I want to hate the Louvre. I really, really do. There are lots of reasons to hate it, but I can’t. There’s just too much good stuff there. Unmatched stuff, unparalleled stuff. Dammit Louvre, you win this round.
Luckily when you go west you usually have to go back east again. So that means we went through the Badlands a second time on the road back home. Enjoy these parting shots of ridiculous colors and the brightest, bleakest earth. Because the Badlands are truly beautiful.
National Parks are great, State Parks are great and herds of bison are INCREDIBLE. Custer State Park is one of the prettiest areas of the Black Hills in South Dakota and we were lucky enough–moments after entering the park–to see the bison herd. Really, watching a huge male buffalo wallowing in the dirt is crazy.
My appreciation for caves has been documented here before. And, as you might recall, I prefer my nature with a side of clean bathrooms and a cafe. Luckily in western South Dakota there is lots of nature, most of which has decent bathrooms. One such place is Wind Cave, a deep, dark, cave that has… Read More Wind Cave: or why I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb.
The Badlands are like the moon, they’re like mars, they’re like nothing you’ve ever seen. That’s what you hear about the Badlands before going. Turns out, it’s true. All of a sudden you’re driving through high prairie and then there’s this: and your mind is totally blown. Because it’s quiet and windy and the colors are so… Read More The Badlands are Breathtaking, with 100% more Snakes!
While Europe (and a foot into Asia!!) have been grand, let’s revisit the good ol’ U S of A for a bit! There are lovely natural monuments, national parks, and iconic American wildlife in your future! This country is astounding for it’s unexpected (and expected) glories. So stay tuned…
I love the silly details that you notice while traveling. It’s in those details (is that you god?) that you really find a place. Istanbul was full of all the usual silliness. Enjoy the photos!
Although Hagia Sophia made me cry the first time I saw it in person from the outside, we didn’t actually go inside the structure for a couple days. Pretty unusually for us, we had actually booked a tour to see the interior. When living in Rome in the past my dear companion worked for Context Tours, a… Read More Theodora is my Idol (I suppose Justinian was ok too): Hagia Sophia!
In Istanbul I wasn’t sure what to expect in regards to my ongoing global hunt for street art. But I found some! Perhaps not at all surprisingly, it wasn’t in Sultanhamet, but across the Golden Horn in Galata and Beyoğlu. We took more totally reasonable public transit up to Taksim Square, walked down İstiklal Caddesi, I bought… Read More The Unexpected Street Art in Istanbul
Perhaps equal in architectural grandeur to the Blue Mosque the Süleymaniye Mosque might be a better draw because it’s almost entirely empty. It has similarly spectacular tiles, soaring domes/half-domes, glittering windows, and almost no people in it. Though it’s the largest mosque in the city and is supposedly as big of a sight to visit, it… Read More The Empty Süleymaniye Mosque
Ruins + Relics 