Tony made the blook of his adventures around the world!

Tell us a little bit about yourself : Your passions, your hobbies, your projects…

My name is Tony D’Aliesio and live in Montreal Quebec Canada.  I have been married for over 25 years with Anna and have 3 daughters.  Vanessa, Alessia and Milena. I enjoy playing many sports from hockey to scuba diving, but one true passion is traveling.  Traveling has been a great passion of mine and thanks to Delta Air Lines, I have been blessed in traveling the world.  Although a retired Delta employee, I continue to take full advantage of traveling to different areas of the world.

A man on a boat in nice, France
Having a good time on a boat in Nice, France!

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What is your blog about and why did you want to address this subject when starting it?

My blog is a summary of every destination that I have  visited.  Whether it may have been for business or leisure, looking back and reliving the moment through words gives me a sense of time, memory and inner fulfillment.  Although every blog consists of very similar contents, there are distinctive differences between them in which I add my thoughts and personal experience.  I want to leave this book with my children for them to read in the future.  It will paint both a visual and descriptive journey of my passion to travel.

What do you like the most about blogging and traveling?

My passion has been traveling the world to experience different cultures, to witness great natural wonders of the world, and a way to tie in all of history’s events with my physical presence.  From standing where the last supper had taken place on Mount Zion in Jerusalem to walking the eerie grounds of Dachau’s concentration camp in Germany, they all add to my character and give me foresight of what is truly important in this life.  

Of all the places you visited, which one is your favorite? 

Many locations I have visited are exceptionally beautiful.  From Australia to Dubai, from Brazil to Shanghai; from the riches of Monaco to the dangers of Jordan……all have their own allure.  Europe in general possess the most elaborate architectural perfection while other locations flourish in natural beauty.  If I had to select from several categories, I would say the Amalfi coast in Italy, Prague in the Czech Republic, and the wonderful Pyramids of Egypt.  Again, there are so many other locations with similar beauty and selecting one is completely impossible.

What countries/places are next on your list?

My next destinations are to visit the cliffs of Moher in Dublin, the glaciers in Anchorage and a safari in Africa.

What part of your  adventures blog are you the most proud of?

I am very proud of the entire blog and with the many destinations involving my children, friends and family, it also acts as a memory scrap book that sparks conversation every time it is flipped opened. In my eyes, a truly piece of art!

a blook a passport and a boarding pass on a bed
Passport, check. Boarding pass, check. Blook, check. We’re good to go!

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Why did you want to turn your adventures  blog into a book?

I decided to turn my blog into a book for occasional reading of my past adventures.  When reading the book, it allows me to relive the past and actually feel the excitement as when it actually happened.  The physical book is also a form of legacy or diary that will be left behind for my children to read.  It will basically be a narrative copulation of all my adventures.

How did you find out about BlookUp?

After blogging the journeys online, I researched for a service that would turn online blogs to a physical book.  I came across several companies but after trying BlookUp, I knew it would offer what I was looking for.  

What did you think about the making process of your blook? Did you encounter any difficulties or issues?

BlookUp was extremely easy to use.  It offered great menu choices as well as allowing the user flexibility to either fully customize the book or simply use their incorporated templates. All of which assures the end result is exactly to your taste and style.

Do you enjoy the final result? What does your family and friends think about your blook?

The final result is a true representation of what I was seeking.  Clean, concise, and visually pleasing.  My family loves it and will surely remain a piece of history that is nostalgic with more sentimental value as the years pass.  I am currently working on my second book and will surely use BlookUp again.  In fact, I would recommend BlookUp to anyone that would want to convert their online blogs to a physical book.  

The cover of Tony's adventure blook

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Huge thank you to Tony for answering our questions, impressive list of destinations we have here. If you are looking for places to add to your travel bucket-list then have a look at Tony’s blog!

andy-smith-painting-brick-stairs

Andy Smith, turning 10 years’ worth of paintings into books!

Do you like art?  Yeah we thought so.

In this week’s interview Andy Smith tells us about his love for watercolor painting, the challenge of “A Painting A Day” he took on years ago and the process of making a blook out of his work!

Andy Smith Drawing

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Continue reading “Andy Smith, turning 10 years’ worth of paintings into books!”

India Travels (and more) with Sidhartha!

Sometimes, travelling is not about physical adventures in the wild, or sunbathing on a tropical island, nor about high athletics achievements from city to city, on a bike or in a sport car.

In fact,  Sometimes, travelling means wandering around, just listening to the sounds and discussions around you, share thoughts and precious moments with the people you casually encounter, enjoying the colours and the forms of the Nature that surrounds you.

Sidhartha Satpathy is one of those travellers, and he made his blook out of his travel blog. Today, we offer you to explore with us his work and his thoughts about those experiences!

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A statue of a mythological demon in India

“The beautiful Mythological demon lord Ravana, carrying the three worlds on his head. A beautiful stone carving on the walls of Halebidu in Karnataka, India. The carvings would give you a feeling of being so lively that they could come out and stand in front of you.”

St. Mary's island on the western parts of India

“The beautiful St. Mary’s island on the western part of India. A shore filled with shells, making it very unique in the vast coastal belt of India.”

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– First, tell us about yourself : You, your passions, your hobbies, your projects…

I basically would call myself as a wonderer. Someone who loves to explore the many aspects of life. I started to travelling a little late in my life but today it an integral part of me. I love to travel through various modes of transport. My interest and passion apart from Travel is in Photography and writing. Writing is mostly about my travels but I also write stories. So far written four short stories. Hope to write more as they unfold for me. I love to be in the lap of nature and that has intrigued me always. So most of my projects are on Travel & nature. I am planning for doing a small work on the artisans at Odisha (Eastern state of India).

Farmer taking his buffalos to the fields in India

“Farmer taking his buffalos to the fields. A very common sight in the hinterlands of Odisha.”

Cashew factory women in India

“At the Cashew factory where, despite of the difficult working conditions, there is a smile and warmth that floats around with the women who work there. They chatted up and had fun in the short time that we were there.”

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– What is your blog about? Why? Do you have other blogs? If so, what do they talk about?

I have done a few trips outside India (my motherland) but I love this country for its diversity. India is so diverse that most of the time we only get to know the parts of the country that is well shared and spoken about on the net. My website / blog (www.staryeyestravel.com) that I currently use is a travelogue. I travel to places that are of little known but carries a lot of history, architecture and geography. This blog is just a year old and I am in the process of putting in more as things unfold. I am also working on capturing my past travels.

I also have another blog page (www.ssidhi.blogspot.in). This I started eight years back with an objective to share what ever I feel or experience. Today it is focused more on stories, poetry, some of the happenings around me. Though I have currently linked it up with the main webpage but keep it separate and that gives me the space to compartmentalise and structure my thoughts.

Sidhartha's son trying the manual nut opening in India

“My little one was having a try at the manual nut opening process. Though the manual process is prevalent but these machines have started to speed up the process.”

Sidhartha in a field in India

“Me in the midst of a lusty farm land, the lands that feed the millions in our country” 

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– Why did you want to turn your India blog into a book?

Off course, web is something that one would last for ever and will be accessible to a lot of people around the world. But a book gives it a personalised feeling. The photographs on my page are all mine and I had taken care in shooting and putting them up along with my free flow of thoughts. So getting it printed and seeing them come to life is amazing. It is a treasure of places which I can share it with my friends in a physical form. It is amazing to see the content in a form that I could hold it, read it, feel it.

Put simply I just treasure it.

– How did you find out about BlookUp?

Oh, that was on FB. I have been thinking about getting my content printed and BlookUp just happened. ☺

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Winter in Chantilly, France

“The wilderness in some of the backyards at Chantilly, France. They are breath taking and one could spend months just soaking it up all”

Eiffel Tower view from Sacre Coeur

“The Eiffel Tower viewed from the Sacré Cœur. A delight for a traveller to watch the wonders from one part of the city to another while travelling.”

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– What are the positive and negative points of the making of your blook?

Positives:

– It is simply beautiful. I love the concept and the way it has come up.
– It is very easy to use and the transfer of content is very easy.
– Additionally what I liked was that all my hyperlinks could also be printed up.
– The paper quality of the blook is amazing.

Some thing that I would love to have:

– Realised that other languages I cannot get it print. My poetry in Hindi language at the beginning of some of the blogs were just converted to webding (Square boxes) and that kills the crux of my blog. Could those just be picked up as image if not converted. (I knew what I was getting but I wanted the outcome. I may print and paste it for future usage)
– Somewhere the layout that I had in the page it just gets distorted. Though I would say to me it did not make much of an impact but it could be worth looking at.
– The hyperlinks could get numbered and the details shared at the end of the article.
– I can’t edit anything if I want to.
– The cover page designs, may need some looking through.They are dull.. need more creativity there.
– The website has french layover. There were times when I had to go to the google translator to get the meaning of words.

Having said so I must say, “You guys just stuck to the time of delivery and is very neat. Very prompt. I got the blook bang on time. Wow, and that having got it sent from France. No follow ups, nothing. Simply fantastic”.

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Col Saheb Island Water channels and palm trees

Col Saheb Island – “The beautiful water channels offers some pretty sights for one to enjoy and shoot around. With the dark clouds looming in the vicinity, it was a delight.”

Col Saheb Island Water channel

Col Saheb Island again – “A shot of the water channels, it is really the Venice of India with all its local flavours.”

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– Do you enjoy the final result? What does your family and friends think about your blook?

I am thrilled with the outcome. A book as such as a collection and coffee table is a wow. Friends and family members are trilled by the outcome. I have been taking it around and sharing it with others.

– Would you recommend BlookUp?

Oh yes. I certainly would be using it often for some of my future creations.

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Incense sticks burning

Chateau against a setting sun in Paris

Contrasts and colors of Sidhartha’s trips: At the top, incense sticks burning at one of the Col Saheb Island’s temples; At the bottom, a beautiful Chateau against a setting sun in Paris.

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Thank you Sidhartha for answering our questions and making us travel through your captions and stunning photos! We hope that the new features coming in the future for our tool will satisfy you when you have more travel stories to tell!

Want to share you blog and BlookUp stories too? Contact us at contact@blookup.com!