Siglufjörður, Iceland
Sligachan, Scotland
Helsinki, Finland
Stokksnes, Iceland
Mount Vernon, Virginia, USA
streetside in stockholm
We came to Stockholm because my husband was speaking at a conference. He did all the work, I did all the pleasant walking around taking pictures. I may have gotten the better end of the deal.
Stockholm skyline as seen from across the water
On the first day, we mostly walked around the rest of the city, leaving the old town (Gamla Stan) for the next morning. Stockholm is a huge city, as I soon figured out, and there’s a blend of architectural styles that reflect it's long history as a regional power.
One of the best ways to orient yourself in this city is to look for church spires. Each one is unique, and will tell you where in the city you are.
On the second day, we finally hit Gamla Stan proper, with all its (imperial) yellow buildings. The weather was just right for walking, though the clear skies meant that photography was more challenging.
After thoroughly treading what felt like every square, cobblestone inch of Gamla Stan, I ventured across the water to the part of Stockholm that has hills.
Sometimes the distortion of wide angle lenses is fun to play around with.
spring
streetside in moscow
Going from the warmth and light of Rome, to the dismal cold of Moscow was actually more of a relief than you’d think. Having grown up in New England, I miss having real winters, with snow and bleak days. (although I do wish there had been some clearer skies for the sake of photography)
Our first night there, we went out for a fantastic meal at one of Moscow’s best restaurants, and so it was with a still somewhat full stomach that I woke up the next morning to explore the city. I was met by a graduate student who was voluntold to show me around, but if he minded, he did a great job of hiding it. We walked around for several hours, with him explaining each cultural and historical landmark along the way.
Sadly, you’re not allowed to take pictures inside orthodox churches. You’ll have to take my word for it that it was beautiful.
The following day, we revisited some of the same spots, but this time with my husband his friend Nina, who quickly became my friend as well. We took the obligatory pass through Red Square, but also veered off onto many side streets, and into neighborhoods I could probably never find again.
In the span of less than an hour, the weather went from what you see on the left, to completely overcast again.
In between these two pictures, we ate dinner. It was a great meal, but not really a photographic event.
Of course, no trip to Moscow in December would be complete without checking out the New Year’s lights at Red Square. We took the subway back, and mingled with what may have been the entire population of Moscow among the beautiful lights.
winter
streetside in rome
Day One:
It turns out that all of Rome turns out on Sundays to walk around the city. So in addition to all the traffic from tourists, you suddenly had what felt like half of Rome walking around the old city. For someone who doesn’t like crowds and does like photography, it was not the best introduction to the city. (it got better on day two)
Day Two:
On the second day, I was pleased to see that Rome wasn’t as packed everyday as it had been the evening before, and it was possible to see the sights without the entire free world experiencing it with you. We started out walking to the mall, and then taking a shortcut through a building that yielded this amazing gem. I had to lean out of the scaffolding to shoot upwards, directly into the light. Thank goodness for the miracles of post-processing!
Just your usual atrium. (click to see it larger)
Day Three:
This was all about the Roman ruins, walking first to the Roman Forum, a stop into the Musei Capitolini, then further out along the old Hippodrome, and finally to the Coliseum.
This car parked at the stairs is one of my favorite things.
Day Four:
After three straight days of 25k+ steps, we needed a day where we didn’t do so much walking. Villa Borghese was just up the street from us, so into the park we wandered on our first somewhat chilly day in Rome.
vatican museum
We thought we weren’t going to make it.
Naively, we bought tickets to the museum based on the amount of time we expected to spend in St Peter’s, neglecting to remember that there are 551 steps to climb to get to the top. It’s one of the few places to get a view of all of Rome, so of course we were going to do it. Even if we only had 35 minutes until our entry time to the Vatican Museum.
After we got to the top, then rushed back down, we found out that the entrance to the museum is NOWHERE near the basilica. In fact, it’s nearly a mile away! We hoofed it, walking as fast as we could, and made it to the entrance 10 minutes late. As it turns out, they operate on Italian time, so I suspect we would have been fine even if we’d shown up an hour late.
Now, I grew up in CT, not far from New York City. Going to “The Met” was not an unusual weekend activity when I was a kid, so I’m not easily impressed. But, well, this is the Vatican. “More is the new more,” was their motto for, like, 400 years, and it shows.
But there’s one thing that everyone who comes to the Vatican Museum really comes to see: the Sistine Chapel. Don’t get me wrong, this entire place is a literal embarrassment of riches. It’s almost hard to appreciate some of the amazing artwork because every room is jam packed. (Mostly I mean the art, but also tourists… that’s Rome for you.) The only way to get there is to walk through the ENTIRE museum; the shortcuts are a lie. A beautiful, heavily gilded, marble and jewel-encrusted lie, but definitely not an actual shortcut. Once you get there, though…
My one, illicit photograph (click to view larger)
Of course you’re not allowed to take pictures. I get it. Flash would destroy what has been so painstakingly restored, and if that’s half the reason people come, then you want to keep it a bit more under wraps. It is the sole job of several men to stand around and yell at people who missed all the signs telling them not to take pictures. One older gentleman had a booming voice that echoed through the entire chapel, “NO FOTO!” Strangely, it’s one of the things I’ll remember most about the trip.
The chapel was crowded, with everyone doing their level best to speak in hushed tones, discussing all the brilliant detail. It’s a challenge to pick out the meaning of some of the images because all the characters are wearing the garb of the time, so you have to look for clues in other ways. And to think this was Michelangelo’s first professional gig as a painter!
I suppose it makes sense to put the Sistine Chapel at the very end. Nothing else looks quite as impressive after you’ve seen it. I’m fairly certain I saw things after we left the chapel, but I don’t have a single image to prove that. Except the spiral staircase leading out of the museum, which was fabulous and seems like a great way to end this post.
It starts out smooth and then the stairs become more pronounced as you go down.