Little do many of you know that “Chasing Oz” really started out as “Chasing Oz Photography” and it was completely based around my photography artwork. It wasn’t until 2020/COVID/Tik Tok that “Chasing Oz” went from an idea to a person.
You see “Chasing Oz” means chasing the beauty of the vibrant colors this beautiful earth has gifted us. Chasing that feeling from the Wizard of Oz when the house first lands in Oz and Dorothy opens the doors and you are finally over the rainbow in Oz.
The bright, vibrant, color filled world we all want to live in. That was what Chasing Oz really meant.
Now, It’s Ya Girl!
Since I still am working on a recap post from the trip (which in itself could be a book because it was that cool of a trip) I wanted to share some of the pictures I have gotten around to editing.
All of these are cell phone shots I pulled from my phone trip pictures. I still have yet to dive into my memory card yet.
I wanted to begin with this photo because I think it could quite possibly be my favorite edit thus far. This was taken on our last evening in Rome, Italy before heading back to reality.
I didn’t take a whole ton of photos when we were in Milan, and what I did take was nearly 100% of the Duomo de Milano, the historic cathedral rich with history dating back to 1386 when contraction began. Through the guided tour we booked, we got entry to tour the roof. The Milan Duomo is the only cathedral where you can actually walk on the roof and it was so well worth it.
We also learned that during World War II the fighter pilots used to aim for the golden statue on the roof of the Duomo because they knew it was a central meeting place for Fascist leadership in Italy. To preserve the Duomo from bombing, they covered the golden statue until the war was over.
Venice was a dream. It was one of those places where you vacation once and you become homesick for. If I didn’t have to come home, I don’t think I ever would have left that island.
The fact that I got to celebrate the full moon while riding in a gondola on the Grand Canal… Fucking bucket list shit right there. The amount of sheer gratitude that I have is immeasurable.
The first night we got to the city, some of the ladies and I decided to polish off a bottle of chocolate liquor we had bought at a Winery we stopped at on our way to Venice from Milan. That was it, we were on an adventure because we had no official plans for the night.
They say to really discovery Venice, you must get lost and that is what we did. We walked over bridges and down little alley ways until we stumbled upon the most beautiful Campo. Which is kind of what you would think would be considered a “square”.
This is also the same Campo that I was taking a selfie in… and there was a dog taking a shit in the background. So, let’s show that one for good measure.
His name was Blu, and his owner was incredibly nice. We played with dogs, under the full moon in that stunning Campo while completely sloshed. Traveling with Oz! LOL
No matter where we went in and around Venice, it was just stunning. I think part of my love for it is the water sign in me. All a crab needs is water. LOL!
One of our day trips while we were in Venice was a boat ride to some of the islands that surround Venice. We stopped at Murano which the world knows for their blown glass and Burano, which is known for their lace. It was the cutest island ever. I may or may not have taken a couple photos of for sale signs on flats.
I WISH! Ha!
That would make for some fun Tok content.
Eventually the TrovaTrip would come to an end and everyone would go in their own directions. Some went on to new destinations like Ireland and others headed back to the States and the real world.
The last of us headed to Rome.
I knew I could not go to Italy not knowing if or when I would ever be back and not go to Rome. So, a group of us booked train tickets and cruised three hours south.
I couldn’t not carve out a few days for Rome. The Vatican was fucking absolutely insane. Like, I have never seen so many people in one place. I thought Disney was a fucking wild adventure I was underprepared for the Vatican as a whole.
I still haven’t gotten around to most of the pictures I have taken in Rome yet, but these are a couple I have. I fell in love with the Rome purple sunset on the right.
I will be sure to share more as I go though all of them. In the mean time I countdown a little over two weeks before we head out on the next adventure to Iceland. A winter wonderland I am for sure to freeze to death.
These are beautiful! I love them... I love the vibrant colors. I can't wait to hear more about the trip.
These pictures are nothing like the ones I took 😍 I might steal one or two for puzzle for myself if that’s ok.