friends Maddie and Justin showed us around Catania. Catania, the most densely populated metro of Sicily, is also known as “the black city,” as it’s buildings have been dyed black as a result of ash and soot from volcano Mt. Etna over the centuries.
Naturally, I was so excited I neglected to bring my camera. So, iPhone photos will have to do for this trip.
Our first stop was at the archaeological area of the Theater and Odeon in Catania.
The theater was built in the first century A.D. (that’s somewhere between years 1 to 100 A.D. in case you were wondering) and seated approximately 1,500 of Sicily’s most elite.
It was actually built over at one time (with buildings) and was “discovered” in the eighteenth century. Subsequently, the buildings that covered the theater were removed in the twentieth century.
The Odeon was off to the side a bit, and was used for poetry, music, and rehearsals for the Theater. It was also once covered by houses that were later demolished.
Many apartment buildings and a church actually surround the Theatre.
It was quite a site to behold… and my first of many theaters!!
After exploring the Theater and Odeon, we headed to an adorable little cafe to grab a snack since we still had five hours or so before dinner.
Justin and Maddie took us to an amazing little pastry shop, Savia, in which we purchased sweet pastries (they also had savory ones).
After enjoying our pre-dinner snack, we headed back to their car, where we were greeted by the parking police. While you may have heard traffic here is crazy (if you haven’t heard, now you have – there are basically no rules), parking is strict. Luckily, Justin was able to talk to the attendant and she let us pay the meter, so no ticket was had!
p.s. McDonalds delivers here.
Next, Justin drove us to Aci Trezza to see the Cyclopean Isles. If you’re familiar with Greek mythology, these are the stones thrown at Odysseus in The Odyssey by the Cyclops.
Here, we stopped for a drink (which is served with a small board of food) and then drove to back to Catania for dinner. It was dark by this point, so I didn’t take too many photos. We plan to go back another day, so I will update this post then!
Once we got back to Catania, we explored the main square, Piazza del Duomo, and the city center. Here are two photos I managed to take: one of the old city (in which in new city is built on top of, as is the way here), and me on the smallest set of stairs E V E R. Okay, so I don’t really know if they were the smallest set of steps ever, but I had to get a photo just because.
After seeing the city at night, we had dinner at Alvicolo Pizza and Vino – where I had both pizza AND wine. Here is a photo of our pizza, and a snippet of the menu, in which you see the word “cavallo” in #39…
…meaning “horse”. We didn’t try that one yet, but maybe one day!
Ciao from I T A L Y!!
We are finally here!! It feels like forever since we started this whole process, but we made it.
Updates since my last blog post:
-We sold our dining room table
-We sold my car (in less than 5 days!)
-We sold our house (in less than a month)
-We packed up our luggage and all four of us hopped on a plane to Sicily.
Bye, Virginia Beach and 1812 (our lovely first home!!)
The night of our arrival, we were able to go straight into our new home thanks to our awesome sponsors (seriously, they are so awesome).
We LOVE our new home. It’s bright and beautiful and we can’t wait until all of our things arrive so we can fully furnish it. Right now, we are just using loaner furniture. Hopefully our car and household goods will be arriving in the next few months (IKR?!)
The kitchen, dining room, living room, and laundry room are all on one floor.
Upstairs holds three bedrooms and two bathrooms.
We also have closets that are too tall for us to reach (not ideal for shorties like me!!) And, two sets of French doors that open to our quaint little yard THAT HAS A LEMON TREE!!!
Oh, and a view of volcano Mt. Etna….
Overall, our digs ain’t too bad!! What do you think?
Well, this update is a bit overdue. I have been MIA for a bit ever since our big announcement, but that’s because I have been just a tiny bit busy. And, because I couldn’t figure out how to operate my laptop – but that’s neither here nor there.
We shipped our car a little more than two weeks ago (it feels like it’s been an eternity). I’m not sure if you’ve ever shipped a car overseas, but there are quite a few regulations you have to meet including: no leaks, no cracks in the windshield, no recalls, clean car inside and out (which was pretty difficult with all of the snow we were getting at that time), and less than a quarter tank of gas at the time of turn in. Long story short – don’t accidentally overfill your tank before shipping 🙂 . Trying to get the gas out of a car is like watching a pot when you want it to boil. Three hours of me driving around town the morning of our appointment and somehow we made it happen! See ya in Italy, Mini Cooper.
The pack out for our home was this past week. It was a crazy time with three movers, two dogs, and us running around going “pack THIS, not THAT,” but somehow we managed to get it all done. Now we are left with a kitchen table (that we will eventually sell), an air mattress, and four luggages worth of stuff. With only less than two weeks left before the move, it’s starting to get real!! And, also a little bit stinky, because let’s be honest, I have very few clothing options!!
Here are some photos from the pack-out:
Yes, you read that right. We are moving!! And, what’s more, we are moving to ITALY!!
Making the decision to move out of the Virginia Beach area was a HUGE decision, as we have a home and steady jobs here. Moving out of the country, however, is maybe borderline crazy. But, we are SO excited for the adventure!
So, what does that mean for Mandalyn Renee Photography? Well, it will stay, but with an extra added element…a travel and living abroad aspect. The blog will slowly shift over the start of 2018 to more of a personal blog, incorporating both the move, travel, and photography. My husband will be joining in on more of the blogging action and it will become more of a joint venture.
We are SO excited to see what 2018 will bring. We hope you’ll stick around with us to see how it goes!! Make sure you subscribe for blog updates!!
People always ask me about what to wear to their photo session, but they rarely inquire about beauty tips (i.e. how they should style their hair and make-up). Professional hair and make-up is always on the top of my list as a photographer and as a client myself. Not only does it look amazing on camera, but having your hair and make-up done for you feels AMAZING! Seriously. You will walk away feeling like a million bucks!
Recently, I had my own hair and make-up session with Jess Barbini of Jess Barbini Hair & Makeup Artistry (catch her on IG here). She is such an incredible hair and make-up artist and has seriously changed my life with her remarkable make over skills. As she was prepping me for my photo shoot, I asked her if she would mind sharing some beauty tips for general photo session prep.
Here are a few words of advice from Jess:
General Beauty Tips:
• Whiten Teeth
• Wax eyebrows at least 3 days prior
• Exfoliate 1-2 days prior
• Get a manicure
• Skip the spray tan
• Hydrate – drink lots of water!
• Prevent inflammation – Place an ice pack on eyes before sleep
• Get 8 hours of sleep
Why Hire a Hair and Make-Up Artist?
• Treat yourself!
• One less thing to worry about – Helps de-stress
• Look your best
• Professionals know how to prepare you to be in front of the camera.
• Confidence. It’s always the best accessory.
Check out my final look:
I absolutely recommend hiring a professional hair and make-up artist when investing in photos you’ll cherish forever. I personally never book a professional session without one!
Last month, I wrapped up my first year of my 30’s! Who would I be not to commemorate this milestone with a mini birthday shoot? If you know me, you know that doughnuts are my FAVORITE!!! My original idea was just to snap ONE photo with my festive birthday doughnut….
But Chalupa had other plans….. Chalupa is my shadow. She also loves consuming (fruits, veggies, sticks, grass, coins…). You name it, she will eat it. So, of course where there are doughnuts there is a Chalupa saying, “Mom, feed me!! Please!!” Thanks to my sweet husband for snapping one… or ten shots for me 😉
Despite living in the same state, my dad and I don’t get to see each other as much as we would like. So, as you can imagine, I was super excited when he told me he was coming to visit!
My dad and bonus mom, Melinda, spent the hottest weekend of the entire summer hanging out with us in Virginia Beach. They honestly could not have picked a better time to come. We had a blast just spending time together and playing in the waves all day, which is something I haven’t done in FOREVER! One of my favorite childhood memories is actually boogie boarding in the ocean with my dad. Virginia Beach was always our vacation spot when I was a kid, so spending time on the oceanfront together brought back such happy memories. We also had a great time at Top Golf and playing Scattegories before they had to head back home. Of course, I made sure to squeeze in some time for a quick little photo session. For two people who swore they were not photogenic, I think the photos turned out pretty darn good!!!
Thank you guys so much for coming to visit! Jordan and I had such a wonderful time. I hope you enjoy the photos!
Thanks so much for stopping by! This is my first blog post EVER. Yep, that’s right. I have never even attempted blogging before, but I’m so excited to have a place to share my work with you! Photography has been my passion for years, but I just recently began to take it seriously. Last November, one of my sisters, who happened to be around five months pregnant, came to visit and we got the idea to take some maternity photos on the beach. With relatively little preparation, we set out for the oceanfront. The result was stunning. I was absolutely in love with the way her photos turned out and so glad we decided to capture such a meaningful and important time in her life. The entire impromptu experience helped me to realize that my passion for photography could have a greater purpose – helping people preserve their most treasured moments. It wasn’t for a few months and many more photoshoots that Mandalyn Renee Photography actually began to materialize.
My hope for this blog is to not only share my most recent work and favorite images with you, but to provide one of my personal favorite things – education. From what to wear on camera to answering some of the questions photographers get asked most frequently (e.g. camera, lighting, locations, etc.), I will be posting some intentional pieces to share the things I struggled so hard to learn. In addition to my recent work, styling, and photography tips, I’m sure you’ll see a few personal posts as well.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. I’ll leave you with a photo from my sister’s maternity shoot. Look for the full blog post featuring her maternity session soon!
