July 2, 2024
From Terminal E at Logan Airport in Boston …
It’s been a couple of years since my last international travel to Israel, so it’s good to be starting another trip. And I’m really looking forward to this one!
After what seems like weeks of pre-departure prep and packing, the day starts early on United Flight 641 from Washington Dulles to Boston Logan. That leaves me with a fairly good layover, but after several very busy days getting ready, I’m happy to take it easy for a few hours before we board British Airways Flight 212 to London Heathrow. And that leaves time for an extended post with some background, the itinerary, and a review of the photo gear I’m traveling with …
As a graduate student at Ohio University working towards a Master of Fine Arts in Film Production, I decided to minor in Art History as a way to study composition, light, and shadow. My art history coursework focussed on Florence, Venice, and the Renaissance. Between that and watching Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy I knew I needed to get to Italy. And although I’ve been traveling for a number of years, all these years later I still haven’t made it to Italy while everyone I know has! So now it’s time for me to see Italy in-person.
The itinerary for this trip includes a return to Greece and Turkey. I’ve avoided returning to a place I’ve already been, mostly because there are other places on my bucket list that I’d like to see first. But this trip features places in Greece I haven’t been before … and the Aegean islands really are worth visiting again … also, the food in Greece was incredible! I’m looking forward to a few weeks of Mediterranean cuisine!
So here is the itinerary for this trip to Italy, Greece and Türkiye!
| July 2, Day 1 DC to Boston to London | Fly to London |
| July 3, Day 2 London to Milan to Venice | Travel from Milan to Venice with dinner enroute |
| July 4, Day 3 Venice | Venice walking tour, St. Mark’s Square, St. Mark’s Basilica, Doge’s Palace |
| July 5, Day 4 Venice to Florence | Verona tour, Romeo and Juliet balcony, Verona Arena, travel to Florence |
| July 6, Day 5 Florence | Palazzo Vecchio, Piazza della Signoria, Chiesa di Santa Croce, Ponte Vecchio, Duomo, Gates of Paradise, Giotto’s Bell Tower, Dante’s House |
| July 7, Day 6 Florence to Rome | Travel to Rome, Ancient Rome, Colosseum, Forum Romanum, Piazza Venezia |
| July 8, Day 7 Rome | Vatican City, Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Piazza Navona |
| July 9, Day 8 Rome to Sorrento | Travel to Naples, Capri, and Sorrento |
| July 10, Day 9 Sorrento to Pompeii to Bari to Patras | Pompeii, travel to Bari, overnight ferry to Patras |
| July 11, Day 10 Patras to Olympia to Tolo | Olympia, Ancient Olympia, travel to Tolo |
| July 12, Day 11 Tolo to Athens | Mycenae, Epidaurus, Corinth Canal, travel to Athens |
| July 13, Day 12 Athens | Parthenon, Acropolis, Temple of Athena Nike, Omonoia Square, Syntagma Square, Temple of Olympian Zeus, Hadrian’s Arch |
| July 14, Day 13 Cape Sounion | Cape Sounion, Temple of Poseidon |
| July 16, Day 15 Celestyal Discovery | Cruise to Kusadasi, Turkey Cruise to Patmos |
| July 17, Day 16 Celestyal Discovery | Cruise to Rhodes |
| July 18, Day 17 Celestyal Discovery | Cruise to Crete Cruise to Santorini |
| July 19, Day 18 Return to Athens | Free day |
| July 20, Day 19 Athen to London to Boston | Fly to Boston |
| July 21, Day 20 Boston to DC | Fly to DC |
What I’m packing … This is a lengthy trip and requires careful consideration of what to bring, balancing what I want to carry (or can) with capturing the best photos and video of a bucket list trip! I’m bringing the Nikon Z8 mirrorless camera with the recently released Nikkor Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR zoom lens. For a faster ultra-wide option I’m bringing the Nikkor Z 20mm f1.8 S prime lens. For timelapse video and places where a smaller camera might be more manageable, I’ve got the DJI OSMO Pocket 3. Getting clean ambient audio of locations is key to making post trip edits faster, so I’m bringing a DJI Mic (just the mic transmitter and not the receiver). Although I’ve traveled with the Vanguard Kinray Lite for many years I’m bringing a different camera bag on this trip. I recently got a hold of the Gura Gear Kiboko City Commuter 18L+ for use on this trip. With its rear panel camera compartment and roll top access, this will take some getting used to, but I think will be a good addition to my travel kit.
While I’m traveling I will post updates here on the blog each day. If you want to get an email when I post an update subscribe by entering your email address in the subscription box. I’m looking forward to sharing these updates with you!
For years I thought I would travel to see the Taj Mahal by packing what I could fit in a small ZipLoc baggy, flying to Delhi, taking the train to Agra, visiting the Taj Mahal, and flying back home. Two days there, two days back. Done. Thankfully this trip was so much more.
From the Old Delhi Market, the Amber Palace in Jaipur, the tiger safari and Star on the Earth Society school in Ranthambore, to the Days for Girls presentation and Taj Mahal in Agra, India had so much to see!
You can read more about the India trip here and take a look at the highlights of our trip to see Delhi, Jaipur, Ranthambore, Agra, AND the Taj Mahal …
For those of you interested in the technical details … The video was recorded with a Nikon D750 DSLR with a Nikkor 28-300mm super zoom lens and an iPhone 8, with editing on Final Cut Pro. More technical details in my India Photo and Video Workflow post.
It’s been two and a half years since my last international trip to Brazil. From global to personal, those two and a half years were filled with some life changing events – specifically COVID-19 and my retirement, but also some travel related changes. I’m using a new camera, a new phone, and a couple of new apps. And that means some changes to the gear and workflow I’ve been using for a while.
I mentioned in the Israel Day 1: DC to Tel Aviv post that this trip had been postponed from the spring of 2021 due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. COVID-19 changed how we travelled – from vaccination requirements to multiple PCR and antigen tests before and during the trip. But the good news is that were were able to travel and we were able to travel safely. Israel was just opening back up to tourism and in many of the locations we visited we were the only tourists around.
So here is the Israel gear and workflow update. Every trip requires a carefully considered pack list that balances the demands of international shooting locations with the willingness (or ability!) to carry a certain amount of equipment. Despite the tension and hostility that seems to be always ongoing in Israel, the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank, I felt comfortable traveling to Israel with photo gear.
As I did for Brazil, Southeast Asia, India, Cuba, Peru, South Africa, and Galapagos, here is an overview of the gear I carried to Israel followed by the photo and video workflows I used to handle the media files when I returned.
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Onboard United flight 85 from Tel Aviv to Newark
After a brisk week of touring in Israel we are on the way home. Because Israel is a relatively small country the time on the bus was minimal and each day was jam-packed with visits to numerous religious and archeological sites. We were never on the bus for more than two hours at a time. Compare that to previous international tours with transfer days that required all-day bus trips to get from country to country or city to city. Maybe I’m getting older, or maybe I’m a little out of travel shape after a couple of years at home, but the fast-paced nature of this trip was very tiring. I’ll need a few days to rest and catch-up on sleep. But, as a recent retiree, no need to go to work tomorrow!
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At sunset on the Mediterranean in Tel Aviv …
After a busy week of touring everyone is slowing down a little. Rotem gives us an extra hour to get ready in the morning. It’s Saturday in Israel and the Sabbath. Not many people on the streets and not much traffic so it’s easy to get around.
Our first order of business is COVID antigen testing for the return flight. Good news! The entire group is negative, so no quarantine stay necessary beyond our planned return.
Read MoreI pulled together some aerial shots in FCPX from the 2015 flying season into this short compilation shot using the DJI Phantom 2 quadcopter. Technical details …
After returning from the Galapagos Islands I did a review of my Galapagos Photo and Video Workflow. With about six months to go before heading to Peru, I…
Some changes to the current gear lineup. I sold the Nikon D600 DSLR, the Nikkor 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5D IF-ED, the AF-S DX Nikkor 12-24mm f4G IF-ED, and the AF-S…
Last week I posted the 2013 Galápagos Islands video and shortly after the trip I posted details of the photo and video workflow. Here is a little more…
View from the balcony ...
Michael S. Liberman