Kraków, a southern Poland city near the border of the Czech Republic, is known for its well-preserved medieval core and Jewish quarter. Its old town – ringed by Planty Park and remnants of the city’s medieval walls – is centered on the stately, expansive Rynek Glówny (market square). This plaza is the site of the Cloth Hall, a Renaissance-era trading outpost, and St. Mary’s Basilica, a 14th-century Gothic church.
Category Archives: Travel
Local’s Guide: Five Must-See’s In Valencia, Spain
Valencia, a popular vacation destination on Spain’s Mediterranean coast. We asked some locals for their travel tips. What are Valencia’s must-sees? Here are five highlights! Would you like to visit Spain one day?
Timeline: 00:00 Intro 00:20 City of Arts and Sciences 00:52 Jardín del Turia 01T:49 Central Market 02:32 Valencia Cathedral 03:23 Eating Paella at Bar Cremaet
Yosemite Moonbows: A View Of Rainbows At Night
Ever see a rainbow at night? Moonbows (aka lunar rainbows) are a rare and mesmerizing phenomenon caused by light from a full moon shining on rain or the spray of a large waterfall. This first-of-its-kind video captures the famous moonbows of Yosemite National Park in a way that has never been seen before – by filming at real-time speed!
Until recently, the only way to film by moonlight was to use timelapse to gain more light through longer exposures. While timelapse is a useful filming technique, the fast motion doesn’t illustrate the immense scale of Yosemite’s waterfalls. I wanted to capture a true-to-life moonbow experience using a cinematic 24 frames-per-second frame rate. To meet this goal, I started experimenting with a new camera, fast lenses, and advanced noise-reduction software during the 2016 moonbow season. Every April, May, and June since then I would collect more footage and refine my low-light shooting skills while enjoying the incredible beauty of Yosemite in spring. In all, the footage in this video was filmed during 11 separate visits to Yosemite.
Filming at 24 frames-per-second allowed me to capture brief details that would easily be missed by timelapse. The shooting star (see if you can spot it!) was my favorite fleeting moment. I also enjoyed being able to film the fine textures of the falling water, the hypnotic ebb and flow of the wind-borne mist, and the excited reactions from people enjoying Yosemite at night. Filming at normal speed also accommodated live audio recording of Yosemite’s nocturnal soundscape.
In addition to the technical challenges of filming moonbows, I also needed to know when and where to see them. As with rainbows, moonbows require a precise alignment of the light source (the full moon, in this case), an area of rain or mist in the air, and the person observing. Using 3D-modeling software, I developed a method to visualize when moonbows could be seen for a given location. These calculations have helped me discover new compositions for photographing this striking phenomenon, and in 2018 I created the website YosemiteMoonbow.com so that I could share this information with others who want to see the moonbow from popular vantage points in the park.
Moonbows are just as common in nature as rainbows, but they often go unnoticed because human vision isn’t as sensitive to color in low light. When you first arrive at the base of the falls, you might see the bow as a gray arc in the mist, but as your eyes get acclimated to the dark, the moonbow will grow more vivid, especially when wind intensifies the spray. Compared to humans, cameras are much better at perceiving color in the dark, easily revealing the hidden beauty of moonlit nights.
Capturing the Yosemite moonbow with video hasn’t been easy. These dark scenes are a stretch for even the best low-light cameras, to say nothing of the challenges of trying to do quality photography while being sprayed with water in the cold dark of night. But that’s all part of the moonbow experience. There’s something a little wild about heading out into the forest at night to stand in the spray of a raging waterfall, but it’s always a good time!
Learn more about moonbows in Yosemite by visiting yosemitemoonbow.com
Tours: Harborview House In Manly Cove, Sydney
Combining old and new, Harbourview House is a modern home that retains elements of its federation-style heritage. Situated in Sydney’s Manly Cove – a location associated with swimming, boating and surfing – Harbourview House is inspired by both its scenic location and residing family.
Timeline: 00:00 – The Feeling of the Timeless and Modern Home 00:27 – Introduction to the Home 00:55 – Collaboration Between the Designers 01:35 – Walking Through the Home 02:49 – Material Choice 03:22 – Juxtaposition Between the Old and New 03:53 – The Kitchen 04:24 – The Master Bedroom and Ensuite 05:08 – Inspiration for the Home
The modern home is designed to express appreciation for natural beauty, reflecting the warm and energetic nature of the clients. Approaching the modern home, the pre-existing, federation-style structure remains as the primary façade whilst the new, minimalist architecture can be seen beyond. Internally, the master suite occupies a heritage element of the home, positioned at the front of the build and benefitting from broad bay windows. Further in, the open-plan lounge and kitchen lead to the landscaped garden. The material palette of Harbourview House makes for a texturally-dense experience that maintains a sense of refinement, aligning with the vision of a modern home. Hand-glazed tiles, honed marble and brass features are purposefully chosen for their aesthetically pleasing and organic natures. In the kitchen, a robust and non-porous surface on the rear bench is complemented by an elegant marble splashback and island. Working within a monochromatic colour palette, Penman Brown Interior Design crafts a modern home that enriches the senses through texture. Interacting with the work of Collins Pennington Architects and landscape by Jamie Durie, the design of Harbourview House embraces the difference between the old home and the new.
Preview: The Florentine Magazine – June 2022
Florentine Magazine, June 2022 – Sighing over Florence
There’s a garden on a hillside overlooking Florence where it feels like you’ve struck the pot of gold—and all the colours of the rainbow. This art park is the life’s work of Alice Esclapon de Villeneuve, who started to expand the family’s plot of land just off viale Michelangelo on the occasion of her daughter’s birth over 20 years ago. Finding the art park is something of a treasure hunt, however, hence the enlistment of bilingual guide Elena Fulceri for tours in Italian or English.
Walking Tour: Giethoorn In The Netherlands (4K)
Giethoorn is located in National Park Weerribben-Wieden, is an idyllic village in Overijssel where countless thatched farms have been built on small peat islands connected by over 170 small wooden bridges.
– What is there to do in Giethoorn? In Giethoorn, a typically Dutch village in Overijssel, you can perfectly see how the Dutch love to live with and on the water. In an environment full of lakes, reed beds and forests lies this picturesque village with its many handsome farms with thatched roofs and characteristic wooden bridges.
– Giethoorn was established as a settlement of peat harvesters. Peat cutting created ponds and lakes, and people built houses on the islands between them. As a result, access was only possible by bridge or using traditional Giethoorn boats, so-called punters – narrow boats pushed along using a long pole by a punteraar.
Walking Tour: Niagara Falls In New York (4K)
Niagara Falls is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States.
Travel: A Postcard From Tuscany (Condé Nast)
From cypress tree tunnels to medieval villages and ancient vineyards, Tuscany is home to some of the most beautiful scenes in Italy.
Tuscany is a region in central Italy. Its capital, Florence, is home to some of the world’s most recognizable Renaissance art and architecture, including Michelangelo’s “David” statue, Botticelli’s works in the Uffizi Gallery and the Duomo basilica. Its diverse natural landscape encompasses the rugged Apennine Mountains, the island of Elba’s beaches on the Tyrrhenian Sea and Chianti’s olive groves and vineyards.
Aerial Travel: Wat Phra Phutthabat In Thailand
Wat Phra Phutthabat is a Buddhist temple in Saraburi, Thailand. It is among the oldest Buddhist temples in Thailand. Its name means “temple of Buddha’s footprint“, because it contains a natural depression believed to be a footprint of the Buddha.
Phra Phutthabat temple was built in 1624[1] (B.E. 2168) by King Songtham of Ayutthaya, after a hunter named Pram Bun found a large depression in the stone, resembling a huge footprint, near Suwan Banpot Hill or Satchaphanthakhiri Hill. The hunter reported his find to the king, who ordered workers to build a temporary mondop to cover the footprint; this later became the temple.
Aerial Views: Pittsburgh In Western Pennsylvania (4K)
Pittsburgh is a city in western Pennsylvania at the junction of 3 rivers. Its Gilded Age sites, including the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, the Carnegie Museum of Art and the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, speak to its history as an early-20th-century industrial capital. In the North Shore neighborhood are the modern Andy Warhol Museum, Heinz Field football stadium and PNC Park baseball stadium.
Boomers Daily 