Posts tagged #hometown

My holidays in Bulgaria... aka, the pursuit of finding real snow.

Haha, yeah... I went home with the hope of experiencing a snowy winter for the first time in years. Instead, this is what I got. Hello, 65 degrees, sunshine, and no sign of precipitation! Long time, no see :). 

So what is one to do when your skiing trip (almost (but more on that later)) falls apart? As it turns out, plenty of options exist. Such as...

YOGA. In your own yard. In UGG boots :). Namaste never felt this good. 

HIKING. And LOTS of it. I averaged 7-8 miles a day (it turns out that getting lost in the woods helps with mileage :). And I was almost able to burn off all the calories I consumed. Almost :). 

FALL in LOVE with NATURE. And how could you not? Having lived in Houston for almost 8 years, I found myself craving to disconnect from urbanism for once. The sights and sounds of the Bulgarian forest helped handsomely and effortlessly. 

VISIT the CITY. That said, I couldn't not visit my hometown for a day or two... At the very least, I had to do my annual let's-pretend-we-are-a-tourist walk around the city. 

PHOTOGRAPH some RANDOM ANIMALS. Namely, every sheep, goat, dog or cat I encounter. Because they are just too darn cute. And free-spirited. And happy. And in their natural habitat. 

SKI. Even if it's fake snow. With your 60-year-old dad! In sunny 50-degree weather. Best ski trip ever. 

And FINALLY, enjoy some REAL SNOW. On your last day of vacation! Mission accomplished.

I must say, I closed 2015 in the best way I could imagine. I'll miss this year. But having such a good year is an inspiration to ensure 2016 is even better. My ambitious self is already plotting away how to make that happen :).

Posted on January 4, 2016 by Katya Popova and filed under Travel Diaries and tagged hometown home for the holidays beautiful Bulgaria Christmas Happy New Year.

Well, That Took "Long" ... Back to the Japanese Gardens!

The Ideal Saturday Morning...

...Is when you are not in a rush to do anything and you grab your coffee, book and camera and go to the park. And even more so, when you are able to fulfill a promise you made the day before (which in this case was going back to Hermann Park's Japanese Gardens to capture their full glory in full daylight). This truly was a glorious morning - a crisp 54 degrees F, clear blue skies, and lovely vistas. Thank you Houston for having so much to offer at the unbeatable price of $0.   

Posted on November 1, 2014 by Katya Popova and filed under Travel Diaries and tagged hermann park houston favorites japanese gardens hometown.

Houston at Dusk | Hermann Park's Japanese Gardens

Spontaneous Garden Visits Are Sweet

I have wanted to visit the Japanese Gardens at Hermann Park for years. And I truly mean years. Yet their challenging hours of operation are rather hard to work with (5PM... really?). Yesterday, I got lucky! With the garden's gates being questionably and invitingly wide open after 6PM, my accomplice and I were able to sneak right in. Daylight was quickly dwindling though and my first attempts at fighting the natural environment and overcompensating via digital camera trickery fell rather flat. So I had a revelation - why fight it? Instead, use it! I am not very good at dusk photography but I saw an opportunity for learning. Here are the first attempts... (with one fabulous action shot as well). 

On a side note, the gardens are just as beautiful as I imagined. I hope to be able to be back and spend some more quality time there very soon. And possibly take some full daylight shots of it while at it. :)

Posted on October 31, 2014 by Katya Popova and filed under Travel Diaries and tagged hermann park japanese garden houston favorites hometown.

Food for the Soul: a Houston Walking Tour

Museum District in Houston

Today was a truly stunning day to be outside in Houston (first sunny AND warm day for the year at its best!) I took the opportunity to spend it while taking a walking tour of one of the oldest parts of Houston - the Museum District. 

This particular 2-hour tour was hosted by the AIA Houston chapter which offered an architectural and historic context to each of the sights we visited (they also offer tours of Downtown, Montrose and the Heights and with the very affordable price tag of $10, these tours are even more worth your while!).

My Highlights

The tour started in the serene Cullen Sculpture Garden which showcases masterworks of 20th- and 21st-century sculpture by artists including Louise Bourgeois, Dan Graham, Henri Matisse, Auguste Rodin, and David Smith. This garden itself is a masterpiece created by sculptor Isamu Noguchi (the same artist who created the original and now famous paper lantern light fixtures!).

From there, we continued our walk through the Museum of Fine Arts. Its main building, the Caroline Wiess Law Building, is a fine example of juxtaposition of  William Ward Watkin's Neoclassical style (from the 1920s) and Mies van der Rohe's International Style (Bauhaus) from the late 1950s. 

Another favorite part of the tour was our stop at the Asia Society Texas Center. Designed by Japan-born, Harvard-educated Yoshio Taniguchi, it combines contemporary international design with an understated elegance and serenity one associates with Asia. It is one of the newest members of the Museum District (it was completed in 2011) and it is a stunning homage to attention to detail and clean design. 

A special thank you to AIA and our tour guide, Jason, for an unforgettable Saturday morning!

Posted on January 11, 2014 by Katya Popova and filed under Travel Diaries and tagged travel houston hometown unexpected beauty.