Intimate Manners

In an attempt to facilitate discussion on acceptable intimate behaviors, this photo series is paired with experiences of young adult Americans and their attempts to navigate sexual relationships. Although these individuals consented to the intimacy, they experienced situations in which their partner's behavior conflicted with the individual's definition of acceptable sexual actions.

Self Portraits

I've always hated self portrait assignments; I've always hated attempting to photograph myself. I never understood the point of it. I figured that other people could probably do a better job than my camera resting uneasily on a pile of books while I try not to blink and awkwardly trying to make my smile look genuine. But I didn't fully understand.

While I was sitting across from the camera, trying to photograph this perfect version of myself, I was ignoring the opportunity to photograph my experience.

A raw attempt to create visuals of an internal experience

I am trying to navigate the chaos of many versions of self, of which none are perfect, of which none are whole when alone

Smoke and LEDs

One Light - Studio

February 2015

Photographs from experimentations with one light in the studio:

Hot Lights

For my Studio Photography course, I've been shooting with hot lights for the past week. After a couple sessions, a generous model (the ever lovely Michelle Montana), and a lot of trial and error, I've got the following photos to share:

Christmastime in Barcelona

It's crazy to think that we were strolling the streets of Barcelona a little over a month ago. The craziness of traveling from Barcelona to Paris to Indiana, PA and then moving back to Pittsburgh was an exhausting experience that delayed the publication of this post. But now that I've settled into my apartment in Pittsburgh, I'm able to reflect on the last trip of an amazing semester abroad.

It was right before Christmas, and the streets were decorated with a Spanish flair. There weren't nearly as many natural Christmas trees, but there were many Christmas lights in the form of Christmas trees!

I traveled with my roommate and dear friend. We took separate paths to get there (I've mentioned how much I adore train travel), and we somehow managed to find one another in the midst of the Barcelona train station. We had no phones, no set time, no real idea when we would be meeting. We just had an vague understanding. By some miracle, we met up!

We spent our four days in Barcelona just roaming about since neither one of us are planners. We both are more fluid personalities, although Hanan did put in a bit more effort than I attempted.

I wasn’t sure what to expect in Barcelona. I knew I’d have fun. It is, after all, an adventure, but I had no idea what to expect. It seems to be a common theme in my travels.. A distinct lack of preplanning on my part.

But as it so happened, Barcelona blew me away. It was December 23rd and 70 degrees, and while I’m not normally a fan of heat, it was pleasant. The city had an atmosphere. It had this unique feeling that you normally get in cities, but I particularly liked Barcelona’s feeling. The people seemed like a hearty, loving people, but not quite the type to take any nonsense. I enjoyed it there.

We had only two preplanned events: We would visit La Sagrada Família and the Parc Güelle. Other than that, we roamed through the streets of Barcelona, discovering little shops and restaurants and getting a feel for the atmosphere.

La Sagrada Família was absolutely magnificent. It was awe inspiring. The columns are meant to look similar to tree trunks. (I believe that's called arboresque columns.) The architect was a Barcelona native and favorite, Antonio Gaudí. I was hoping to find a photograph of it not under construction, but as it turns out, it has been undergoing the construction since 1882. That’s a mere 133 years so far, but perhaps it will be completed before it breaks Notre Dame’s impressive 185 construction years. The anticipated completion is 2026 for La Sagrada Família, and yet it is already consider a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

It was a magnificent structure. It’s easily one of my favorite buildings in Europe now, and I had never heard of it beforehand! Ah, it's the unexpected surprises that end up being the most gratifying.

We traveled to another one of Gaudí’s more well known works, Parc Güell, located on Carmel Hill. The park was designed to be a continuation of the dream that Gaudí had for his beloved Barcelona. It was similar in many ways to the personality of Barcelona. The city was filled with vibrancy and uniqueness, just like its parks and cathedrals.

We watched the sun set from atop this little hill, and there is a quality to that evening that I don’t expect I’ll ever be able to quite explain.

When we were traveling down the hill, I adjusted my camera settings, put on auto focus, and walked down the hill. Images like this.. There’s an attempt to capture those moments of indescribable reality, but I wanted to make sure, above all, that I got to live those moments.

We found a spot where there was an abundance of people taking selfies. So naturally, I occupied my time by photographing people photographing themselves.. It was incredibly distracting trying to look at the stunning views of Barcelona, only to be interrupted by a couple trying to get the perfect shot. (Don’t lose sight of the moment just for the Instagram post)

And then, before we knew it, we were traveling back to Paris. We took a long bus ride through Spain and the French countryside, only to come home to the incredible Paris. We slept off the exhaustion from the journey, and then we had our last day in the amazing city that I learned to call home.

Four months came and went in the most spectacular fashion. I couldn't imagine a better experience in a better city. Thank you to every person, every museum, every experience that it made it so truly incredible. (And thank you, Barcelona, for a great final trip)

See you again soon!

Fondation Louis Vuitton

Merry Christmas, Dad!!! I'm sure you thought I forgot that you told me to visit Fondation Louis Vuitton back in October and that I had passed my time in Paris without visiting Frank Gehry's newest building. But SURPRISE!

I could offer my thoughts on the building, but I'm certainly no expert in architecture. Nonetheless, since you haven't yet seen it in person, I'll do my best to try to bring it to you.

Obviously, the building is noticeably impressive. When comparing it to the typical Parisian architecture, it does tend to stand out. (Just a little bit..)

It sits between the Jardin d'Acclimation and the Bois de Boulogne. Since I arrived via metro, I walked through the Bois de Boulogne and found my entrance to be rather uninviting. The building, while impressive and dominating, isn't given the grand entrance one might expect of a $148 million museum. It just appears, almost randomly placed across from a sad patch of woods.

The rooms aren't incredibly remarkable inside, but personally, I don't think they should be. This is an art museum, and while you want a space to compliment the art, you certainly don't want anything to over power it. The rooms are massive, white spaces, ready for the next barrage of contemporary art.

I did manage to take a selfie while there.. (See above)

A Weekend of Delightful Mishaps (à Bern)

 

Thanks to the craziness of finals at the Sorbonne (and all the insanity that comes with that), this post comes to you a little late. On the 21st of November, my dear friend, Rachel, and I traveled to Bern, Switzerland.

We planned the trip with a sense of spontaneity, essentially looking through a list of cities in Switzerland, scrolling through a few pictures, and randomly selecting some small city nestled in the mountains of a beautiful country. I had never been to Switzerland, but Rachel had been once before. We were going on an adventure!

We took the train from Paris to Geneva then to Bern from there. It was in our 15 minute change in Geneva that we found out that Switzerland is not part of the European Union. This little tidbit of information means that they do not, in fact, do business in Euros. Our money had quickly become a little useless... But we were able to switch some before we ran to the train.

The train took us through scene after scene of snow capped mountains and little towns, typically covered in a dense fog. It was spectacular. The views out the window were absolutely incredible. I had planned on catching up on some sleep on the train ride, but I was so immersed in the landscapes. Wow, Switzerland, well done.

When we arrived in Bern after the pleasant train trip, we proceeded to get quite lost while trying to find our hostel. We discovered the next day that it was a straight shot from the train station to the hostel, but we decided to walk up a couple big hills, stroll down the hill, walk back up it, wander a little bit here, meander a little bit longer. We became hungry and tired and quite confused. Eventually, we found it, our little hostel snuggled in between the river and the hill we spent the afternoon traipsing around.

Hungry and ready for a lunch/dinner at about 4:30 pm, we went into historic Bern to find a cafe or restaurant. What we found was astronomical prices. Wow! I have been continuously shocked by Paris' obnoxious prices, but Switzerland was giving Paris a run for its money. We went to a cafe with food options priced in the 20 Swiss francs range, around $27 or so. We decided to try to find a cheaper place. But even McDonald's was selling food for 23 Swiss francs... I was not expecting it to be so expensive, but there we were.. Spending double digits for a plate of sliced cheese and a tomato.

But what Bern lacks in cheap prices, it makes up in beauty. It was cold in Bern, not as cold as it was back in Pittsburgh, but it was significantly chillier than Paris' sunny 50 degrees. Not only was it chilly, but the mountain air consumed the city in a dense, quieting fog. It was like a little blanket of winter. Needless to say, I loved it.

The fog would last throughout the night, dissipating a little bit during sunny midday, but it was back by 5 pm without too much difficulty. It made the town feel quieter, smaller, cozier. What a town!

At night, we happened upon a light show that Bern puts on for its visitors and residents for two weeks, beginning at the end of November and lasting until early December. It was about 30 minutes long; the children loved it and the parents sipped their hot wine, delighting in the scenes splashed across their government buildings. I guess it's as good a use as any for government buildings.

The entirety of it was in Swiss German (with about two French phrases), so I missed the full meaning of it. But at one point, Einstein discovered e=mc2 (a formula he worked on while working in the patent office in Bern), but then he changed it to e=vivre l'instant! Live for the moment; enjoy life as it is. This now is important.

Not to be stupidly cheesy, but that seems like a great message as the holidays start to spring up and the craziness of December start. Live for the moment.

Oh! And in case you're curious, Bern speaks Swiss German, they do not speak any dialect of French. Maybe a little bit more research would've been useful. Perhaps.

These are also some of the oddest people I've encountered in my travels in Europe. They're hearty and incredibly odd. The number one reenforcement of their odd behavior has to be a trip to the Natural History Museum that is located in Bern. The above image is an picture of the Board of Directors with bird feathers sticking out of their heads, framed proudly in the Natural History Museum.

This glamourous ostrich sits across from a 1 story replica of a human uterus (yes, in fact, you can explore it! What?) and beside a walrus in his natural habitat, a wedding clothing shop. In the same room, there is a taxidermied storke carrying a baby and a blue orb that recites Woody Allen quotes.

Bet you thought I was kidding about the Woody Allen quotes, huh?

But the most hilariously ridiculous part of the entire trip had to be the exhibit on Barry. Barry was a dog that saved 40 people in the mountains nearby by. He was a hero at the turn of the century, and to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of his death, Bern centered the entire third floor of the museum to his memory. He was taxidermied, audio dialogues were created on his behalf, scenes created depicting his heroics, and best of all, a green screen was put in place entitled "Barry & Me". Zero self control at the ridiculousness of what was being offered, we jumped at the chance to get our photo shoddily photoshopped next to a taxidermied dog. I've bought a lot of things over the years, but this was, without any doubt in my mind, the best 2 swiss francs I've ever spent.

Apologies to those of you who expected only high quality images on my photography blog. But this.... This is better.

In stark contrast to the museum my friend described as being only possible due to the probable excessive drug use of the curator, there was the fine art museum of Bern. It is the most spectacular museum I have ever been fortunate enough to spend time in. Despite the fact that it was laid out in such a way that the modern art sculptures were next to the 1200s paintings of Jesus Christ, it was the most spectacular museum. The pieces it had of artists both famous and unknown were incredible works of art. It was as if I got to pick my favorite styles and artists and pieces and put them in a museum just for me. We spent our entire Saturday roaming through this overwhelming haven. (The language I'm using here seems excessive, but I'm telling you that it was incredible)

Unfortunately, they did not allow pictures, but they did have almost every piece available in postcards. So... I may or may not have spent most of my money in Bern on the postcards.

It still surprises me that fall was still hanging on throughout Europe. There were leaves on the ground and on the trees a month after I expected them to disappear. It was a delightful treat.

We ended up spending a lot of time in the cafe located on the bottom level of our hostel. The food was cheap for Switzerland; the coffee was good. There was a steady flow of regulars each night, and we were able to read in the cozy atmosphere of our little hostel. It was truly a delight.

Again, the residents of Bern are a such an endearing form of odd.

One night, after a few coffees, we walked up to the top of the hill we had spent most of our time wandering on during our first day. Soft fog, cold air, and the glow of twinkling lights.. Bern, in all its weirdness, was full of these little moments.

Grateful, as always, for the opportunity to travel through Europe with great friends as my companions

Thank you, Bern, for a delightful yet odd weekend

Fall in Florence

  After our quick trip to Venice, we travelled to Florence by train (did I mention how much I adore trains?). We got into the city in the evening on Sunday, found our way to our hostel, which was conveniently located within 5 minutes of the train station (another excellent lodging choice!).

We got to meet up with Anastasia's boyfriend, Tim (and friends) since they ended up being in Florence at the same time as us. We got some incredible homemade pasta, drank Italian wine, walked up to the best view of Florence, enjoyed great conversation and laughed about the bad Polaroid the waiter took.. It was a lovely start to our time in Florence.

See "true love" below

 We all went to our separate hostels and met up in the morning to explore Florence. We traveled to this crypt, which was impressive by itself, but the really impressive portion of this particular building is its current inhabitants.

We saw Galileo's grave, Michaelangelo's, DaVinci's, Machievilli's, Dante's, etc. It was mildly ridiculous. It was as if Paris' Pantheon challenged Florence to a "how many famous people can we fit in one place" contest. (And Florence won.)

On the floor of this building, there were sculptures indicating where other people are buried. I'd bet that these people aren't "nobodies". I'd reckon that they're each famous in their own right, and just cause I don't know who they were doesn't mean that they weren't important and significant. On the one hand, I wish I knew more about each person that was buried there, but there were probably hundreds of influential people. I need to be realistic about some things.

As per usual, the ceilings were beautiful. I have a slight obsession with the beauty of European ceilings. It's so often just the white top of a room in America, and it's so interesting to see the difference between white ceilings and these ornate works of art.

The wooden beams of the ceiling (in the photo below) are decorated with a light pattern comprised of blues, greens, and reds.

When transitioning from the crypt portion of this building, we got to walk through this courtyard, which was made even more beautiful by the steady stream of rain. It's not the kind of rain you'd expect in November. It wasn't particularly chilly or a nuisance. It was simply raining. (And I loved it)

The museum also had a modern art exhibit dedicated to the theme of Christianity. I haven't seen a wide array of religious modern art, but this place found them. They even commissioned a few! It was an interesting environment to go from the pre-Renaissance paintings to these modern art pieces.

The sun eventually came out and graced us with a rain free afternoon and evening. I love the rain, but I think my camera might like sunny days a little bit more than the steady water.

We went on a jaunt up to the location we had been at the night before to see it during the day. The walk there was lovely; the river water was brown. I know people in Pittsburgh (and Paris!) often complain about the ugly water of the river(s), but I think Florence gets to win that contest too.

I realized, while I was standing and looking at this amazing view, that the best things are a lot of work. This was not a small hill. It wasn't a huge mountain either, but it did leave you a little breathy afterwards. You have to work for the best views (or at least walk up a hill).

I thought that the couple pictured above was adorable until I realized about 10 minutes later that they were two gentlemen that appeared to not be romantically involved. They seemed to be business friends more so than the snuggling old couple I thought they were... Opps.

The view was incredible (I think I've mentioned that once or twice) and the colors of the end of fall really added to it. Florence is nestled at the foot of many small mountains, which gives it such a different feel from Paris or Venice.

But the water really makes the Seine look clean, doesn't it? A stark contrast from Venice's blue and green canals 

I love how obsessed Europeans are with their art. The French aren't alone in their adoration of masterpieces -- the Italians had a great sense of pride over their pieces. The above photo was taken from a free sculpture garden. I love free art even more than art.

We called it a day after another amazing meal, starting the next morning with a climb up the Bell Tower next to the Duomo.

This was a 414 step trip up the stairs, which I (foolishly) thought would be no problem. After all, I am a collegiate athlete in my early 20s! But after walking almost 10 miles a day for the duration of our fall break and carrying around a hefty camera, it was a little bit more taxing than I would've like to admit.

With the Duomo's Bell Tower completed and checked off the list, Michaelangelo's David was up next. I hadn't prepared myself quite for his size, but it was an impressive statue. The veins, the posture, the marble. Michaelangelo was a master, no doubt, and this is a masterpiece.

I've mentioned European ceilings, but the Baptism Cathedral in Florence takes the cake. We almost didn't get into see it because the outside is undergoing renovations, but we did get to see the spectacular gold mosaic ceiling in person.

My neck hurt afterwards, but it was SO worth it. I should've laid on the ground and just stared for days. It was breath taking. We had no idea that it would be so magnificent. What a pleasant surprise!

Now that I've wrapped up two cities and one incredible fall break in just two blog posts, I want to give the biggest thank you to these two ladies. I am continuously grateful for their friendship; they made this trip wonderful.

Travel companions are a special kind of friend. They've seen you after 15 hours on a train and dealt with you when you're hungry. They've seen you eat pasta in ink sauce, lent you money, and grudgingly put up with your request for one more photo. They've gone into museums with you, laughed about gondola rides, and crammed under an umbrella with you. Not only do they see you at your worst, travel companions get to take on the world with you, and I am so happy I got to take on Italy with these two.

Traipsing Around Venice

For a short fall break, a couple of my friends and I traveled to Venice and Florence the 7th through the 11th of November. If I could sum up our time in Venice, I think the verb "traipsing" fits it best. Perhaps "ambitious wandering" could epitomize it as well. When the sites are as beautiful as this, it's tough to want to do much more than traipse.

Venice is a beautiful city, but it is covered in tourism. I've found that my favorite parts of cities aren't the touristic parts; they're the hidden gems and tucked away treasures. For example, I've visited the Eiffel Tower 3 times since I arrived in Paris, but the little cafe nestled in the Montmartre Hill... I've been there at least 7 times. As for Venice, it seemed that even the back streets and less populated areas were still catering to tourists.

But that being said, it is a stunning city.

I knew that Venice was sinking, but I didn't know that it was sinking and flooding to the extent that it is! Each day when we were there, there was a midday high tide that cause large parts of the city to be unaccessible without rain boots (or the beautiful covers that go over your shoes.. They come in ridiculously bright primary colors.) The city puts up walkways each morning before the high tide and takes them down each afternoon. They were great for us, considering that we did not want to pay the 10 euros for a pair of plastic covers for our shoes and bottoms of our pants.

See below for examples of the shoe cover possibilities. San Marco was a little more underwater than I expected.

My one friend compare Venice to a large outlet mall with water, and that sounds like a pretty accurate summation of the city. It was absolutely beautiful, as I mentioned before, but they were lined with souvenir shops and gelato parlors and restaurants. Needless to say, it could get a little overwhelming, especially as someone who does not entirely love shopping.

We spent a lot of time wandering around Venice, typically searching for a particular place. We spent a lot of time confused, but we ended up happening into a couple amazing places this way. We found an incredible Italian restaurant that didn't even have a menu -- just daily specials. Amazing food for really cheap. I haven't had such cheap food since I left the States!

Another place we ran into was this museum. Museums in Italy were not free and often cost a hefty 15 euros or more. Coming from Paris, where almost all the museums are free for EU students (that's us!), we were a little put off by the prices. It's expensive (especially considering that there were problems with the bank on my end and problems with pickpockets on my friends end...). We were able to get into this museum for free though!

As you've probably noticed, I am so impressed by the European ceilings. In nearly every blog post, you'll find at least one that made it into the final draft. They've spent so much time decorating what Americans hardly ever consider to be an important piece of the decoration. I've been quite taken by them.

One of my companions is mildly obsessed with churches, so she made sure to stop at nearly every one and pay the 2 or 3 euros to get in. I was quickly put off by the entrance fee to a church. I thought the purpose of a church was to be free for the masses? (The bold is so that you don't miss the joke.) Apparently, in such a touristic area, churches are not free -- Unless there is a funeral going on. We walked in on a funeral.

We realized about two weeks before we departed that we did not have a Venice hostel. In a scrabbling effort for a hostel, me and my friend tossed up our hands and basically said, "Ugh, anywhere, Kasey. Just pick somewhere." She picked an amazing hostel with this view. I could go on and on about it, but I'm pretty sure you shouldn't write home about your lodging accommodations.

But let's give a grateful HOORAY to Kasey on her successful hostel booking!

Venice is an incredibly picturesque city. My sister saw one of my photos and thought she did a puzzle of a scene that was very similar. As it turns out, she did a puzzle of the exact same row of houses taken from the same bridge in Venice. Such a beautiful city.

Our second day there, we attempted to find this hidden bookstore and spent most of the day in a lost pursuit of it. It was an interesting book store, but fortunately, all the books were in Italian so I wasn't tempted! Without further adieu, the self proclaimed "the most beautiful bookshop in the world":

Thanks for letting us stay for a couple days, Venice, and for letting us eat all of your gelato.. Sorry if there's a shortage now.

Day Trip to Chantilly

On Sunday, November 2nd (I was going to say "last Sunday".. Can't believe it's been so long!), my friend and I decided to explore the countryside surrounding Paris, specifically the wonderful town of Chantilly. We originally planned on taking the train until the edge of the 5th zone, but when we leafed through a book I found, we discovered Chantilly.

It was supposed to rain all day, but it ended up being a sunny fall day without even a hint of rain.

We had a bit of an interesting experience trying to get to the town and the chateau. Our train stopped a couple stops sooner than we thought it would. We ended up being dropped off at a small, relatively abandoned train station much further away than we had hoped to be.. But we figured it out and eventually made it to Chantilly, and it was well worth the difficulties of getting there.

The chateau was beautiful and ornate. I'm finding that the French love decadence, especially in their chateaux. I've still yet to find a chateau more decadent than Versailles, but this residence had a unique charm to it -- the owners adored art and they covered most of the rooms with Bodacelli, Delacroix, etc. It was a feast of excellent art works.

The previous residents also had a love of old and rare books. They had a small library, but the library was packed full of these books. Two stories of rare books... Unfortunately, they didn't let us borrow any of them. Maybe next time, we can convince them.

I love a beautiful chateau, but I was especially taken by the grounds. Maybe it was the romance of Fall, but Chantilly had a lovely country charm that the bustle of Versailles lacks.

I confess that I sometimes don't take pictures of some really important things. For example, Chantilly is known for their whipped cream. I've had some pretty amazing whipped cream; I've even had Chantilly cream in Paris. I was expecting that. No, no, no. Chantilly makes the thickest and most impressively delicious whipped cream that it kind of boggled my mind. I was so excited to eat it and drink it in the best coffee I've had in Europe that I forgot to take a photograph to share with you. But a photograph would not do it justice. If you find yourself in Europe and you like good things, I'd recommend visiting Chantilly for the incredible cream and wonderful atmosphere. Maybe you can keep your composure long enough to photograph it..

We even got to see the sun set behind the trees as we strolled around the gardens. Not a bad Sunday in my opinion.

But wait -- We met a cat. We made a buddy in feline form. I saw him lingering on a fence and decided that I would pet him. I guess some things don't change over the years. Going up to animals I don't know has been a habit since I could walk. Either way, we spent 15 minutes or so snuggling this beauty. He was incredibly affectionate in a way that reminded me of the barn cats. He would paw us when we would stop petting him. It's tough being away from animals; they're a special kind of awesome.

"Wait -- we have to leave??"

I'm continuously surprised by fall's staying power in France. It's November 16th, and the trees still have leaves. Most of them hadn't turned by November 2nd. I'm used to fall colors being muted and mostly gone by the beginning of November. Can't say that I mind the elongated season!

A spontaneous trip, good company, beautiful fall day.. What more could you ask for?

Forêt Noire and an Alsatian Vineyard

After Fribourg, we traveled to the Titisee Lake and the surrounding Forêt Noire (the Black Forest).

My friends and I wanted to venture into the forest, but our tour guide told us that we didn't have enough time. Our solutions was to book it into the forest. (Best choice) We ended up seeing the gorgeous Black Forest on one of the most beautiful days of the year -- not too cold or too hot.

As demonstrated in the above picture, it was awe inspiring.

My friend (pictured above) and I both hail from woodsy Western PA. It's amazing how similar the woods in this forest felt similar to our Western PA backyards. Maybe, in all actuality, it only has trees as its similarity, but it still felt a little bit like my childhood.

I love cities. I love nature. It's a constant conflict. I'm torn between wanting the constant hubbub of the city and my desire for the stillness of the woods. Maybe one day I'll figure out how to combine the two, but until then, I'm just traveling between them.

Also, I am friends with some really good people here. These two are two of my favorite people not only in our program but that I've met in the past year. They're both so kind, straightforward, smart, and accepting. I'm traveling with them to Italy in a week's time, and I'm so thrilled. I traveled with Kasey to Belgium, and it is the greatest compliment in the world to be invited to travel with someone again.

You're not at your best when you travel. You're tired and hungry and confused and frustrated and overwhelmed. To be able to still want to hang out with someone who is also at that level when you're at that level... That's a step above friendship. That's travel companionship. I consider my travel companions to be a very elite group of amazing people. (Love you all)

I will admit that I was a little disappointed that we didn't have more time to just soak in the forest, but I can't really complain when the trip is completely coordinated by my program. It was so overwhelmingly beautiful. I think I could spend the rest of my life in locations too beautiful for photographs.

After a hearty traditional lunch of potatoes and cream cheese, we picked up a couple gifts since everything was so cheap!! Then we traveled to a vineyard in Alsace. We went to Domaine Wohleber in the small town of Andlau.

We were there at golden hour, the most beautiful time of day for photographs. It was so beautifully romantic and interesting. Our tour guide was the owner of the vineyard and his son tagged along. Their family operation produced small batches of wine each year, but they took us through their sections of the hill in addition to telling us about the community. The community is built on wine production, and I got the vibe that they were a helpful and friendly people. In America, there is such a sense of competition, but I've noticed that businesses here help out other businesses without reserve.

It was another journey up a hill, but it was completely worth it. Acres upon acres of the slowly turning leaves of the grapevines... Problems seemed to drip away

Paris is a thriving city and a centre for art, culture, language, etc, but it is always a comfort to me to get out into the beautiful countryside. It's a small slice of heaven that I got to savor for a little moment.

Thanks for sharing, Alsace.

Strasbourg and Fribourg

This past weekend was the delightful combination of Strasbourg, the Forêt Noire, Germany, and a tour of a family run vinyard. These excursions are built into my program, and they're always quite enjoyable.

Alsace is a small region of france, but it is densely populated. Throughout history, there have been wars, political decisions, and other such factors that have effected the owning country of the region. It used to be German for many years, then French again, then German again, then French. It's all quite complicated. Because of this, the people of Alsace speak Alsatian and French.

Strasbourg is the home of many European institutions. The Council of Europe, including the European Court of Human Rights, meets here, in the heart of Europe. The quiet city centre is a UNESCO World Heritage site, but that's almost old news in Europe. It almost seems that anything worth its salt is a UNESCO World Heritage site in Europe these days.

The streets of Petit France, their most touristy quarter, were beautiful.

After a particularly lovely train ride (I must admit that there isn't a better way to travel than by train), we arrived in Strasbourg for the duration of Saturday. We ate a dish of the region, a creamy chicken dish with noodles, which ended up being like my Mom's cream dried beef on toast but with chicken instead. A little bit of home in Strasbourg

Notre Dame there was beautiful, too. I've come to find that Europe has a plethora of stunning cathedrals. So no big deal, right? (Actually, it's still a pretty big deal.)

Hey, thanks, pigeon, for hopping in the photo

I love the canals of the cities I've been fortunate enough to visit. They're so calm and romantic. This canal had locks. Ohhhh, fancy.

After our stay in Strasbourg, we traveled to Fribourg, Allemagne (Germany). We didn't have too much time in this small town, and most of the shops, museums, etc. were closed cause it was Sunday morning. We ended up getting cheap and delicious coffee and paired it with apfle strodel. (I have no idea how to spell those in German.. Looking for a little help on that one.)

The square was pale, lovely, and so calm. What a great little introduction to the day.

The Münster Cathedral had services since we were there Sunday morning. Some of the group went into the church, but I felt like I couldn't just pop in for 6 minutes or so.

They used to pattern the sidewalks based on what the shops would sell. So you can see that this shop sold shoes (and still does!). It was used in large part to assist the public since most of them couldn't read.

And then we traveled to the Black Forest and Lake Titisee. That'll be up on the blog next!

Thanks for stopping by :)

Bones, Bones, Bones in the Catacombs

WARNING: These are images of bones. If that's the kind of thing that upsets you, please don't feel like you should continue scrolling through these images.

Translation: Stop! This here is the empire of the dead.

Paris' Catacombs require some preplanning, and we were able to get it together yesterday! I went with my two friends, Kasey and Hanan; I think I ended up with a very different reaction than either one of them.

When Paris' center cemeteries became over crowded and a health risk to those living around them, the city decided to move all of the dead into the abandoned mines under Paris. Without a care as to who these people were or their religious beliefs, they were unceremoniously tossed into these mines. Some of the dead hadn't been dead for even fifty years.

Half way through the project, one of the overseers thought that a little decoration with the bones would help ease the dead. Then, they placed the bones into the patterns you see pictured here. Some of the bones are placed according to cemetery.

And now, they get to be center subject in how many tourist's selfies. These bones have rubbed, taken, graffitied, broken.

To me, it felt like these individuals lost their voice when they died, and they became a tourist attraction.

I get that I might sound a little cynical, and I might be a little too grouchy about it. I think it just depends on your view of the afterlife. I found the whole arrangement to be considerably disrespectful, but I think, in that, I am in the minority. It is a beautiful display, and it was a necessary move for the health of Paris' citizens.

But in the efforts to create beauty, sometimes, bad things happen. The man who was in charge of the decorative sculptures below was killed about 4 feet from this spot when a portion of the mine collapsed.

Hallway after hallway after hallway... There are approximately six million people buried in the underground network under Paris.

The well for the miners to wash their feet -- the only color that deep below ground

In a way, I want to say, "they're just bones! Whatever", but I keep thinking, "but they're someone's bones"

Monet's Garden at Giverny

 

After many attempts, this past Sunday, me and my friends were finally able to make it Giverny, the location of Claude Monet's famous gardens. The morning began disastrously with plans falling apart left and right. Each effort to do something was hindered; it was not shaping up to be a good morning. Then I realized, halfway through the commute to the train state St. Laazare, that I had forgotten my SD card (the thing that saves the data from my pictures). I had to back track to my residence (a foyer in the 15th arrondisement), adding an hour to my trip. I said goodbye to my friend, encouraging her to not wait for me. I called the friends that were waiting at the train station, and a little cheeriness from Kasey brightened up my day. After nearly two hours in delays, I finally reached the train station, and fortunately for me, the next train wasn't until 11:50, so I would get to spend the rest of my day with my friends!

But why tell you this? (I acknowledge that it sounds like whining) I almost convinced myself to cancel the day, throw in the towel. Everything that went wrong did, until things just started to go right again. If I let that little voice in my head telling me to give up, this blog post wouldn't exist, I would've probably not seen Monet's gardens, and I certainly wouldn't have gotten to share the experience with my wonderful friends.

It's pretty amazing that I get to have these experiences with such top notch people. Paris is a city that encourages solitude, and yet, I find that I've been fortunate in some of the best friendships here.

Now, onto Monet's gardens! I will assume that most of you have seen one of his many waterlily paintings or something of the like. (There's a large canvas in the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh if you haven't!) Despite having thousands of paintings to choose from, Monet said that his greatest masterpiece was his gardens.

I can see why he said that. It completely baffled me that the organization running Monet's gardens was able to have everything in bloom even in the fall. Even though it was a steady drizzly, the gardens were stunning.

Monet made these gardens with his wife, who was also a painter. He became a little hermit-like in his later years, rarely going into Paris; his friends adored making the trip to his home in Giverny.

There's a quote by Monet that has stuck with me: "Every day I discover more and more beautiful things. It's enough to drive one mad. I have such a desire to do everything, my head is bursting with it."

I'm realizing that this quote isn't exclusive to his gardens or even to Paris, but that it's all in your perspective. To some who dislikes nature, this place would not be inspirational. It's all in how you choose to look at something.

Sunday was such an unreal experience. My friend and I compared it to a religious experience, and after studying piece after piece of this talented artist, it really felt like it. It was sacred ground in a sense.

Thanks for sharing the beauty of your garden, Monet. It really is a masterpiece.

Fontainebleu Palace

Before delving into the amazing palace and grounds, I encourage you to check out my Indiegogo campaign! Get prints, books, calendars, Polaroids, and more by donating to this Paris Project I've been working on!! Thanks!! Link is: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-paris-project/x/8635075

And now, without further ado: After a leisurely stroll through the Fontainebleu Forest ( see post here: http://www.hannahharleyphotography.com/2014/10/13/fontainebleu-forest/ ) and an incredible lunch in the small town, we went to Fontainebleu's most famed house.

Unfortunately, we didn't get to spend all day in this stunning palace (since I tend to take more time in these types of places), but we did get to spend the majority of our afternoon with audioguides. While the inside was furnished and beautifully maintained, I found the outside and the gardens to be exceptionally pretty.

The day completely turned around from the down-pouring of rain we experienced that morning in Paris. It ended up being a perfect fall day!

I have to admit that I'm mildly obsessed with the impressive ceilings that the French adorn in their chapels, chateaux, and government buildings. They're ornate, and in my opinion, it's a little frilly to decorate the ceiling so intensely. But then again, it seems like a very French thing to do.

Ahhh the most important part of any house: The library

We ended up not leaving ourselves as much time to stroll through the gardens as we probably should've, but it was the perfect day to enjoy a few moments in the garden.

Seriously though ceilings here are amazing!

I must cut my narration on this particular post short because my roommate just walked in, and it sounds like we're going to a jazz club in the center of Paris tonight! I'm not one to pass on some free jazz and good company on a Monday night!

Bonsoir, my lovely readers!