Home Sweet Home....

Spring in Chicago is always a bit of a crap shoot... warm one day then blizzard the next. Right now if I look outside our living room window it feels like we are on the inside of a big snowglobe that some enormous child has shaken.

The last five weeks of travel (9 if you count the Super-Bowl and Pro-Bowl trips that took place right before the multi country trip) took us to some really amazing places, but mostly it was about the incredible people we met along the way.

I haven't finished adding up all the miles we traveled this time, both by train and by plane. I do know that the combined totals of Mark and Ryan in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, my travel in the UK, Mark and my travels in Egypt, and France and then Mark going off to Eastern Europe while I trained it down to Spain really adds up.

We recently engaged in an audit of the entire Really Really Big Industries, Inc. impact on the environment. This included a tally of everything, from the bottles of water we drink to the distance our Really Really Big Team travels to and from the studio for work and certainly takes into account all of the travel for clients, hotels, electricity for all of our computers and the server rack that is humming away on the third floor, etc.

We have in the past purchased carbon credits directly from the airlines we fly with, but that system is pretty impersonal, and left us unsure about where the money was going or if it was really making any difference. The Really Really Big Team has also grown a lot in the past year or two.

So, we thought we'd share with all of you our plan to offset the Really Really Big impact we are having while we work to make changes to the studio and our work processes to reduce the impact in the first place:

Once our audit is complete and we have a finally tally of tons of carbon that can be directly or indirectly attributed to Really Really Big, we will be identifying a community project sponsored by Native Energy as an organization NativeEnergy has been coordinating projects to help bring farmers off the grid with wind energy, Hydro projects and Solar as well. The key for us when we choose them was the fact that the projects they target funds towards are all community based. It's about sustainable economic benefits for Native Americans, Alaska Native Villages, family farmers and rural communities.

We'll keep you posted about the project we choose to fund, and the changes we are making at the studio and in our every day lives to do at least our little part to make a difference.

We'd love to hear what you and your companies are doing, post your comments here or email us and well add them to the blog.

best wishes to you all!

Bobbi and Mark and the Really Really Big Team

Euro GPS, Now With the “Trek-A-Lot” Feature!

Got a GPS with my rental car, and it must know me well, because the entire drive from Zilina to Ceska Lipa, Czech Republic was on 2 lane roads through the countryside. Very cool! Just one little town after another after another, then micro villages—some of them abandoned--, then mini-cities, and so forth. Lots of mountain passes, with alternating bright sun and blowing winds. Crazy! Beautiful area though, and people are a tad nicer. One big disconnect for me though----I’ve never seen so many public Christ On The Cross statues, Mary And The Infant statues, etc. Each town had at least one at either end of it, then a bigger one in the middle of town. And they’re old, some dated as of the early 1700’s, which confuses me---I would have thought the Nazis then the Communists would have trashed them all, but no. It’s weird to see them all though, these outward evidences of a people who claim to be so very pious but who had to have helped Germany in reducing the Jewish population from 350,000 before WWII to just 20,000 by the end of it. I know there were untold numbers of heros too who hid their neighbors from certain death, but that number pales in comparison to those who, at best, turned their backs. Sorry for the downer, but when I pass through these areas, where the worst horror of mankind happened so recently, this is where my mind goes.

But my car still goes to Ceska Lipa. My hotel here is in the old town square, complete with very old church with very old and tired bell, and after a dinner of pizza and a very bad-for-me-dessert (followed by 100 pushups’ and then 100 situps’ penance) today I shoot in Ceska Lipa, then drive like crazy for Vienna and my flights home tomorrow.

Touring the Slovack Countryside

It’s Tuesday, and Bobbi’s home from Spain, and I’ve got just a few more days to go before I join her—yay!! Pickin’ up where I left off… Sunday morning I diddled around the small towns near Bratislava, making my way to Devin, where there used to be a killer castle on top of a stunning, vertical pokey-outy of rock, where the Danube and the Morova rivers meet. They found evidence of if having been fortified in the Old Stone Age, about 5000 BC, and various groups came and went, further building it up, then around 400 BC the Romans grabbed hold and it was just about the furthest outpost of the Limes Romanus defensive network of forts. Over the centuries it played an important role in the defense of the area, then in 1809 Napoleon’s army destroyed it. Merde! There were attempts by the owners to build it back, but mostly it went into decline until they decided to make it a National Treasure and start with the archeology. The view across the Danube into Austria is very nice—it’s right there, a few hundred yards away. During communism this area was a popular spot for those attempting to escape to the west… most didn’t make it. There’s a monument nearby to those who were shot and killed while attempting the swim.

Monday morning I bid farewell to Bratislava and made for the Slovakian Northwest interior. The first leg was 80km, through some beautiful countryside that is dominated by the Small Carpathian Mountains. They’re mountains, but….small. Passed by more very cool but crumbly middle ages castles, and made my way to my shoot in Trencin. Didn’t get to see much of the town, but it looks nice (hey, they have a big castle on top of a hill, whaddya know!). After Trencin it was onwards to Zilina, where my shoot had been cancelled but my hotel room hadn’t, so---what the hay, it’s only another 50km drive. Zilina is a cool old city (4th largest in Slovakia), on the Vah river, pretty close to Poland and the Czech Republic. The cool old town square from the 15th and 16th centuries has an arcade that runs all around the interior, and the buildings (other than the church) used to be houses for the burghers. Now it’s all shops and restaurants and an amazingly chill, cool bar called Jerry’s Bar, where the mojitos are as good as any I ever had in South Beach (the cuban cigar helped, of course). As I explored I found plaques on the walls like you see in Paris, honoring those who died in the struggle for the city during its liberation from the Nazis. There’s also a plaque on the wall of the Church of the Holy Trinity in the town square, honoring the sisters who risked their lives by hiding Jewish children during the war. I read that the Mayor during the Nazi occupation wasn’t nearly as kind, though. A priest himself, he was more than happy to let Zilina (again, very close to Poland) become a busy railroad transit point for Jews from all over Slovakia who were on their final trip to the extermination camps in Poland.

Anyway, today it’s Tuesday, and my shoot for this morning in Namestovo is cancelled (what a shock!), so I guess it’s time to begin the leisurely, 350km drive to Ceska Lipa, in the Czech Republic!

Diet? What Diet?!

like a moth to a flame.... Giving up red meat was easy...but sweets? I set out for a walk this morning feeling all pious about my exercise regime..then I walked past the window of this pastry shop -



ok, maybe if I'm only bad for this one meal...but then it was manchego cheese and olives for lunch with more bread than any one person should eat...grilled veggies seemed like a smart choice, except of course for the plate of bread and more cheese and wine that came with it.






even the soap looks tasty in this city!





To top it off, Judith has unwittingly caused a major problem for me...she asked me to seek out a favorite local candy that she loves...I may have found it, but it is TASTY and now I'm sure if I'll need to go back to the shop and get a second bag or there won't be even one piece left for her when I get off the plane. My dentist is going to have words with her for certain.

Guess I better get back out there for some more walking...of course that will take me right past the tapas place and the churros y chocolate that have been calling to me...


Perhaps I'll just focus on enjoying myself and plan to get back on track when I get back to Chicago. yeah, yeah...that's the plan...

: )


Some pics for the Jamon fans and those that think giant fish heads in the window are a good sign for the food inside:





A "did I just see a guy in magenta tights walk past me? pic




The main room inside the westin palace hotel...5 stars for swankyness to be sure



A few shots from inside the Prado and the church next door:

Sun and Smiles on the edges of the Europes

Mark again, from Bratislava. Chilly again today, but the sun was happening....thank gawd! It sure seemed to brighten everyone’s spirits, especially mine. Spent the morning strolling all over Old Bratislava, which is full of much medieval fun….homes, buildings, churches, squares, a huge castle, microscopic pedestrian ways here and there with no right angles, outdoor cafes pushing Zlaty Bazant by the half-litre (the local 12% brew)—good stuff. Had the goulash for lunch—a little fatty, but tasty! Then it was back to the hotel for a quick nap before the journey to Vienna (only 60km to the west...Judith, stick a pin in that sucka!). Now Vienna is a cool place! Excellent people, very pretty and historic place (roman ruins and all that plus, you know, mozart). Dinner involved more beer (a local Vienna brew of some sort) that helped to wash down the "sausages" (in vienna, if it's just 'sausages' in the menu, does that assume it's Vienna Sausage? I ask because in Paris they have 'Onion Soup', but of course what comes is French Onion Soup, so....) and the shnitzelly main course---both of which were quite tasty! Tomorrow it’s supposed to rain, so other than a quick trip to see another cool, old castle about 20km away it’ll be a day to office worky fun, then Monday it'll be off of the swingin' Slovakian burgs of Trencin and Zilina!

Madrid-ilicious and waiting for spring?!

So, there's nothing like getting up way before the crack of dawn, piling on the layers to keep warm, and then trudging your way down the center streets of Madrid, with 30 pounds of gear on your back, to find that the city has closed the parks in order to get ready for...wait for it...SPRING.

Seriously? I know my command of the Spanish language is infantile, but the attendant at the gate definitely told me they decided to close the gardens to prep better for spring. I've just gotten back to the hotel room and have confirmed, yet again, with the caretaker that I do have permission to be there today and can bring my tripod. So, a quick cafe cortado (mmmmmmm coffee...) and a re-bundle up for the trek back to the gate...

At least this extra bit of morning exercise means I won't have to feel guilty about all the yummy food I'm planning to eat today. The Swank Kahuna dug through her memories and came up with a list of Veggie friendly places for me to check out, she even included addresses and reviews (seriously, we are going to have to talk about those plans for Medical School oh swank one...I'm keeping you.):

El Estragon
Costanilla de San Andres 10
Metro La Latina
Established local favorite, big taverny feel. Feels more traditional.

Chez Pomme
Pelayo 4
Metro Chueca
Home-cooked feel but the food is also fine at the same time, menus change often according to local ingredients/season. Very fab, very hip place.

El Granero de Lavapies
Argumosa 10
Metro Lavapies
Most popular veg restaurant among Madrilenos.

As the Spanish say, provecho!

Mark in Bratislav-blah

Cold, dreary...and not just the weather. It seems these folks are pretty much fed up with the Brits who like to come here for stag party weekends and basically trash the city. So, if you're looking for a place where a quiet, friendly, "do you speak english" question gets met with a cold, silent stare, come to Bratislava! From hotel staff on down, it's sure to be a bummer experience!

Maybe tomorrow I'll head to Vienna.

Seeking the Sun

So, the sun in Paris wasn't playing nice...and the weather person on the news was making big arm movements across all of Western Europe for the next week (she was swirling around to show how big the 100km gust of winds were..which would be funny except for all the people who have to ummm...fly in the sky on airplanes in that wind.)

So, after Mark left for the airport to get to Bratislava and the rest of his Eastern Europe schedule, I set off to test my French language skills and see if I could arrange for a train ticket to Madrid (seeking the sunshine for photos seems like a southernly goal.)

Thankfully my time in Señora Peña's French class didn't completely fail me...although I have no idea how, since her native language was Spanish, French second and English third - which left most of her students able to conjugate verbs on paper but mostly tri-illiterate when it came to using any of the languages she was yelling at us in!



It didn't help me much with the taxi driver who was using a bluetooth headset for one mobile phone while holding two others (yes TWO) and texting and searching at the same time as driving the winding roads to the train station...but hey it's Paris.


I love trains...especially overnight trips that whisk you from one country to the other for the price of the hotel you would have stayed in overnight before getting on a plane in the super windy sky.



The Elipso Trainhotel system stops several times along the way so it isn't as fast as it could be, but you go to the Gare Austerlitz and have a cup of citron glace (which they pour vodka over without telling you - or maybe that is what it said in French and I just missed it?) Then you board a nice, clean, train car that has a tiny closet of a space with your name on it.





At first the space seems immposibly small, especially for those of us who have to carry an extra bag filed with camera bodies and lenses with them. But once you get settled in and figure out how to open and close all the kooky compartments they have hidden around the space, you realize that it is exactly the right size.

The train ticket included dinner in the dinning car - an experience that always makes me think of Eva Maria Saint and Cary Grant in North by Northwest. Of course on this train my biggest problem was that the Spanish aren't exactly known to be vegetarian - so I spent a fair amount of time switching from French to Spanish to the tiny bit of Catalan that I can speak trying to explain why it wasn't alright with me that the listed vegetarian choice included the large stack of diced Jamon and Veal hidden inside the rice. In the end, the very very nice Steward came back with a plate of grilled vegetables and Fideo noodles that was probably one of the best meals I've had in a long time.




OH! and of course the best part is that the RIOJA is actually cheaper than the bottles of Agua con Gas...so naturally I did my part to keep costs down. : )

Madrid is an amazing city, I've only been one other time - and that was mostly to catch a train to Barcelona, so I'm really looking forward to the opportunities for great photos and squeezing a bit of touristic endeavor in during the low light times. I've been lucky enough to make contact with the head of the Jardin Botanical in the city center who is going to allow me to bring my tripod into the gardens to shoot at first light tomorrow (usually places like this won't let you do that so you end up hand holding a 4.5lb camera rig while trying to keep any movement from causing photos to be blurry.)

Our Swank Kahuna, Judith has taken the time to list several key locations in Madrid that are must see if I have time...she's one of those people that live life to it's fullest, so a list like this from her is a treasure trove of options...it mostly makes me wish Mark was here to go through it with me, and of course that we had more time to do it.


Can you tell which of these two fellows is real and which is the carved foam one he carries around? Neither could these tourists...they screamed when he moved his hand.



A large display of sculptures being set up near the Prado...I don't think the artist meant for this tree to be sticking out of the face he created, but then again maybe this is exactly what he was hoping for.


more pics soon...

best wishes to you all!

bh