I think part of my actual soul was left in Antwerp this last October when I visited there. I showed up with very little idea of what to do, like I think I had one coffee shop and one leather shop I wanted to go to, but that’s it. Some how it became my favorite stop on my small run through Belgium and the Netherlands.
Tag: photos
NYC omg.
So I recently went to New York City. It’s known for Broadway shows, famous people, flashing lights, lots of fashion statements, and the movie Elf. Needless to say, I went in with really high expectations. I did my research, looked up my coffee shops, was really ready to get into the city.
Coffee in Geneva
I think you can learn a lot about a city from the coffee shops there. Are they rustic and homey, serving the lattes in hodge-podge mugs? Is it cleanly decorated with white walls and prints, or is it filled with wooden accents and plants? In America we often just grab our coffee and go, but since I work in a coffee shop, I find myself spending about 50% of my time seeing what a coffee shop can say and do for a city.
Marseille & Aix-en-Provence: the fast version
So you might know that I spent November of 2015 in Marseille, France. Since then I’ve done nothing but sing praises for the south of France. Everything there is a little bit brighter–mainly because, unlike in Paris, the sun actually shines there. Instead of my normal post where I ramble forever about how gorgeous everything was, I’m going to hit my hard and fast favs of this little region. Continue reading Marseille & Aix-en-Provence: the fast version
COLORS
For this series, I was really contemplating how to find joy in taking photos and creating a space for those to be in. I didn’t want to take pictures of a place that someone could go to again, instead a space was created specifically for this shoot.
Chamonix, France
The fog rolling into the trees in on the mountains.
The ice caves in Chamonix
The gondolas for the ice caves
Taking the Lala Lacelets on trips with me.
A photo of the beautiful hotels in Chamonix.
The ice caves in Chamonix lit up with lights.
The city of Chamonix after it finally snowed!
The snow covered
Gondolas going down to ice caves.
The snowy trees in Chamonix.
Exterior shot of the train station
The sunny days in pre-snow Chamonix
One of the passengers on the train to the ice caves.
Chamonix is a beautiful place-probably one of the best places you could go skiing in. Not only for the amazing views of Mont Blanc, but also the apres-ski activities. One of my favorite bars from my time there was Moo. A simple and comfortable bar for the
Recently Places: Columbus, Ohio and Wilmore, Kentucky
Wilmore,KY
Shannon on a street
fairy lights
A Green Wall
The Soft Field
In Franklin Park, Columbus, Ohio
A soft setting
What You Learn Without A Camera In A Different Country
I’ve been incredibly blessed to travel quite a lot in the past few years, and in a few weeks I’m going to set off again to Switzerland. Most times I’ve been able to take my handy dandy Canon 60D with me. This past summer I wasn’t able to, so I had to get creative when it came to memory making. Of course, all phones these days have some pretty nice cameras on them so I was still able to capture some pretty buildings and sunsets. I was also able to experience the countries differently than before. My face wasn’t always constantly behind a lens; it was in the sun or in the moonlight or singing along with a band. I learned more about how to pronounce ‘Je voudrais steak at des frites” and less about ISO numbers. I focused first on eating my food, not taking pictures of it. There is a lot more to culture than the way a country looks, and I was lucky enough to learn that this past summer.
I did of course take some photos on my phone, so please enjoy them.
Cheese ready to sell and sample in a Swiss market (taken on phone)
Bike path in Cologny Switzerland where the tip of Mount Blanc is sometimes visible (taken on phone)
More food available at a farmers market (taken on phone)
View of Lake Geneva at sunset (taken on phone)
Buildings in London (taken on phone)
View of London (taken on phone)
Maastricht
I traveled to Maastricht in May of 2013 and it was a breath-taking trip. It’s amazing how the culture can change in only an hour long plane ride. The top three things I learned there were to (1) not be afraid to walk on the grass. There was so much green everywhere, and sometimes I wasn’t sure if i was supposed to walk on the lawn or follow the path. Then I saw lots of people running and biking over the grass, so I learn it was okay. (2) They plant a tree when they get a new queen. I didn’t quite understand this tradition, but it seemed to be a specific type of tree that was planted and had a dainty little gate around it. (3) There were roman baths here. I was walking through a square and I saw different colored tiles on the ground. The family I was visiting there explained to me that there used to be roman baths in that area. Instead of preserving them by not building over them, the builders of the town decided to remember the baths differently. they outlined them in different colored tiles. Now that I knew, I started seeing them everywhere! Interesting!
Zermatt
Mysterious and snowy, the Matterhorn almost disappears in a storm.
The Matterhorn on a clear day
A river will snow covered rocks runs through the village.
Beautiful Ski Resort in Zermatt Switzerland
Snow capped village
During the winter of 2012, I was able to learn to ski. So the first on my list of the top three things I learned while in Zermatt was (1) to ski, and that when you’re skiing you should look forward to where you are going. This was helped by me being able to look at the giant moutons around me. (2) I also learned that some ski villages don’t allow cars! We had to park our van and then get on a little elctric trolly to go up to the ski resort. This made the snow super beautiful and stay white! (3) The villagers who were there skied EVERYWHERE. Outside of every restaurant I saw little places for people to stick their skis or ski boots. So cool!
Alyssa in France 