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Eleko Beach, far away in time

June 7, 2022 by Kirsten Neil Leave a Comment
Basking in the sun at Eleko Beach, Nigeria

On Eleko Beach Waves make the only sound On Eleko Beach There's not a soul around. On our trip to Nigeria, Chuck and I took a short visit to Eleko to explore the beach and [Read more]

Posted in: Travel Tagged: Beach, Lagos, Nigeria, Photography, Travel

Living large in a small village

May 6, 2022 by Kirsten Neil Leave a Comment
A visit to the village in Imo State, Nigeria

Cheers to village living! After a short flight from Lagos to Owerri, Chuck and I were greeted at the airport to be escorted to his home village of Okpofe in Imo State. For [Read more]

Posted in: Friends & Family, Photography, Travel Tagged: Adventure, Africa, Culture, Imo State, Nigeria, Okpofe, Photography, Travel

A walk above the trees

February 24, 2022 by Kirsten Neil Leave a Comment
The longest canopy walk in Africa, Lekki Conservation Centre, Nigeria

Look up, way up, that’s where you’ll find us walking over the jungle canopy. In November 2021, my partner Chuck and I spent a morning at the Lekki Conservation [Read more]

Posted in: Travel Tagged: Adventure, Africa, Lagos, Nigeria, Photography, Travel

Discovering Naija’s vibrant roots

February 23, 2022 by Kirsten Neil Leave a Comment
Nigerian National Museum, Lagos, Nigeria

On a balmy Wednesday morning in November 2021, while staying in Victoria Island, Lagos, we visited the Nigerian National Museum. The museum was rich with artifacts from [Read more]

Posted in: Travel Tagged: Adventure, Africa, Lagos, Nigeria, Photography, Travel

The beauty and the birds of Witless Bay

September 14, 2021 by Kirsten Neil Leave a Comment
A puffin flies in Witless Bay Ecological Reserve, Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada.

Way back in 2018 -- oh, remember those glory days before corona -- I meant to share a bit about our adventure along the Atlantic Coast while we were road tripping through [Read more]

Posted in: Artwork, Travel Tagged: Adventure, Artwork, Atlantic Canada, Birds, Canada, Newfoundland & Labrador, Photography, Photos, Puffins, Road Trip, Travel, Wildlife

Eat, grieve, love. Remembering how beautiful life is in Italy

July 15, 2020 by Kirsten Neil Leave a Comment
Cinque Terre, Liguria, Italy, 2018

The last few years have been hectic. HECK-TIC! My partner Chuck and I have been furiously renovating our new home, figuring out how to parent teenagers and also figuring out [Read more]

Posted in: Friends & Family, Photography, Random thoughts, Travel Tagged: Cinque Terre, Europe, European Vacation, Florence, Italy, Photography, Rome, Travel, Tuscany, Vatican

Chasing GOATs, a sports pilgrimage for two

May 25, 2020 by Kirsten Neil Leave a Comment

Chuck loves goats. If you know him, you know this about him. They are like his favourite animals. He follows 100% Goats, because they guarantee 200% goats. And in late summer [Read more]

Posted in: Photography, Pop Culture, Travel Tagged: ATP, Boston, MLB, New York City, NFL, Queens, Road Trip, Sports, Tennis, Travel, US Open

On the road again: How to plan a memorable road trip

July 25, 2018 by Kirsten Neil Leave a Comment
Cape Spear Lighthouse National Historic Site of Canada

In early June, we embarked on our latest Canadian road trip, this time to the furthest eastern part of North America: Newfoundland. This was our last province to tackle [Read more]

Posted in: Photography, Travel Tagged: Canada, Newfoundland & Labrador, Photography, Road Trip, Travel

Do things with your mom

May 11, 2018 by Kirsten Neil Leave a Comment
Makawao, Maui, Hawaii

"Could we have a day?" That was my mom asking my sister and me if we could spend a full day touring Maui together on our last family vacation. We were completely taken [Read more]

Posted in: Friends & Family, Random thoughts, Travel Tagged: Adventure, Family, Hawaii, Holiday, Maui, Photography, Travel

Get your motor running

April 24, 2018 by Kirsten Neil Leave a Comment
Kahoma Ranch ATV Tours, Maui, Hawaii

Well, hello friends, it's been awhile, hasn't it? Sometimes I think I could be a decent travel blogger and then reality hits when I realize it's been four months and I've [Read more]

Posted in: Friends & Family, Photography, Travel Tagged: Hawaii, Maui, Photography, Road Trip, Travel

I went to Hawaii and all I got was this lousy missile crisis

January 17, 2018 by Kirsten Neil Leave a Comment
(Jhune Liwanag via The AP)

Aloha, friends. Usually when I travel, I like to think about how I will put into words what I see and do to give a glimpse at how a place looks or feels. And it's never hard [Read more]

Posted in: Random thoughts, Travel Tagged: Hawaii, Maui

When you take the Game of Thrones tour, you walk or you lag behind

September 1, 2017 by Kirsten Neil Leave a Comment
Inch Abbey, Game of Thrones Tours, Ireland

Whenever a new HBO show comes out, I give it a shot. When I saw the first trailer for Game of Thrones, I was intrigued. When I watched the first scene, I was hooked. To me, it [Read more]

Posted in: Photography, Pop Culture, Travel Tagged: Castle Ward, Direwolves, Game of Thrones, Inch Abbey, Ireland, Tollymore, Tour, Travel

Cliffs and castles and puffins and cows

August 24, 2017 by Kirsten Neil Leave a Comment
Cliffs of Moher, Ireland

Tour buses suck. They just do. No human wants to be treated like cattle, yet that's how most of those tours work. However, sometimes they're necessary when you need to [Read more]

Posted in: Photography, Travel Tagged: Cliffs of Moher, Ireland, Photography, Puffins, Travel

Live fast, have fun, be young in Dublin

August 22, 2017 by Kirsten Neil Leave a Comment
Dublin, Ireland

I'm not sure what to think about Dublin. I arrived with preconceived notions of what I thought this city would be like and each one of those notions was [Read more]

Posted in: Photography, Travel Tagged: Dublin, Georgian Doors, Ireland, Photography, Pubs, Travel, Trinity College

I fell in love with the shinin’ ring of Éire

August 17, 2017 by Kirsten Neil 3 Comments
Ring of Kerry, Ireland

Not gonna lie, the weather on my summer trip to Scotland and Ireland was anything but summer-y. These places might scale lighter on the landmass size, but they have weather [Read more]

Posted in: Photography, Travel Tagged: Ireland, Photos, Ring of Kerry, Sheep Herding, Travel
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What a morning at Oshodi Market in Lagos looks lik What a morning at Oshodi Market in Lagos looks like. @ezechalzz 
—
#ckvacays #kirstentravels #lagoslife
Jan & Feb Lagos photo dump. ☀️🇳🇬♥️ — #theckhome #l Jan & Feb Lagos photo dump. ☀️🇳🇬♥️
—
#theckhome #lagoslife #awoyaya
Golden sunsets, golden sunrises, wind-whipped dune Golden sunsets, golden sunrises, wind-whipped dunes, gassy camels, desert camps, deep gorges, high mountain peaks, friendly Berbers, an even friendlier tour guide, all contained within a terrain that screams “STUNNING!” around every bend. What more can one ask for on a three-day journey? How can one fit all that in in just three days? 

Hands-down, the biggest highlight on our Moroccan adventure (besides AFCON, but that’s sports) was a journey from Fes to Marrakech via the Sahara Desert.

We found a highly-rated three-day trip from @moroccofabuloustravel via @tripadvisor. I didn’t know Morocco’s beauty could stun even more after our first few days in Fes, Chefchaouen and Tangier, but boy, did it ever. We were left enchanted…

Read my full recap at betweenbrushstrokes.com
(link in profile)
—
#ckvacays #kirstentravels #morocco🇲🇦 #moroccofabuloustravel
🌴🌴🌴 🌴🌴🌴
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! A petit taste of Tangier. 🇲🇦 Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! A petit taste of Tangier. 🇲🇦

Tangier was not originally on our agenda for Morocco. But once we saw how pretty Chefchaouen (see previous post) was, and that it was conveniently situated between Tangier and Fes, we altered our plans to visit the coastal city that’s situated on the Strait of Gibraltar. 

We actually didn’t do a heck of a lot in Tangier as we were already spinning from a hectic first few days in Fes. Instead, the city became a place where we could slow down, relax and breathe in the fresh sea air.

Read my full recap at betweenbrushstrokes.com
(link in profile)
—
#ckvacays #kirstentravels #tangier #morocco🇲🇦 #afcon2025
Chefchaouen, a city painted in blue. One saturated Chefchaouen, a city painted in blue. One saturated in cobalt and azure and cerulean and indigo tones so much so that it’s both stunning and exhilarating at the same time. 🙌🏻💙

We didn’t need to add another place to visit on our already packed Morocco itinerary, but a friend said I needed to visit Chefchaouen. I then looked it up on Insta and I immediately knew we had to fit “The Blue City” into our travels. I think this photo gallery clearly show why.

Read my full recap at betweenbrushstrokes.com
(link in profile)
—
#ckvacays #kirstentravels #chefchaouen #chefchaouen💙 #morocco🇲🇦
Here’s looking at you, Fes. ♥️🇲🇦 Fes was the firs Here’s looking at you, Fes. ♥️🇲🇦

Fes was the first place we visited in late December/early January on our AFCON adventure. Since the Nigerian football team was stationed mostly in Fes, so were we. 

We didn’t have a ton of time to explore all that Fes has to offer, but what we did do was lovely. We stayed in a couple riads, dined at some great spots, shopped for lots of goodies and, of course, got lost in the medina on a daily basis.

There were so many moments in Fes that reminded us we were exploring a very cool place. 

Read my full recap at
betweenbrushstrokes.com
(link in profile)
—
#ckvacays #kirstentravels #fes #morocco🇲🇦
A Canadian sports-loving gal goes to the Africa Cu A Canadian sports-loving gal goes to the Africa Cup of Nations and insanity ensues. 😱⚽️

AFCON was the main reason we stopped in Morocco before heading to Lagos for winter. A month-long tournament where the best African football players duke it out (sometimes literally) to be crowned the best team on the continent.

Now, when I tell you this tournament is out of control, believe me. We watched it on TV while in Lagos a couple years ago and I was instantly hooked. No one brings drama like Africans. Mix all that drama with sports… Well, as the ladies say on tv here, “Blood of Jesus!” 😉

The players, the refs, the coaches, the fans, they all go freaking nuts at this tournament. So I assumed I knew what I was getting into. Nope. It was so much more. 

Read my full recap at betweenbrushstrokes.com
(link in profile)
—
#ckvacays #kirstentravels #afcon #afcon2025 #totalenergiesafcon2025
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Instagram

What a morning at Oshodi Market in Lagos looks lik What a morning at Oshodi Market in Lagos looks like. @ezechalzz 
—
#ckvacays #kirstentravels #lagoslife
Jan & Feb Lagos photo dump. ☀️🇳🇬♥️ — #theckhome #l Jan & Feb Lagos photo dump. ☀️🇳🇬♥️
—
#theckhome #lagoslife #awoyaya
Golden sunsets, golden sunrises, wind-whipped dune Golden sunsets, golden sunrises, wind-whipped dunes, gassy camels, desert camps, deep gorges, high mountain peaks, friendly Berbers, an even friendlier tour guide, all contained within a terrain that screams “STUNNING!” around every bend. What more can one ask for on a three-day journey? How can one fit all that in in just three days? 

Hands-down, the biggest highlight on our Moroccan adventure (besides AFCON, but that’s sports) was a journey from Fes to Marrakech via the Sahara Desert.

We found a highly-rated three-day trip from @moroccofabuloustravel via @tripadvisor. I didn’t know Morocco’s beauty could stun even more after our first few days in Fes, Chefchaouen and Tangier, but boy, did it ever. We were left enchanted…

Read my full recap at betweenbrushstrokes.com
(link in profile)
—
#ckvacays #kirstentravels #morocco🇲🇦 #moroccofabuloustravel
🌴🌴🌴 🌴🌴🌴
Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! A petit taste of Tangier. 🇲🇦 Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! A petit taste of Tangier. 🇲🇦

Tangier was not originally on our agenda for Morocco. But once we saw how pretty Chefchaouen (see previous post) was, and that it was conveniently situated between Tangier and Fes, we altered our plans to visit the coastal city that’s situated on the Strait of Gibraltar. 

We actually didn’t do a heck of a lot in Tangier as we were already spinning from a hectic first few days in Fes. Instead, the city became a place where we could slow down, relax and breathe in the fresh sea air.

Read my full recap at betweenbrushstrokes.com
(link in profile)
—
#ckvacays #kirstentravels #tangier #morocco🇲🇦 #afcon2025
Chefchaouen, a city painted in blue. One saturated Chefchaouen, a city painted in blue. One saturated in cobalt and azure and cerulean and indigo tones so much so that it’s both stunning and exhilarating at the same time. 🙌🏻💙

We didn’t need to add another place to visit on our already packed Morocco itinerary, but a friend said I needed to visit Chefchaouen. I then looked it up on Insta and I immediately knew we had to fit “The Blue City” into our travels. I think this photo gallery clearly show why.

Read my full recap at betweenbrushstrokes.com
(link in profile)
—
#ckvacays #kirstentravels #chefchaouen #chefchaouen💙 #morocco🇲🇦
Here’s looking at you, Fes. ♥️🇲🇦 Fes was the firs Here’s looking at you, Fes. ♥️🇲🇦

Fes was the first place we visited in late December/early January on our AFCON adventure. Since the Nigerian football team was stationed mostly in Fes, so were we. 

We didn’t have a ton of time to explore all that Fes has to offer, but what we did do was lovely. We stayed in a couple riads, dined at some great spots, shopped for lots of goodies and, of course, got lost in the medina on a daily basis.

There were so many moments in Fes that reminded us we were exploring a very cool place. 

Read my full recap at
betweenbrushstrokes.com
(link in profile)
—
#ckvacays #kirstentravels #fes #morocco🇲🇦
A Canadian sports-loving gal goes to the Africa Cu A Canadian sports-loving gal goes to the Africa Cup of Nations and insanity ensues. 😱⚽️

AFCON was the main reason we stopped in Morocco before heading to Lagos for winter. A month-long tournament where the best African football players duke it out (sometimes literally) to be crowned the best team on the continent.

Now, when I tell you this tournament is out of control, believe me. We watched it on TV while in Lagos a couple years ago and I was instantly hooked. No one brings drama like Africans. Mix all that drama with sports… Well, as the ladies say on tv here, “Blood of Jesus!” 😉

The players, the refs, the coaches, the fans, they all go freaking nuts at this tournament. So I assumed I knew what I was getting into. Nope. It was so much more. 

Read my full recap at betweenbrushstrokes.com
(link in profile)
—
#ckvacays #kirstentravels #afcon #afcon2025 #totalenergiesafcon2025
Follow on Instagram

Top Posts

Harry Potter Night VI: Fantastic Beast Feasts & Fancy Beers to Drink From
An act of kindness
I miss
The tide is high, oh wait, now it's low
Like a kid in a crayon store
Another beautiful day in Paris
Lost in Little Beach loveliness
A natural beauty

Me. Hello!

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