Category Archives: travelphotography

Travel: Seaside Heights, NJ

My sister Zoë at the Seaside Heights Boardwalk in NJ

Now that we are officially in Spring and preparing for the coming Summer I have been looking back at some of my favourite Summer destinations. Last year we went to one of them: Seaside Heights at the Jersey shore. My family has gone to this costal destination a few times as I was growing up to visit my dad’s father and brother who lived around Newark, NJ. Now that both my father and his father have passed away it is just my uncle who lives there. I have only been able to see him a handful of times in my life and one of those was August of 2012. My sons and I flew out to meet my mum (‘Nonna’) and my sister Zoë (‘Zia Zoë’) at the airport in Pennsylvania where we drove to our summer destination.

Seaside Heights, NJ

Seaside Heights Beach park

Lounging on the beach with Uncle Tom, my boys, and my sister.

My mum rented a condo that was only a two minute walk from the beach.

Thats right only two minutes and we could be ankle deep in sand and splashing around in the water.

My boys and Zia Zoë enjoyed playing together in the water.

What beach vacation would be complete with out making sandcastles with your Nonna.

Then a short walk back to our vacation rental to get ready to go out to eat.

Visiting the MTV Jersey Shore house…might I add they painted the flag backwards. Seriously?
I flipped the photo (which you can tell by the words on a sign) because I am a girl raised in Italy.

The Boardwalk was cool at night because you could drink at the bars and the rest was locked up and deserted.

During the day it was bright and sunny. A perfect setting for eating ice cream from the famous Kohrs.

With my only and best sister in the world: Zoë

The boardwalk is full of fun games and and prizes that can bring a smile to the child in us all.

This is how I will always remember the Jersey Shore.

In the end this was one of the best family vacations that I have been on since my boys have been born. Unfortunately my husband was not with us on this one due to him being back at school during that time in England. The condo was really nice inside, we could prepare our meals in the kitchen, and do our laundry whenever it was needed. There were a lot of great places to eat at for dinner in the area and bagel shops for breakfast. My one recommendation would be for those who would come here with children. The rides on the boardwalk can be quite expensive so we let our sons choose one ride each. We then took them to Six Flags nearby for the day and let them ride all the rides they wanted. My sons said at the end of the trip that their favourite part was playing at the beach (free) so dont feel pressured to break the bank for family fun.

Sadly after our trip was when the storm came through and wrecked and destroyed many places with the flooding. There is much that has to be rebuilt to get the boardwalk back to its former glory. Despite the vacation rental being so close to the beach it luckily was unharmed. Hopefully someday we can return to relieve the great memories of last summer. My boys definitely recommend it.

Linking up for Travel Tuesday.

Travel: Père Lachaise Cemetery

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On my return trip to France there was one place I had marked down on my list of ‘must see places’ in Paris: Père Lachaise Cemetery. As the largest cemetery within the city of Paris it is thought to be one of the most visited cemeteries in the world. When the eternally resting occupants include Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, Moliere, and Chopin it is no wonder that hundreds of thousands visitors pay their respects every year. Though I named a few, many more are buried here that enriched the country of France over the past two hundred years. Edith Piaf, the popular French singer who died in 1963, was at the top of my list as my favourite ‘La Vie en Rose’ played in my head. While it only boasted about a dozen graves when it opened in 1804 it became popular as a final resting place with the first few celebrities.

Now a days it is very hard to be buried here with restrictions to having lived and died in Paris. With very few plots available the waiting list I have heard is quite long. Together with the famous Whose Who’ of France are not one but three World War I memorials. Suffice to say that you cannot walk the cobbled stone paths without feeling you are being immersed lifetimes of history, culture and life. I will say that it can be quite easy to get lost. My advice before you arrive is to research online and if you want to be really prepared bring with you a map noting the different graves you would like to see. Alongside the most famous celebrities there are also many notable people whose headstones are like art and they mark not just history but interesting stories.

That is my visit to the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, France.

We actually stayed at a place via https://www.airbnb.co.uk/

which was only a short walk away and in a beautiful and quiet neighbourhood

if you are looking for a place to stay in Paris.

Have you been to this cemetery?

Would love to hear your thoughts!

Make sure to also check out the other travel posts for

Travel Tuesday with this link below:

I am linking up with ‘Travel Tuesdays’ and you should too!

* For information regarding the use of photography by Bonnie Rose and photographic services contact bonnie[at]bonnie-rose[dot]co[dot]uk

Travel: Dinner with mia familia in Napoli

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I am very passionate about Italian food.
To the point that if you take me to an Italian restaurant outside of Italy,
I will tell you it is not ‘real’ Italian food.
My in-laws insist that that the family owned Italian restaurant
in their small midwest town is authentic because the owner is ‘I-Talian’.
However both the pizza and pasta sauces are so sweet,
you could have fooled me with a jar of processed Prego sauce.
Both do not sit well with my palette or my years from growing up in southern Italy.
I am convinced that any Italians cooking in America cook for the American palette.
Any American-Italians that cook food are cooking ‘American-Italian food’
which is not Italian food.
Which is great. Just do not confuse the two as one.
I am also a purist and I believe that you need certain ingredients like the
salty Mediterranean air to make anything truly authentic.
However I did find one place in Malibu, California that served the closest to the real thing.
I liked the food so much that I made sure to give my compliments personally to the chef.
He was Italian and I give him props for sticking with the pure tastes of Italy.

My husband has had to hear my views on Italian food since before we began dating.
We were in a traveling theatre group at our University and while on a trip
I held my foot down to our group for stopping at Olive Garden for dinner.
I will admit it: I am an ‘Italian food’ snob.
Ten years later my husband finally gets his first (and second and third…) taste
of this amazing food I have not stopped bringing up in conversation.
‘You were right’ he said.
Now he shares my burden.
The burden of all people who have lived or traveled to Italy
and have eaten their hearts out on the beautiful, mouth watering, delicious food.
When you live else where in the world and crave a pizza.
Not just any pizza but pizza from Italy.
Or for us we crave real Neapolitan pizza.
Any kind.
As my husband told my sons yesterday,
‘I’ve never had a pizza I did not like in Naples’.
It is comforting knowing I’m married to man who gets me
and who is equally passionate about Italian food.

The one story I used to tell him about often was eating at the houses of
Ada and Maria, two of the women at our Italian church on the coast of Bagnoli.
How the pasta was the best you would ever eat.
How you would be given seconds and thirds.
Followed by courses of salad, cheese, meat, and dessert.
You would eat past the point of being full, unable to tell your host ‘no more’.
It would be amazing.
This past summer my husband got to finally experience that with my church family.
I will admit I was busy eating and savouring each bite to document the food fully.
But below is a little glimpse into some of the best food and memories
that a girl who grew up in Italy could ask for and then some.
Enjoy.

The busy city of Napoli, Italia became my home twice in my life for a total of six years.

The meal being prepared by Maria and Ada.

You will never leave hungry. Quite the opposite.

Must continue to brush up on my Italian vocabulary to keep up in the passionate fast talking conversations.

Delicious foods that were the ensemble to the main pasta course.

*photographs belong to Bonnie Rose Photography © 2013 All rights reserved. | www.bonnie-rose.co.uk
**Please contact if you want to use any photographs or for more information regarding photographic services.

Travel: Crossing the Channel

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We left the island of Hawaii to live on the island of Great Britain. While I thought I would never us the term ‘mainland’ again (when referring to the mainland of the USA), I sometimes do revert to that label when I refer to Europe. While England may be set off in the ocean, just like Japan is off of Asia, it is quite easy to travel to the ‘continental Europe’. We traveled back home this way from Paris last Summer. We took a ferry from Calais, France across to Dover, England where you can see the beautiful white cliffs. We would really like to return here with our boys to explore the beauty and the history of those symbolic white cliffs.

For us the experience of using the ferry was very easy and accommodating We were able to get through customs fairly easy and the waiting period to board was met with a nice waiting area with vending machines if needed. The prices would be as expected on the ferry for food and refreshments and I cannot comment more than that as we brought our own for the voyage. The trip seemed shorter than I expected or remembered as a child and we were able to just enjoy the trip and relax. We had traveled through Italy and France up to this point so just being able to kick our feet up was a great ending to our travels. While flying may be a lot easier or quicker, we really enjoyed taking the trains and ferry back. The view as we came in of the white cliffs were just breath taking. Whether you are traveling by train or car, I definitely recommend checking out crossing the English channel for the views and the experience.

Our view from the ferry of the white cliffs of Dover.

My husband chillin’ on the ferry as we enjoy our view.

Watching the sunset as we arrive back in England.

**Please get in contact with bonnie[at]bonnie-rose[dot]co[dot]uk for information on photographic services.