Olga and Kyle - San Francisco, CA

I had such a blast with Olga and Kyle during their eSession! When I first talked to them, they mentioned that they loved everything about the city and were both nature lovers. So of course, we chose a couple iconic spots in the city to capture these images, the Sutro bathhouse ruins and Golden Gate park. They were both troopers in the wind and sun and were completely easy going in front of the camera. I'll see you two in a few months for the wedding!

Gooooooooaaaal!!!!!!

The four year wait is over! Who's gonna be up at pub with at 7AM?!

Europe 2010: Italy and France - Part 5, Paris!

After almost 12 days in Italy, Jeannie and I ended our trip in Paris... our final stop! Since we had both visited before, rather than do as many tourist stops as we could (e.g. the 2-day Museum Pass), we opted to just wind down our trip wandering through the Paris streets and spending as much time as we could in the local cafes. Each day started with us sleeping in and then waking up to immerse ourselves into the amazing city life Paris had to offer. Such a great way to end our journey! Can't wait to come back!

Gotta love the Parisian skyline!

Admittedly, this was our first food stop in Paris. After eating nothing but Italian food, we felt like we deserved a little taste of home :) Pho done French style!

Inside Notre Dame cathedral with its beautiful stained glass.

In front of Notre Dame was what looked like a bread festival. Local kids were invited to learn how to bake bread by the seasoned bakers. Above, you can see some of the bakers taking a quick paddleball break outside the kitchen tent.

Nothing like fresh pastries right out of the oven! Hmm...I wonder if those kids baked this batch.

Random trinkets from some of the many tourist shops we passed.

I really think Europe got it right when it comes to tiny modes of transportation to get you through the city streets.

The Louvre...

One of the many bike share stations we spotted all throughout Paris. Such a great idea and I hear they are going to start testing this in San Francisco too!

One of the many cafes Jeannie and I ate at. At this particular location...

... we enjoyed Pommes Frittes!

Another skyline shot... we were so lucky to get breaks from the rain while in Paris so we could wander around!

Two shots from the Louis Vuitton flagship store on the Champs Elysess. There was so much incredible detail in this store!

Not to be outdone... the Nescafe store, also on the Champs Elysees was more art museum than store!

Shots from the Jardin du Luxembourg. On this particular day, the rain clouds finally left letting everyone to enjoy the fabulous sunshine!

Public transportation at its best!

Shots of Paris at night!

Europe 2010: Italy and France - Part 4, Tuscany!

While Jeannie and I were in Florence, we took some time to head out into Tuscany! Think... Sonoma in the middle ages and I think that might describe it. On our trek we visited the towns of Siena, San Gimignano, and of course, Pisa. Each town had its on charm and character with the locals fiercely proud of where they had come from. According to one woman we spoke to, pregnant moms-to-be from Siena would carry a canister of the town's dirt with them when they were near their delivery date. In the event they went into labor away from home, they would place the soil under their bed so when their baby was born, the could still claim that the baby was still born on top of Siena soil. How's that for local town pride!

Shot of the beautiful Tuscan landscape. Despite the overcast, you could still appreciate all of the beauty the scenery had to offer!

While in Siena, we visited the world's oldest bank. Rather than gargoyles protecting their rooftops, we spotted these crazy heads jutting out of the top of the building. Wish I knew who all these heads were but I'll assume they were all famous...

Inside the Duomo in Siena was this older man on his knees doing what I can only imagine is painstaking work. He was using some sort of filler to repair the microcracks that were in the marble floors. Even though my back hurt just watching him, I was in awe admiring his patience and attention to detail he put into the repairs

A view from a roadside in Siena. The church you see in the background is the Church of San Domenico where the remains of St. Catherine are held

Il Campo, one of Italy's most famous squares and home to the Palio horse race. The whole square was shaped like a seashell that slants downward to a single drain.

Jeannie and I had the opportunity to visit a local organic farm in Tuscany. Raising their own cattle, growing their own grapes and olives, the owners introduced us to their organic wines and wonderful olive oils. Definitely one of the highlights of our trip!

Selection of wines from the farm we visited, Fattoria Poggio Alloro. Super pleasant and mild wines all of which were very tasty. Gotta find me a local store that offers their wines for sure!

Doggy that I spotted enjoying his patch of sunlight during the break in the rain on the farm.

Let me introduce to you... The Man. I wish I knew his actual name, but let's just say that for three years straight, he and his gelateria in San Gimignano have won the Ice Cream World Championships for Italy (yes, apparently this actually does exist).

Shots of some of the many towers in the medieval town of San Gimignano

I really don't know what it is, but when you're in the town of Pisa, people do crazy things like this for that "check out this totally unique picture I was able to get!" shot. Haha! Sometimes you just have to be a tourist and take the obligatory cheesy photo! Gotta love it!