Best travel videos - my favorites!

These are my all time favorite travel videos.  Even though I've watched some of them several times, they still inspire me to get out and go somewhere.

"Make it Count" by Casey Neistat

"The Surprise" by Casey Neistat

 "The Weekend" by Casey Neistat

 "Postcard from Cabo" by Mystery Man, Wendyslookbook

 "Italy: A Love Letter" by Wendyslookbook

 "The City of Samba" by Keith Loutit

 "GoPro Commercial"

"The Arctic Light" from TSO Photography

A secret swimming hole near Newport, North Carolina

This is Midnight Hole, a beautiful swimming hole in Newport, NC, near the Tennessee border off of Highway 40.  Click here for directions!

When I went in late July, there were TONS of butterflies.  

The water is crystal clear and COLD

To get to the swimming hole, you hike in a little over a mile on a medium grade trail that is well maintained and wide enough for a vehicle to traverse.  It's a bit of a walk but well worth it.  Horses are also allowed.

Clouds over the Blue Ridge Mountains

I just got back from a few relaxing days in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The view from the porch was gorgeous; perfect for getting video of clouds swirling over the mountain tops.

 

Fort Lewis Lodge near Hot Springs, Virginia

Ukai Toriyama restaurant near Tokyo Japan

  Ukai Toriyama is a wonderful restaurant we visited just outside of Tokyo.  There were several buildings scattered throughout the grounds, which were filled with koi ponds, water wheels, and flowers.

 This is our guide and friend, Ann Kullberg.  She was born in Japan and loves to show people the country.  She's also a globe-trotting, world famous artist.

 These are my parents.  My mother is also a wonderful artist!

 This is Jane, a friend of Ann's and now ours.  She is a wonderful artist too but doesn't have a website : (  She's about to eat a whole fish - she said the back was better than the front.

Sushi in Japan, sourced from the nearby mountain streams.  A little bony but it wins points for authenticity.

Yes, I ate it.  Not so good.

Our last day exploring Tokyo Japan

This video features our sixth day in Tokyo, and sadly our last. Kyoto is next!
 

Explorations of Nikko and Tokyo Japan

Nikko Japan video

Part III - Second day exploring Tokyo Japan

Part II - First day exploring Tokyo

Part I - Getting to Japan

Rome, Italy

When in Rome, you feel like you're in a different dimension. Everywhere you look, there is a masterpiece of sculpture, engineering, or architecture.  It's like Charleston on crack.  It must have been an exciting time, living in Rome and Florence during the Renaissance.  There was so much creative energy, and it was embraced and beloved by the culture in a way that never has happened before or since.

This is a detail of the Trevi fountain

This fountain is at the end of an aqueduct that dates back to 19 BC.  Work began it in 1732 AD.

I think they mean some serious business - this is at the entrance to the Vatican

Yeah, I meant to get this motion blur ; )

Detail of part of the Forum

Activity on the area where the Forum is located dates back to the 7th century BC when it was drained and made into a sewer system.   Some serious history went down there:  Marc Antony's funeral oration for Caesar (immortalized in Shakespeare's famous play) was delivered there as well as the public burning of Caesar's body.  Marc Antony displayed the severed head and right hand of his enemy Cicero at the Rostra, a structure within the Forum.  Ewwwwwwwww.

The Coliseum

Work began on the Coliseum in AD 72 by Emperor Vespasian. Now that's old!

Southeast Spring Garden Tours 2013; some favorites

Every year, the Georgia Perennial Plant Association put on an AMAZING event in May with garden tours across Atlanta.  This year it will be May 4-5.  Believe it or not, the gardens are more spectacular than the ones you'll see on a Charleston, SC tour!

I just learned of a new Southeastern event in Raleigh; Tour D'Coops.  It's a tour of chicken coops and gardens, May 18, 2013.  I might just have to check this one out!

Of course, Charleston, SC is king of garden and home tours in the spring.  Even though they might not be as good as the Atlanta gardens you'll be allowed to see, you'll wander down little streets you never knew existed and see some beautiful houses and gardens.

Check out Historic Charleston Foundation's tours, on now through April 20, 2013.