Pittsburgh Wedding, Boudoir, Senior Photographer

Traveling to Chania, Crete: Part I

After spending some time in Greece in 2019, we had a phenomenal experience of visiting historic sites, hiking, and enjoying the Greek culture. This year, it was on my bucket list to travel back to this country to see if the TikTok hype of Greece’s beaches lives up to reality. So, this past August, we embarked on a trip to the Greek islands of Crete, Paros, and Mykonos.

Days 1-3 Chania, Crete: Hikes, History, Olives, Water and Wine

Our time in Crete was split between two hotels around the town of Chania. The three days were at Giorgi’s Blue Apartments, which had a relaxing swimming pool, onsite access to the sea, gave us spectacular sunset views, and was away from the hustle and bustle of Chania.

Some of my favorite memories at Georgi’s Blue Apartments included:
~Waking up to local church bells ringing on Sunday morning.
~Watching fighter jets roar overhead in the morning.
~Night time relaxing on our room’s balcony, sipping on raki and watching airplanes taking off into the star-studded black sky.
~Listening to night-time soft Electronic music coming from the bar area below our balcony, combined with the sound of the sea’s waves lapping against the rocks.
~Watching the pool’s lights at night silently rotate from pink to green in color, as if awaiting a night party to happen in the placidity of its water.
~Hanging out with the cat Pedro, the local whiskered resident who joined us for breakfast.

Giorgi’s Blue Apartments

<alt>Seaside view at Giorgi's Blue Apartments Chania Crete</alt> — The quaint sea cove at Giorgi’s Blue Apartments.

Sunset at the pool. The picture above and also below are cell snaps from our balcony. You can see the sea access close to the pool. Below are people having a placid night swim in the pool.

A container ship silently floating on the sea at night, the view from our balcony.

Hike #1: Gouverneto Monastery to Katholiko Monastery

<alt>Mountain goats galore around Chania, Crete</alt> — Mountain goats galore in Crete! The above and below pictures depict the hike between the Gouverneto Monastery and the abandoned Katholiko Monastery.

The trail begins at Gouverneto Monastery, pictured above.

<alt>Hiking at the Governeto Monastery Chania Crete</alt>

Same hike. The above is the entrance to Arkoudospilios Cave, which is famous for a stalagmite formation that looks like a crouching bear (below). The goddess Artemis was once worshipped in this cave, according to archaeologists.

The end of our hike; pictures from the abandoned Katholiko Monastery, which is rumored to be the oldest Monastery in Crete, possibly as early as the 6th or 7th century.

Above is the cave of St. John the Hermit at Katholiko Monastery.

After our hike to the Katholiko Monastery, we stopped by Monastery of Agia Triada Tzagarolon. This monastery owns vineyards and olive groves. We sampled some wine and olive oil here in a little cove under the steps.

The wine tasting cover under the monastery’s steps!

Hike #2: Sarakina Gorge

The picture above is a tavern nestled amongst old trees in the town of Meskla. This is where our hike up the Sarakina Gorge began.

If you look towards the top of the mountain, you will see houses in the town Zourva. We hiked all the way up the gorge to those houses!

The picture above is at the top of our hike in the town of Zourva, looking towards the bottom of the gorge where we began the hike.

Farm animals and their owners share the same residence in Zourva, which is the town at the summit of the Sarakina Gorge hike.

We happened upon a quaint little restaurant called Rizinia Taverna on our hike down the road between Zourva and Meskla. It served authentic cuisine from Crete and had a phenomenal view of the gorge!

“What do you say to them?” The owner asked her little son who was serving us the above dish at Rizinia Taverna.

“Thank you!” her little son sheepishly replied, with a hint of pride because of his proper English vocabulary.

This picture above is of a traditional Cretan dish called Dakos, which is rustic bread topped with olive oil, vine-ripened tomatoes and feta cheese. Delightful!

The World’s Oldest Olive Tree and Local Life

We ended our first few days in Chania visiting the world’s oldest olive tree. Afterwards we enjoyed a seaside restaurant, Almyriki, to enjoy the fresh catch of the day, and watch locals lapping through sea waves during the final hours of the sunset.

The world’s oldest olive tree in Vouves, estimated to be 3,000-5,000 years old.

Obligatory cell snap at said olive tree.

Cell snaps of (above) locals in Stavros wading during sunset outside of the seaside restaurant, Almyriki, and also (below) the catch of the day for dinner, barracuda!

Stay Tuned for Our Trip to Greece Part II: Days 4-6 in Chania, Crete!

Richelle and Lenny | Pittsburgh Botanic Garden Wedding

The cloudless sky was a robin’s egg shade of blue, and the sunlight glittered through yellow, orange, and red foliage, producing the most breathtaking array of autumn vibrance. This was the start to Richelle and Lenny’s day; a spectacular scene for their spectacular wedding.

Even more vibrant than the colorful leaves was the smile on Lenny’s face when he turned around to see the stunning elegance of Richelle during their first look. It was so endearing; Lenny doubled over in adoration, his radiant smile staying on his face the entirety of the day! No joke, there really wasn’t even a second during the day when these two wouldn’t gush over each other when they looked at each other! So sweet!

Take a scroll through these pictures to see what I mean…

Annie & Nico | Allegheny Commons and North Shore Engagement Session

We hopped around Allegheny Commons and the North Shore on a flawless fall day, talking about how their families had known each other for years prior them dating and becoming engaged!

Annie and Nico make the sweetest of couples; when they look at each other, one naturally makes the other smile, and when they hug, Annie effortlessly slides into Nico’s arms and lays her head on his chest.

Annie and Nico are getting married in May of next year at Greystone Fields, and we can’t wait to be a part of their wedding day!

Here is a snippet of my faves from their engagement session!

Mia and Josh | Schenley Park Engagement Session

I’m not quite sure where the time went but SEVEN years ago, I photographed this lovely bride-to-be’s high school senior photos! Now Mia is engaged to a fantastic gentleman, Josh, and I am over-the-moon happy that they asked me to photograph their wedding!

Mia and Josh had dated for a stint when they were teenagers, and fast forward years later, they are happily engaged, and absolutely wild about one another!

They will be getting married next October at The Country Place in North Huntington, and we couldn’t be more excited to be a part of their special day!

Here are just a few of my faves from their engagement session!

Cooper and Hanna | Hartwood Acres Engagement Session

Last week had the best weather to photograph in! Cooper and Hanna’s session kicked off the first of two engagement sessions that I had scheduled. The leaves had just started to turn, and the sun decided to peek out from behind the clouds, right in time to catch some sunflare shots!

Cooper and Hanna have known each other since grade school, but didn’t start dating until after college! I love stories like that; they were passing each other in school hallways, totally unsuspecting that their partner for life was just a few steps away!

Cooper and Hanna’s wedding celebration is next August at The Pittsburgh Opera! Here are just a few of many of my faves from their engagement session…