Day 27 and 28 - Celle

We've traveled again, I realized the challenge has come close to its end and I did not want to leave out my shots of Celle, so I skipped ahead a bit. Celle is a wonderful medium sized German city that is known for its picturesque center with over 400 timber framed houses. Like I've said before, I adore old architecture, and this city absolutely floored me with its beauty. We really only stopped by on one evening though - we arrived late on our way back north and left early the next day. I would have loved to stay there longer, but sadly our holiday was nearing its end and we had to get back home to go to work again. The city was absolutely stunning in the twilight, and eating there, outside as the sun went down, was magical. I have a feeling Celle will become a regular stop of ours as we go on our road-trips. One evening there is simply not enough and I want to explore some more. I managed to get some lovely shots of it though. I hope you like them too.

/MrsHjort

Day 24 - The Chenonceau Gardens

Just like Château de Villandry, Chenonceau has beautiful gardens. They might not be quite as large, but they're just as lovely. Places like this makes me think of novels like Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. It's been so long since I read it I have forgotten most of it, but I remember that there were several scenes set in gardens, and when I read it I pictured a place like this. So today's picture made me time travel again, just like yesterday's shot.

It also makes me think about how things have changed... Back when the chateau was in its prime there were no smart phones, computers or TVs, and the inhabitants spent their time doing stuff like needlework, riding horses or strolling through the gardens instead. It feels so far removed from how our lives are today, and yet, we're not that different from what they were. We're still the same species, with the same faults and virtues, and yet, those times almost feel like something not only from a fictional novel but a fantasy one. Weirdly, times without electricity feel just as foreign as elves and dragons. Isn't it strange how fast our lives have changed? On the scale of human existence, the speed in which we've evolved the last couple of centuries is astronomical. Our lives have practically gone from fantasy novels to sci-fi RPGs in no time at all. But now I'm starting to get philosophical, and when that mood hits me I ramble quite a bit, so now it's time to end this twaddle of mine.

I hope you're having a wonderful day :)

/MrsHjort

Day 23 - Imagination

This picture made me think of fairy tales I used to love as a child, like Rapunzel. I can picture her with her long hair up that tower looking out the window. It's funny how some pictures make you think about stuff you've not thought about in a very long time... It's like time travel. Suddenly you can picture the cover of your old children's books or remember how your father used to read for you as he nearly fell asleep himself after a long day at work. I remember those times very fondly, No matter how tired he was, he always read to me, even the stories that he had read a hundred times already, over and over and over again :).

So this picture is for you dad, and all those times you sat by my bed. Thank you for always being there.

/MrsHjort

Day 21 and 22 - Château de Chenonceau

Now it's time for the next gorgeous fairy tale chateau, situated in the Loire valley by the Cher River. Château de Chenonceau is one of the best known of the valley, and it's not surprising - it really is unique, as you'll see. It was built between 1514-1522 on the foundations of an old mill and later it was built to expand over the river - the castle is literally built on a bridge, which makes me think of a certain place in Game of Thrones. Who knows, maybe this is where George R.R. Martin got his inspiration from? It's certainly a place that sparks imagination and it has an other worldly feeling to is.

I don't have to tell you what a joy it was to walk around with a camera here. The chateau is absolutely stunning! The sky and the lighting really cooperated too, making it even more fun. We stayed here, exploring the castle and it's grounds, for the larger part of the day. As the sun crossed the sky I was lucky enough to catch it lit from different angles. This place really is hobby photographer's dream.

/MrsHjort

Day 15 - Château de Villandry

Now for one of the more Disney-like chateaus ;). This one was only a stone's throw from the place where we stayed, and we hadn't planned to visit it, but our host recommended it very highly, so off we went. It was well worth a visit. Not only was the chateau beautiful, but its gardens too. It was quite hot that day so we went early in the morning and spent our times in the gardens before going inside to look at the interior. It turned out to be a good choice. I want out into the gardens after we had been in side to use my telephoto lens because it struck me that I hadn't done anything with it, but it was so hot I couldn't concentrate and the pictures didn't come out good at all.

The second and third shots are from the top of the tower in the first shot. The view was just marvelous from up there (and it was a bit cooler up there too). It was nice to get to see the geometric shapes of the plantings from above. All of the gardens had different themes, like "the kitchen garden" that dated back to the middle ages. It's actually the very last one remaining in its style - combining the traditional vegetable garden of the time with Italian influence that brought decorative elements like flower beds, fountains and bowers.

The third shot shows only a small portion of the gardens. There are 150 000 plants growing there and gardeners (ten!) work all year around, changing them out with the seasons on a rotation schema.

I'm glad we went here. Even though it ended up meaning we didn't have the time to visit one of the places we had planned to. It really is a beautiful place. And like I said, now we have a reason to go back :)

/MrsHjort

Day 14 - Ballan-Miré

We have traveled south again, to the French countryside just outside Tours. The area is renowned for its many chateaus, big and small, and to our delight we even stayed a couple of days in one of them.

This is La Commanderie de Ballan an excellent hotel with wonderful hosts that really take pride in making all of their guests feel... well wonderful! We've never been upgraded before, but we got a really nice suite on the top floor. The breakfast was delicious with fresh eggs from the hotel hen house and homemade yoghurt. The pool had just the right temperature and... ekhem... sorry, now I'm starting to sound like a reviewer haha. I just love this place is all. It's hard not to sing its praises when you've had such a wonderful stay. We were only here for two nights, but this place really found its way into our hearts.

The upcoming days I'll share some pictures from the chateaus we visited in the area. We had planned to visit at least four of them, but it turned out we underestimated the time it would take to see them, and we wanted to take our time to enjoy the experience. We can always come back here after all, and now we'll know exactly where to stay too :).

/MrsHjort

Day 13 - St-Leu

We're leaving Amiens' Cathedral now and heading for a charming neighborhood called St-Leu. The area is situated right by a stream and several canals. The houses there are adorable and some of them even have their very own bridges that you cross to get to their entrances. A great thing about this place is that there are many places where you can sit down to eat right by the water (second picture). We had dinner here on the evening when we arrived, right before the light show. The food was you would expect from a tourist hot spot - not your best choice - but the location was wonderful. The top shot is actually pretty much the view from where we sat, only I shot it the next day.

We're finally making some headway with my medical situation. I've been ill for over two years now, and now we've got a new find that is something that could finally point us to a "solution". I put the quotation marks there because I'm fairly sure this condition of mine is chronic, but nonetheless I feel a huge sense of relief! Having no answers for this long has been hard. There has been many times when I've put my hopes to different theories, but up until now, everything has been hopelessly inconclusive. Having, at the very least, one part of the puzzle feels like huge win! It means that I will finally get referred to the right department and meet the right specialist. So, tonight I'm celebrating! It might sound strange, celebrating that you've found out something is amiss with your body, but I am happy, oh so happy! Having part of the answer is such a win!

/MrsHjort

Day 12 - Altar, Organ, Spaciousness

I thought I was finished with the shots from Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens, but I was not. These last ones just had to be added into the challenge. The first, because I love how it shows just how grand the cathedral is inside- and I like how the architectural shapes repeat in foreground and background. To wander inside this fantastic building in the morning in complete silence really was something I'll never forget and this image really reminds me of what it felt like being there... the experience of being almost alone inside this wonder was extraordinary.

The second shot is for Bob, who remarked that the organ in a shot from a cathedral Rome in this post was outmaneuvered by another compositional element. I couldn't help but think about you as I shot this, Bob :). Maybe the window steals the show a bit in this one... but I like to think that it shows off the organ as well. We didn't hear it play when we were in the cathedral, but it sure looks beautiful, and it's very tasteful how the inner decor works together.

I hope you like this one Bob :)

The third is quite similar to the first shot I showed you of the inside, but it's taken from a bit further in and I like this shot's composition better (and you can see the altar better), though the other one shows off the the spaciousness of the cathedral well, just like the top shot of today. Either way, I like this one too much to leave it out, so it became a bonus shot. not that I'm sure which ones are bonus shots and which ones are the official ones... just like a proud mother I like them all ;)

/MrsHjort

Day 10 - Details, Details, Details

The top picture shows some of the wonderful artworks inside Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens. In terms of color the interior not as lavish as the churches in Rome, but nonetheless beautiful (although I noticed one of the motifs are a bit morbid). There are so many wonderful aspects to this cathedral it's a marvel to work with as a (in my case, hobby) photographer - so many interesting viewpoints and ways to work with perspective. I found this spot especially interesting because of how the Gothic arches work together in both the foreground and the background, and in the art as well.

The bottom picture is from one of the chapels that have yet to be renovated. As you can see it has seen better days but I though it charming nonetheless. I have a sore spot for old faded things and don't mind flaking color or worn wallpaper, in the right environment that is, and this is one of those places. It was interesting to contrast it to the other areas of the cathedral.

/MrsHjort

Day 9 - On the Inside

This is shot from just inside the big entrance to Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens. We went there in the morning, and as you can see it was nice and empty - just the way I like it when I shoot - it provides fewer distractions in the shots and more control over the composition. It also gifted me with a mood that is hard to get when places like this are crowded. It's was almost like that feeling you sometimes got when you were a child and went into a spacious building that you didn't quite know if you were allowed in. A feeling of being very small and of stepping inside a place that is so grand you also felt like a very insignificant part of the world. Like an ant on the floor of a building that has been a part of history, that has been visited by kings and other persons who have shaped the world we live in today. You don't get that feeling very often... but it's very cool when you do!

The raw format made a lot of difference in making this shot pop. I also enhanced the colors a bit to make things look "sunny" - it was cloudy when we were there, so things got a bit washed out inside. Though I have no doubt a sunny day would have provided its very own set of photographic problems. But then, maybe it also would have made things look cool if the sun shone through the colored windows... (on the sides, behind the pillars).

/MrsHjort

Day 8 - Light Show

We didn't know it before coming to Amiens, but the Cathedral becomes even more spectacular at night. When we heard there was a light show on I knew I couldn't miss it. It was truly an experience and I must have snapped a hundred pictures that evening. These are some of my favorites. I couldn't pick just one, so I made a collage.

After the show, they left the top middle lighting going and we were allowed to walk around and look at it up close. It really made a lot of difference, seeing everything all lit up in different colors and I started to notice a whole lot of details I would never had seen otherwise. The lighting was really masterfully done, matching the details of the building perfectly so that you could see what the figurines were carrying in their hands or the different styles of clothing they were wearing.

What picture is your favorite?

/MrsHjort

Day 7 - Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens

Did you know that Paris is not the only city to have a Cathedral named Notre-Dame? I didn't, until I started to look for places to stop on our road-trip. They're quite similar looking too, but this one is actually larger! And wow, was it worth a stop! It is magnificent! Not only on the outside, but on the inside as well. So, if you're in the mood for Notre Dame, and don't want to wait until the one in Paris is restored, I highly recommend going here to see this one. It's less crowded too ;).

Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens was built between 1220 and 1270, and it has been on UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites since 1981. The stained glass has mostly been changed out since it's construction, but it has been beautifully done, so if you don't have a trained eye, you really wont be able to tell. It's a almost a miracle that the cathedral is in such great shape really - there was heavy fighting around the city in both World Wars I and II and many of the surrounding buildings were destroyed.

As you can see, this image if the result of stitching two shots together - I couldn't get the whole cathedral into my viewfinder the way I wanted it, so I thought I'd try merging instead. It's the first time I've attempted to do this sort of thing. Or well, I've done similar stuff, but I've never attempted to make the result look seamless before. It took me some time to figure things out and I tried a verity of methods to merge the photos together before I was satisfied enough to actually start doing the stuff I do to make things look prettier. I actually have a third shot as well - that is in the middle of the other two - but since the top and the bottom ones overlapped I though it'd be simpler to just merge the two of them. It was complicated enough as it was without adding a third one, and I haven't spent that much time on a singe image in a very long time. There are still some tiny distortions that annoy me, but you have to quit at some point. :)

/MrsHjort

Day 6 - Reitdiephaven

This is Reitdiephaven, a Groningen neighborhood that was built in Scandinavian style. It was one of things I just had to see before we left the city, so it became our last stop. I just love the colors of the houses and it's brilliant how thy're built right by the water. Gorgeous! Oh how I wish they built things like this where I'm from. You'd think we would, but strangely we don't see many houses in this style where I am from - mostly it's modernistic stuff with huge windows in boring colors. Those towers in the end houses are really something. I sure would have loved to see what they're like on the inside. It must be wonderful to enjoy your morning coffee up there :).

/MrsHjort

Day 5 - Streets of Groningen

These are the last pictures I'm going to show you from Groningen's city center. Like I said, we only spent one day there so, we really only went up the church tower and strolled around in the city center. It wasn't the last shots I took of Groningen though - we did one more stop in the city - a neighborhood a bit further out - before we started driving towards our next stop, but I'll save that for tomorrow :). If you like architecture I think you'll enjoy the pictures. Today's pictures are also showing off the style of the houses. But tomorrow's shots will not be as traditional, or, well at least when it comes to Groningen.

With today's shots I tried to capture the city vibe. The Netherlands really do have a lot of bikes - a true stereotype, and a charming one. But then I totally get it. It's a flat country, ideal for bike riding. Healthy and enjoyable at the same time. If I lived there I would bike too. 

I really like the garlands they had hung in some of the streets. They brought even more charm to the city. I don't know if it's part of some sort of tradition or festivity (or both), but I sure would love it if my home town did something similar. I only wish the sun had been out to make things pop even more, but alas, you can't have everything :)

/MrsHjort

Day 3 - Grote Markt

I promised to show you the view from the Martinikerk yesterday, and this is my favorite picture from up the clock tower. It's of the square called Grote Markt. I really like the architecture. I have always adored the older styles and I love to look at the variants of the countries I visit. Did you know that the reason why many buildings are so narrow in the Netherlands is because of the tax system that was used? You see, they taxed the buildings depending on how wide they were on the side facing the street, so building narrower houses was more economic. It turned out quite charming too - I they they're beautiful! Especially that tiny red facade in the middle :).

/MrsHjort