Christmas day here in Umbria was unseasonably warm and sunny, and after days of rain everything was as lush as green as December allows. Being so nice my dad and I have been walking the woods and fields. I have many beautiful pictures to edit and post, but these are two of my favorites.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy New Year.
This weekend I was down in LA and on the Warner Brothers studio tour I got to live out a dream I didn’t realize I’d had, visiting the set of Friends. Though not in its original sound stage the set of Central Perk has been set up as it was on the last day of filming for visitors to take pictures sitting on the signature couch.
After a long break I’m finally going through the last pictures from my trip to Europe in September.
After a long break I’m finally going through the last pictures from my trip to Europe in September.
After a long break I’m finally going through the last pictures from my trip to Europe in September.
After a long break I’m finally going through the last pictures from my trip to Europe in September.
After taking the train from Brussels to Paris and getting settled in our new AirBnB. We still had some time in the day to visit a few churches before on the way to get some ice cream.
It doesn’t snow often in Seattle. Which is good because it is a very hilly city without the infrastructure to remove snow. On the rare occasion when it does snow this circumstances leave residents with only one option for getting around the city.
Some people may say that things are never black and white. To those people I would direct them up to the mountains on a cold winter morning and see a dark world covered in fresh snow. I managed a picture of this winter wonderland while skiing this weekend, with the clouds just retreating back up into the sky and a light dusting on all the trees.
Our next day in Belgium we split the day between Bruges and Ghent. Both of these cities were beautiful examples of Gothic ascetics with very little modern construction.
A picturesque hotel right as we got off the train
The morning streets of Bruges
Omer on the streets
Around every corner is another great scene
Jonathan, looking for breakfast
Spires tower over all the city
Getting a picutre
Waling the street
The Courthouse
The Belfry of Bruges
Inside the Belfry
From the top of the Belfry we watch a storm roll in
Looking down on the Basilica of the Holy Blood
Bells in the Belfry
“Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries”
A medieval courtyard
The back of the tower
The streets after the rain
The rain removes all the tourist from in from of City hall
Basilica of the Holy Blood, no pictures were allowed inside
Looking cool
Empty streets
Admiring the Church
The Church of St. Anne
The Courthouse
Where we stopped for lunch for Belgium fries
More chocolates
The Senate and People of Belgium?
A Bridge in Bruges
Top photo spot
Justin by the canal
Behind Church of Our Lady Bruges
Taking a picture
Half Moon’s bier pipeline!
On a bridge
Where we should have gotten lunch
Goodbye Bruges, will Justin make it to Ghent?
Saint Nicholas’ Church in Ghent
So many towers
I think the stone tower looks nicer than the crane
The Belfry of Ghent
Belfry of Ghent, St Bavo’s Cathedral in the background
Post Plaza
Looking back at Saint Nicholas
Leie (Lys) River
Gravensteen castle
Despite running to the castle we arrived just as it closed
Defend the gates
Saint Nicholas
A canal cafe
Sunset
Ghent at night
Back at Gravensteen castle
Canals are calm at night
Bridge of the Lys at night
Our first full day in Brussels we enjoy more waffles and chocolates before heading out to see some odd sights. First up Train World a museum dedicated to the history of railroads in Europe, as Belgium had the first rail line in continental Europe. The next destination for the day is the Atomium, a structure like the Eiffel tower or Space Needle, constructed for a Worlds Fair and never taken down.
Belgium waffles disappear too quickly to photograph
Covered streets are great on rainy days
Welcome to the Train World
Trains
Conductor boarding
Steam engines are surprisingly complicated
Train selfie
Lets get out of here
Admiring the scenery
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The Type 12, train of the future
Our travel itinerary
A model of the train we had taken from Amsterdam
The Atomium
Getting the Instagram picture
Young Atlas
There is no angle from which this structure is uninteresting
A flock of birds flying underneath in the rain
The secret plans
Going up?
Taking a nice pic
