Capturing Hearts Across the Globe!

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Happy Valentine’s Day Everyone!

For the past three years we’ve been hunting for hearts with our cameras, looking for them in architecture, nature, and just about everywhere. This year we truly hit the mother lode of curvy goodness!

From the dazzling “Corazónes” of Mexican markets to the gilded clock hands of Europe, the hearts were out in all their glory.

San Miguel de Allende carved hearts
San Miguel de Allende Heart Jewelry
SMA Hearts

Guanajuato Market Hearts

But I must admit that my favorites are the hearts we found embedded in architecture.

SMA Window Bar Hearts 2

From the lacy balconies and fancy meter covers in Mexico …

… to the elaborate wrought iron railings of American State Houses and plantations, they all bring joy when discovered.

Do you have any great photos of hearts? Please include a link in your comment.

Have a lovely Valentine’s Day, everyone!
Terri & James

SMA Floral Hearts

Author: gallivance.net

We're Terri and James Vance - high school sweethearts who went on to international careers and became world nomads. Today, 65 countries later, we're still traveling ... and still in love. Check out Our Story for more of the backstory at gallivance.net.

79 thoughts

    1. Thanks so much! I just clicked on your Melrose Abbey link and it’s fabulous! We used to live in London and I had clients in Scotland, but unfortunately I never saw this heart! Thanks for giving me a great reason to go back! 🙂 Are you based in Scotland? So glad you stopped by and I will check out your blog. All the best, ❤ Terri

      Reply

      1. I am based out of Northern California. I visited Melrose years ago and found it stunning. And something about the memorial heart spoke to me and I never forgot it. “A noble heart may know no ease without freedom.” I wonder if people were reminded of this saying this year when the Scottish people were voting on independence. I did a post on my blog around that time where i featured a photo of the heart memorial. Cheers!

  2. I love this post! My birthday is the day after Valentine’s Day, so my mom always had a heart theme on my birthday growing up. I’ve always loved hearts due to that I suppose, and have a collection of heart shaped things. Love seeing the hearts you’ve photographically collected around the world! Wishing you both a happy and romantic Valentine’s Day! xo

    Reply

    1. Thanks Leslie! Happy almost birthday. What a fun time of year to celebrate, and kudos to your Mom for making it so special. Being the romantics that you two are, I’m sure that you and Steve have some fun Valentine’s Day traditions. Is it celebrated there in Korea? ❤ Terri

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    1. Rusha, It’s so fun to look for hearts – and you never know where you’re going to find them. I particularly love the ones people find in nature – heart-shaped flowers, rocks, strawberries, clover … and the list goes on and on. Wishing you and Bert a very happy, romantic Valentine’s Day. ❤ Terri

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  5. I’ve never seen so many interesting hearts and must confess I haven’t noticed any around me. Your collections are amazing. I’m sure I’ll be more aware and on the lookout from now on. You DO have the most interesting collections and pictures. 😛
    Happy Valentines. ❤

    Reply

    1. Many thanks, Tess! Hearts are fun to hunt for, and sometimes we don’t even realize we’ve captured them until we look closely at our photos. We had no idea that the clock face above had heart-shaped hands. Those are the best surprises. Happy Valentines to you, too. ❤ Terri

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  6. You’ve hit the motherlode of hearts 🙂
    If I had to pick a favourite, I would choose the blue and yellow clock. It’s such a tiny little detail added to the clock face … not to mention I love the combination of blue and yellow in all its variations!

    Reply

    1. Thanks Joanne, I love that one, too. And as I told Tess above, we didn’t even know that it had heart-shaped hands until we studied the photo afterwards. Talk about hiding in plain sight! 🙂 Have a great Valentine’s Day. ❤ Terri

      Reply

  9. Wow! You certainly found some fabulous hearts on your travels. I must keep my eyes out for some myself! Have a Happy Valentines Day!! Here´s a quote for you two.
    “We are all a little weird and life’s a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.” – Dr. Seuss

    Reply

    1. You are so right, Marilyn. Searching for hearts started out as a serendipitous adventure … and now we see hearts everywhere! 🙂 Hope that you have a lovely Valentine’s Day. ❤ Terri

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      2. Asia is always a thrill! What part are you heading toward – or if you’re like us, you buy the ticket and then go wandering. 🙂 We’re in the planning stages of several fun excursions – we just need to get through the next few months before we can head out. ~Terri

      3. We are going to wander through Ireland next September, but for Asia we *yikes* booked a cruise. I thought cruises were something my parents did, but this one was a great itinerary, and Stanley does love his buffet. I am going to rely on your blog heavily for my pre-trip info, so thanks in advance!

  13. Your heart photos from Mexico reminds me of how open and kind were the people in Mexico. One time I remarked to a local how open and friendly I found the Mexican people to be compared to those of the other Latin American countries we had visited. And he replied, ‘Sí, nuestros corazones están abiertos.’ (Yes, our hearts are open.)

    Happy Valentines Day to you both. – Mike

    Reply

    1. Hi Mike, so great to hear from you! I agree with you about the people of Mexico – truly kind-hearted and generous. And they do love their hearts – we saw them everywhere – much to our delight. 🙂 So how are you and Florence doing in your new home? Wishing you two a very Happy Valentine’s Day. ❤ Terri

      Reply

    1. Mani, I’m so glad that you liked the post (and I totally understand your opinion about Valentine’s Day – I don’t believe in those “shopping lists,” either.) For us it’s a fun way to feature all the great hearts we’ve photographed throughout the year … and enjoy a little bite of chocolate. 🙂 What I love are the “unexpected hearts” we stumble across – here’s my personal fave. ❤ Terri
      https://gallivance.net/2014/02/14/hunting-for-hearts-around-the-world/heart-hat/#main

      Reply

      2. Mani, those are wonderful! The fence is gorgeous and the bull totally steals the show! Thanks so much for sharing them – I know everyone will love them. ❤ Terri

  15. Pingback: Sending Hearts on Valentine’s Day | Longhorns and Camels

    1. Lynda, that is so cool! I love your photos, especially the doors – ours were very similar when we lived in Khartoum! Small world, huh. I never discovered why that part of the world adored hearts – do you know? Thanks for the very kind shout-out. Hope you have a lovely Valentine’s day – is it celebrated there? ❤ Terri

      Reply

    1. So many thanks to you, Martha. You are too kind. And until today I had no idea how to make the ❤ symbol, so I learned from those much wiser than me. Try this: ampersand (the symbol) lt;3. It works! ❤ Terri

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    1. Hi Diana, So glad that you found us via Lynda. It looks like great photography runs in the family. So have you snapped any heart photos you’d like to share? Thanks so much for stopping by. All the best, ❤ Terri

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  19. Such a great idea to have this theme to be in search of. If it’s not gargoyles it’s hearts. But now can you find both together!
    Wishing you both a very happy heart day. 🙂

    Reply

    1. Now there’s a great challenge, Sue. And you know we’re always up for a challenge … I’ll put James on it. 🙂 Hope you and Dave are having a great Valentine’s Day. ❤ Terri

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  20. I love the idea of finding hearts everywhere, truly a nice posts for valentines too. And I just want to say that I love your blog, I’m a fan! 🙂

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    1. I’m so glad that you enjoyed all the hearts, April. Thanks so much for your kind words. Your blog is gorgeous and I was wondering if you have any heart photos you’d like to share? ❤ Terri

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  21. You really have to pay attention to find some of these hearts – great fun! Then those vibrantly coloured hearts from Mexico – just gorgeous. Enjoyed the post – thanks.

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    1. Thank you Chris. And as you know, since we like to keep our possessions simple, collecting photos instead of stuff works great! 🙂 Hope that you and Sarah had a lovely South American Valentine’s Day, or are you in Cuba now? ❤ Terri

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      1. Thanks Terri. No Cuba was a few months ago, but it’s hard to keep the blog up to speed with where we are! We’ve been in Ecuador for a few days now after 4 weeks in Colombia. Beautiful parts of the world 🙂 Keep those photos coming!

  24. A fine collection of hearts. Little did I know you collected them. 🙂 I finally put up my blog on the “Behind the Scenes Blog Hop” today, James and Terri. Thanks for the opportunity. –Curt

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  25. Pingback: Ubiquitous Storm Photos 2-15-2015 | Therapeutic Misadventures

    1. Now that’s a heart, Martha! I love it. Must be a romantic with a sense of humor. And your snow photos are wonderful – and really make me appreciate that I live a bit further south. 🙂 Thanks so much for the very kind shout-out. ❤ Terri

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  26. Great selection of hearts there. The architectural ones appeal to me too. See your first comment was about Bruce’s heart at Melrose Abbey. A few years ago when repairs were being undertaken a lead casket was found. Did this contain Bruce’s heart? It was taken off for examination, and the decision was that it most likely was. So it was carefully reburied.

    Melrose is a lovely abbey, situated near Abbotsford the home of Sir Walter Scott. One of the people who did illustrations for Scott’s books was J M Turner, who painted a very atmospheric watercolour of Melrose Abbey.

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    1. Many thanks, Dorothy. It’s always fun to find hearts hiding in plain sight on buildings. And thanks also for the fascinating info about Bruce’s heart – you’ve really got my curiosity stirred up now. Is Turner’s watercolor the one in the moonlight? ❤ Terri

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    1. Jeff, it was total serendipity the first year. We were looking back through photos and realized that we had a some cool photos of hearts, ranging from Locks of Love bridges to fancy ironwork from Charleston, SC. After that we started paying closer attention to architectural details and natural shapes in nature … and voila! Now we seem to see them everywhere. 🙂 ~Terri

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  31. Some beautiful artsy and architectural hearts in this blog post. There’s something very hopeful for a worldwide bird’s eye view of hearts!

    Here’s mine on the blog post in last header post in header slider. Bleeding hearts flowers. https://cyclewriteblog.wordpress.com The post on gardeners and in praise of them. I can’t link the flower photo properly from blog post. Sigh.

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    1. Jean, those are gorgeous! I’ve always thought that bleeding hearts are truly one of nature’s smile-inducing gifts. 🙂 I used to treasure them as a kid when I wandered the woods near our home. Now that I live farther south I rarely see them. Thanks for the smile. ~Terri

      Reply

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