Travel Friday: Rock of Cashel, Ireland

My trip to Ireland was full of so many wonderful moments. On our first full day there we went to the famous rock of Cashel. It was incredible to be transported back in time and amoung the ruins of this incredible landmark. Being a fan of great architecture, I love finding amazing details like this celtic shaped cut out.

Travel Friday

Paris, France Oct. 2006
L'Arc di Triomphe

Paris in Autumn. What a beautiful city! I could hardly believe that I was actually there. The weather was amazing. The sun shone brillantly. And the sites from my architecture books came alive.

I love this photo taken of L'Arc di Triomphe. After stopping at the market earlier in the day to pick up some good french treats, we decided to have our picnic at the base of the Arch. It was Paris at its finest!

Travel Friday

I didn't post a "Travel Friday" last week because I was in Maine. So what better photo to post this week, than one from Maine!!!!





The weather in Maine was wonderfully mild, the trees were at the perfect point of color change, and the days were sunny: overall it was a picture perfect trip. One of my favorite stops was Ports Head Lighthouse just outside of the city of Portland.

Not only was the lighthouse beautiful it was situated in the most amazing park. The grounds were arranging perfectly for walking. After spending some time around the lighthouse, we decided to take a nice amble around the park, walking along the large rock formations that hugged the coastline and ducking under vibrant red branches. I couldn't have painted a more ideal picture!

Travel Friday

Paris, France... known for its great architecture, its wonderful museums, restaurants and cafes and so much more! I loved so many things about Paris. Of course the famous sites were incredible. I loved Notre-Dame, L'arc di Triomphe, and the Louvre... but I also loved so many of the "2nd tier" sites too...

This shot is from the incredible church: St. Chapelle, the church that houses Christ's Crown of Thorns. The church, though nondescript from the exterior is just amazing inside. I loved the glow that came from its amazing stained glass window!

Travel Friday

Today I take you to the streets of the small town of Evora, Portugal.

Evora was not a planned stop on our Spain and Portugal trip, but we are so glad we did! After deciding to rent a car and drive to our main Portuguese destination (Fatima) instead of taking a bus or train, we eagerly took out our guide to find a "fun" and "interesting" town in which to make a stopping point.

The photo of this church was captured in the early morning. It was January, so the air was crisp and cool. I love how the sunlight filtered through the trees and illuminated the facade. It was "picture perfect".

Travel Friday

Today I chose a U.S. sight... Since my last photo seemed blurry, I wanted to test out a picture of a building... because I knew it was crisp by nature. (Not sure if the trees in my last post just made things seem blurry)

Here it is:





This photo is of a super cool theater in Celebration, FL. (a stop on an anniversary trip my hubby and I took last January). I wanted to stop in Celebration because it is a New Urbanist town. As an architecture major I was fascinated with new urbanism. I went from loving it (what better than idealized small towns), to hating it (a horrible example of gentrification) to somewhere in the middle... One of the things I do love about New Urbanism is the fact that "towns" are created, not just housing developments.

This day in January was the actual day of our anniversary... the weather was mild, and sunny... the perfect afternoon for exploring a fun town!

For more info about new urbanism check out the book:
The New Urbanism: Toward an Architecture of Community by Peter Katz

Interested in another New Urbanism fact... Unless I am mistaken the movie "Truman Show" was taped in a New Urbanism town... Seaside, FL.