The Photographer and Solicitor To-Be

During the Christmas holiday, we found an affordable vacation package to Amsterdam we couldn't pass up. We left on Boxing Day, and after a short 90 minute flight, we arrived a Schipol Airport.

Amsterdam Central

We were surprised how fast and time and cost efficient the train system operated. For a little over £4 per ticket, we took a 20 min ride into Amsterdam Central Station. We then caught a city tram directly to our hotel for just under £3 per person. A taxi ride could have easily cost over £35!

After checking in the hotel, we were ready to meander through the city. Since we travelled right after Christmas, there were plenty of winter festivities and treats to enjoy. The Winter Market hosted several shops that severed a variety of barbecued food, pastries, drinks, more pastries, and more drinks. I for one indulged in several Oliebollen, which are doughnut like pastries filled with raisins. And I couldn't help myself when it came to Stroopwafels, a wafer thin cookie filled with a sweet caramel like filling.

One thing for sure is we ate well in Amsterdam. There are plenty of cafes and restaurants to grab a quick bite. On our first day we shared some Friets, or as we know them as French fries. The Dutch make the BEST fries we have ever had, and they top it off with a side of mayonnaise. Now friets are a staple in Amsterdam. You will frequently see people with large cones filled with fries, and topped with a variety of fixings (mainly mayo). We downed quite a few cones ourselves.

Keizersgracht

Aside from food, we enjoyed the wonderful Dutch architecture. The houses vary from street to street, each having different features. Some houses are narrower, others appear slanted, but they are all unique. A coworker from the Netherlands explained that in the past, your wealth was determined by the width of your house.

Amsterdam is known for quite a few things, some we just won't get into. But they are specifically known for their bicycles. There are thousands and thousands of bikes in the city, with designated parking lots. And if you are not careful, you will get hit by bicyclist.  It wasn't always easy to distinguish the bike lane and the sidewalk for pedestrians, especially in the evening.

We opted to walk everywhere instead. The city is big, but reasonable to walk without getting too lost. I suggest you bring a map until you familiarize yourself with the city. Google Maps failed us so many times!

We had the chance to visit the Rijksmuseum, which is Amsterdam’s largest and famous museums. This is perhaps the best museum we have ever visited with galleries dedicated to famous Dutch painters and sculptures. Please see our seperate post for our visit to the Rijksmuseum.

If we had more time, we would definitely visit the other wonderful museums such as the Anne Frank House, the Foam museum. The city has hundreds of museums for all types of interests.

Keizersgracht

Amsterdam takes on a new persona at night. They call Paris the city of lights. But you can argue Amsterdam is just as beautiful. The city just glows at night with a variety of blues, yellows, and RED lights.

Amsterdam Centrum

Run Beyond - Angelo Bonello

We visited during the Festival of Lights, where several neon-lit sculptures are placed throughout the city. You can take a Canal Tour, or walk the designated path to view these beautiful pieces of art. Viewing these incredible pieces added to our wonderful experience.

Back in November 2015, Sayira was invited to interview at a prestigious firm in London. While the interview fell on a Monday, we decided to make a long weekend out of it.

The city of London will always hold significance to our relationship. In 2009, I travelled to London to visit Sayira while she was studying abroad at LSE. It was during the Thanksgiving holiday and we thought it would be special to spend it together. In four days, we accomplished quite a bit, visiting several landmarks, museums such as National Portrait Gallery and Tate Modern, the city of Bathe, Stonehenge, and managed to have an American themed Thanksgiving dinner. 

While this trip was career oriented, we only had a limited time to view a few sites such as the National Portrait Gallery (one of our favorite museums). As she later prepared for her interview, I was able to take advantage of some overdue photography time. 

London holds a second significance to my photography. When I first visited in 2009, I only had a Canon PowerShot point and shoot camera. While the shots I took were nowhere near great, I managed to capture one bus trail image on the Westminster Bridge that peaked my interest into photography. 

Fast forward six years later, I arrived to London on a bit a photographic mission. I have to admit, I spent a lot of time planning the shots I wanted, focusing on the historic architecture, and long exposures. I viewed thousands of shots online to pinpoint the vantage points I would want, and then apply my own technique. For the most part the planning paid off. I was able to accomplish so many shots in the short amount of time we had. A majority of my shots were all taken with my Fuji X-E1 and Fujinon XF 18-55mm f2.8-4 lens. 

We were fortunate to stay at the Great St. Helene Hotel in London City. This quaint hotel is across the street from some great sites such as the Gerkin, Lloyds Building, Leadenhall Market, and just a 15 minutes walk from the Thames River path. 

The Gerkin 

"Charity” by Damien Hirst in front of the Gerkin

The Gerkin from Lloyds Building

Lloyds Building Long Exposure

Leadenhall Market

Towards the late afternoon, I made my way to the riverbank and walked the path to view other sites such as The Shard, Tower Bridge, and City Hall. The weather was amazing that evening, and I was in store for some great sunset and evening shots. 

The Shard Long Exposure

Tower Bridge Sunset

City Hall Skyline 

“A Girl with a Dolphin” by David Wayne near Tower Bridge

City Hall Twilight 

Tower Bridge Twilight Long Exposure 

Southwark Bridge

The next morning, I woke up around 5:30 am in hopes for sunrise shots. Instead, I was greeted with thick London fog. I had never seen such fog in my life, and could barely see in front of me. The last two days, we experienced thick fog during the mornings, and into the late afternoons. It put a damper on some of the cloud movement long exposures I desired. But instead of letting that drag me down, I switched my settings into monochrome for a nostalgic and creative feel. Most of the remaining shots were taken in black and white due to weather. 

London City skyline Long Exposure

Tower Bridge from City Hall steps

Millennium Bridge 

Millennium Bridge

Millennium Bridge with St. Paul’s Cathedral

Westminster framed in tunnel archway

Westminster Long Exposure

Making the Call 

On my last night, I had planned to take sunset/twilight shots near Westminster. However, as the night approached, a wave of clouds quickly approached from the west like a scene from the horror movie, “The Mist.” As it was my last night, I was not going to let this ruin the evening. So, I kept shooting. 

Westminster Fog

Bus Trail on Westminster Bridge - an attempt to recreate my original shot from 2009. Definitely top of my list for when I return to London in the future. 

Westminster Bridge with Big Ben in background

A few weeks ago, I travelled to Newcastle for some hiking and autumn photography. My destination was Tollymore Forrest. My initial research had me confuse Donnard Forrest with Tollymore Forrest. Big mistake!

I have posted pictures from my hikes in Donnard in the past. What I did not know is how far Tollymore was from Newcastle. And on this day, the town buses were not operating. SO I walked nearly 2 km to Tollymore’s entrance. Caution to those that walk to Tollymore; the roads are very very narrow with few sidewalks to safely walk on. So be careful. 

Was it all worth it? Oh yes! I was able to capture great shots as the leaves were changing. Mind you, most of these photos were taken in late October. Fast forward to the time of this post, most of the leaves have fallen off completely. 

I walked along the Shimna River trail passing by beautiful arching bridges such as Foley’s Bridge (pictured above), some ruins, streams, and most importantly beautiful foliage. I walked for about 3 hours to different spots along the trail. I found myself quite often in the middle of the stream taking different shots. I put my waterproof boots to the test, and I failed them miserably. They are water resistant not waterproof. I found that the hard way as my foot was slipped into the river, nearly taking all my equipment with it. I fell quite a few times on the slippery rocks. But I’d say it was worth it. It wouldn't be photography without adventure, bumps & bruises, and wet boots. 

Hello all. Yes we have been away for quite some time. Sayira has been studying hard over the past couple of month, handling her Mooting, and Editorial responsibilities for the Law Journal at Queens. She is also partaking in a few interviews to gain a 2 year contract with top level firms as part of her requirements. Just recently, we travelled to London for 3 days for one of her interviews. More about London in future posts!

A few months ago, I started working at Citibank. The job is completely different than I imagined when I first started applying in Belfast. I have always desired a client facing position within the financial sector. Fortunately for me, this position is just that. This job has offered me extensive training, and a great insight into future career paths for me to pursue. So far, it is everything I could hope for. 

One thing I appreciate is the work environment. It is a healthy, friendly, and productive environment where one can communicate ideas, or ask questions with little hesitation. Everyone has been absolutely helpful during the training these past months. 

Apparently I bring everyone comedic relief with the things I say. I have a coworker that pretty much translates everything for me these days. One day at lunch I asked my coworkers, “Where can I get good work pants from?” My coworkers were puzzled, and then burst into laughter. They explained men do not wear pants, because pants are considered to be ladies underwear!! Awkward. There have been a few occasions where I have made these mistakes, but none as bad as pants. Some common differences include fries are chips, potato chips are crisps, shrimp are prawns, etc. I’m sure more will come. 

So what has changed these past couple of months?? Well we are a lot more busy. We are still adjusting here and there. Commuting for me is the biggest adjustment. I miss the days when my old blue 1996 Toyota Camry (”Betsy”) would (sometimes) take me everywhere. It is definitely a comfort having your own vehicle. Is it needed in a small city like Belfast. Not necessarily. But Belfast is a small city in a beautiful country. And if we had a car, we would explore much much more. But for now, I rely on the Translink Metro which on good days, takes me about 1 hour and 45 mins total to get too and from work. But on MOST days, it will have me close to 2 hours 30 mins. Mind you, I only work about 2.5 miles away. Some days walking home is faster!

Aside from the commute, we still cook and experiment as much as we can. We now limit ourselves to cooking just a few times a week. But when we do, we appreciate it much more. We are slowly increasing a kitchen utensils so we can cook new dishes. Its amazing the difference a new pan can make! Sayira has become a chef in her own right, mastering these creative sauces for chicken recipes. I can cook a great hamburger...and thats about it :(. So far, we haven't gone to hungry so our meals are mostly successful. But most importantly, we have started baking!! Yes, cookies, cupcakes, cakes and any other creations will slowly accompany our meals. We made our first batch of cupcakes, and while they looked like muffins, they tasted amazing. Next up, Black Forrest Cake for my birthday!

Definitely underestimated the hugs chickens can give.

In an effort not to miss out on the classic pre-Labor day celebration, Eric and I dived into home cooked BBQ chicken sandwich and baked fries (healthier than fried). 

Similar to our previous posts, we used recipes from Laura in the Kitchen. We began with cutting the potatoes. Geometry did not serve us here and neither did symmetry. However, the shape of the fries did not play much of a role in how they taste. Plus, they gave it a more natural look without sacrificing the crunch in each bite.

For the BBQ sauce, we used HP (subsidiary of Heinz) BBQ sauce. If craving home grilled BBQ definitely don’t skimp out but we made the best of it! All in all tasty and great comfort food.

Short for time? No problem! Our hometowns made it easy to dial and get the warm luscious delivery of Chinese take-out! We craved a tasty comfort food that would keep our bellies full and satisfied. In the states we would simply order Chinese take-out from one of many great locations, and have a wonderful meal within minutes. We opted to create rather than place a call. Our Orange Chicken with white rice were inspired by using tips from Laura Vitale from Laura in the Kitchen. 

Using her recipe, we accomplished one of our favorite Chinese inspired dishes. Not all was a success though. Due to the limitations of our cookware, we had to make two separate batches, one better than the other. We advise that you use a large Wok or Skillet to cook all of your chicken evenly, and at once. It will also help the glaze thicken correctly. 

To get started, we prepped the chicken by coating it with white egg wash and corn flour. Though the recipe calls for corn starch, we could only find corn flour at our local Tesco. We fried the chicken in vegetable oil until it was golden brown on both sides, and cooked through. We added minced ginger and garlic to our chicken for flavor. 

In the mean time, we prepped our glaze using a combination of orange juice, orange zest, brown sugar, soy sauce, and cider vinegar. 

We poured the sauce mixture into our chicken and let it simmer for about 15 minutes. We added additional corn flour and water mix to the gaze for further thickening. After a few more minutes of cooking, our glaze thickened into the sweet savory sauce we have come to enjoy. 

We also made white fluffy long grain rice to complete our meal. We boiled the rice to perfection, and added spring onions as a garnish. 

Mid period bell rang, halls crowded, and queuing began. The trays of the cafeteria filled with half baked fries and one mountain sandwich, The Sloppy Joe. Today we craved for the incredibly messy, ever so tasty American classic. We had a few obstacles pop up when creating what seemed to be an easy step-by-step recipe.  We had a slight power outage, but after our apartment maintenance msn worked his magic, we were able to get started. We took 1 lb of 10% fat ground beef seasoned with onion, red and green peppers, garlic, and that dynamic duo of salt & pepper. 

After 10-15 minutes, we added a cup of ketchup, water, and mustard, and let it simmer till we got that famous texture. 

All in all, this definitely brought back childhood memories of having Sloppy Joe’s. Lesson learned? It can get messy!!

So Sayira should be banned from Pinterest. Since we arrived, various Pin boards have served as our pathway for new recipes to cook. On the good side, we got to try a delicious meal like Lemon Chicken and Pesto Chicken Bake

(pre-oven lemon chicken)

It is pretty simple to make. We sauteed chopped onions and garlic in olive oil. We added lemon juice, lemon zest, herbs, salt, and pepper. After the sauce simmered, we coated the chicken breast and then laid them in our pan. We roasted the chicken with potatoes, and then coated the pan with our sauce. 

Similarly, we substituted a few elements to make our Pesto Chicken the following night. Our seasoning consisted of a bottom base with elements herbs, chopped onions, garlic, salt and pepper. After we coated the baking tray with the sauce and placed the chickens on top, we began to glaze with store bought pesto from our local Tesco

(pre-oven pesto chicken bake)

In an effort to bite into a different texture then our Lemon chicken dish we opted for a cheesy crunch approach. We proceeded by adding bread crumbs and mozzarella cheese to our pesto. It was definitely a delight to a spontaneous thought.

(post-oven Pesto Chicken Bake)

(Lemon Chicken plating)

After about 40 minutes, we had cooked two of our best dishes two nights in a row ! It had just the right amount of zesty flavor. Lets just say we didn't have to any left overs to spare. 

Upon arriving to the countryside of Europe one cannot help but to adopt one of the most breathtaking and adventurous lifestyles of hiking. Sayira and I put on our hiking boots and spent our Saturday morning at Cavehill County Park. Initially, we came to the park to explore the Belfast Castle, and noticed their hiking trails. We challenged ourselves to hike the Cavehill trail which is about 4.5 miles in total. We entered a stoned road into what seemed to be an abandoned trail, oddly making it even more inviting.  Due to the incoming rain, we only walked to McArt’s Fort, which is about half of the trail. 

The walk to McArt’s Fort is gorgeous, littered with flowers and amazing views of Belfast. You will also encounter friendly smiles of fellow hikers and the occasional friendly licks of furry pets on their morning walks. It is not an overly challenging trail, though we could be in better shape. 

One of the greatest aspects about our move to Northern Ireland are the wonderful landscapes nearby. They are not to be compared with the rolling concrete landscapes of New York and New Jersey we are accustomed to. 

Exploring new terrains is certainly a newly adopted lifestyle and we definitely plan to take advantage. 

Wood as the Trees

I recently explored the beautiful Botanic Gardens on this nice sunny day. While Sayira was focused on her studies at the nearby Queen’s library, I grabbed my X-E1 and decided to focus on the Palm House itself, and the wonderful flower arrangements around the park. 

Fuji X-E1, 37mm, F/13, 1/200 sec, ISO 400

Fuji X-E1, 18mm, F22, 1/80 sec, ISO 400

Fuji X-E1, 230mm, F6.7, 1/250 Sec, ISO 640

Fuji X-E1, 128mm, F7.1, 1/500 sec, ISO 200

Fuji X-E1, 55mm, F/4.0, 1/250 sec, ISO 400

This morning I wanted to try something new. I saw this recipe on BuzzFeed and couldn’t resist. I haven’t been to the bakeries in Belfast yet, so i had to use whatever bread I had at home. The recipe requires a bread bowl round loaf, but I used a normal roll instead. The loaf would have baked much better, and hopefully next time around I will get a better result. 

You start by cutting the center of the bowl to remove the bread inside. You add butter and olive oil inside to season the inside of the bowl, and perhaps from burning the base. 

You then add a protein, whether it be cooked bacon, chicken, etc. I used sliced ham. Then you add cheese, followed by your choice of veggies. You then add more cheese.

Next, you add a raw egg to the top.The egg will bake in the oven at about 200 degrees celsius for about 20 minutes. Make sure you wrap the bread in aluminum foil as shown above. This will help cook the bread and it’s contents evenly.