Winged Victory of Samothrace- Nike – The Louvre, Paris

October 17, 2014August 21, 2015 / Bulldog Travels / 1 Comment

Have you ever seen anything that totally and immediately captivated you? Winged Victory is, in my opinion, quite possibly the most moving and beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. She is glorious and commands attention. Winged Victory represents the Greek God of Victory, Nike and was created to celebrate a great sea battle victory. She was created in 200-190 B.C. The sculptor is thought to be Pythokritos of Rhodes.

The Louvre places her at the base of a large staircase mounted on a platform all her own. She is the only art I recall seeing in a room all by herself. This masterpiece is not flanked by any other single piece of art which certainly adds to her grandeur. She stands eight feet tall even without a head. Some say she is even more mysterious and lovely without her face. Probably the most striking feature to me is the fact the artist managed to capture movement in stone. She is standing in the wind and her dress is blowing and it is utterly believable. And then there are her wings. They are huge and seem to defy gravity despite their obvious weight. (To say nothing about the fact they have survived undamaged all this time.) I could sit and stare at her for hours. I hope you enjoy staring at her for moments!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winged_Victory_of_Samothrace

Winged Victory was moved to safety during WWII. It was obviously quite the undertaking.

Voodoo Donut – Portland – To go or not to go…

October 9, 2014September 8, 2015 / Bulldog Travels / 2 Comments

I have a love/hate relationship with places or things as touristy as Voodoo donuts in Portland,Oregon. The idea of it sounds awesome. But, that is where everyone goes, right? I feel like I would miss out on something cool and distinctly “Portland” if I failed to go. But, at the same time waiting in line for 20 minutes for a donut just seems crazy. I don’t even like donuts!

My decision was made for me when the large group I was traveling with ALL wanted to go there. So, we rode the MAX in to town and had a glorious time anticipating which donut all of us would choose. (I chose a delightful vanilla donut with vanilla frosting and small M&Ms on it. One of us chose peanut butter and jelly, another maple bacon, fruit donuts, old fashions, and more…) While waiting in line a street ping pong tournament was happening just outside the store. Passersby could ping pong with the actual Mayor. And, if that wasn’t enough, Voodoo donuts hired a magician to entertain the crowd. (And he wasn’t half bad!)

The highlight for me was watching everyone’s face dig in to their pink box full of specialty picked donuts. Our Danish exchange student Johannes even had to pick the “Tex Ass” challenge, a donut the equivalent of six donuts in size, merely so he could have his picture taken with it. He managed to pack that entire donut away without being sick! (Ahh, to be sixteen with that kind of metabolism again.)

So, was it worth it? I was left with the typical regret one feels after eating a donut. But, the experience was unusual, and fun, and full of energy and totally Portland.

Keep Portland Weird

October 7, 2014August 21, 2015 / Bulldog Travels / 1 Comment

I love Portland. I love the weather, the food, the beer, the people, McMenamins, the Columbia…but, this time around I found something new. The food cart! I don’t remember seeing them last time I came. If they are new they certainly accessorize Portland’s fun vibe. It’s fun to have so many good choices all within one city block. Our large group got to choose what sounded good to them and we picnicked in a nearby park. Bon appetite!

Le Mans Car Museum

October 2, 2014August 16, 2015 / Bulldog Travels / 8 Comments

Eric and I were traveling through France when he spied “Le Mans” on the map. Being a type A traveler there wasn’t much time planned for a diversion. But, seeing the look on his face there was not a chance of our missing it. We drove to the track and visited the museum located on the hallowed grounds of Le Mans! As it turns out there is a glorious car museum there that Eric and I enjoyed immensely. Old cars are a hoot to photograph.

Enjoy some of my subjects during our visit. (Cars sit still a lot better than brides and children do as it turns out.)

Gaudy and breathtaking – La Sagrada Familia & Park Guell

September 30, 2014August 21, 2015 / Bulldog Travels / 9 Comments

Antonio Gaudi holds a special place in the heart of Barcelona. It seems one cannot go anywhere without running in to a building he had something to do with. I have to imagine everyone has their own opinion on his taste in architecture and design. It is where the word Gaudy came from I suppose! My impressions on his work changed regularly. First, in the plane reading a travel guide looking at one seemingly hideous building after another.

Then I saw it in person. La Sagrada Familia, the church being built to Gaudi’s design long after his death. Work began on the church in 1882 with Gaudi taking it over in 1883. He died in 1926 with only 25% of his work completed. Work has continued ever since with final completion slated for 2026, one hundred years after Gaudi’s death.

The building truly doesn’t make sense. But you can’t take your eyes off of it. The designs are light years ahead of its time yet gothic because Gaudi felt like mixing the styles. Art nouveau yet old and historic and ultimately Godly. If not for the scaffolding everywhere it would be hard to pinpoint when it was built. Is it old? Is it new? Did an alien build it and drop it in the middle of Barcelona?

In trance you walk around the building with not one corner, doorway, or window the same. It’s mesmerizing and starting to win you over just in its sheer size, grandure, and eclectic style. The statues built in to the facade are breathtaking and alive and full of heartbreaking emotion. They look as though they come alive at night and fulfill the role they were carved to play. It is pure entertainment just to look at the outside facade of this epic building.

Then you walk in. So many churches in Europe have lovely stained glass. Well Gaudi made the inside of the church alive with rainbow color! Everywhere you look you can’t take your eyes off of the glass. It seems impossible to illuminate such a large space with glowing vibrant rainbow colors.

The ceiling and columns look like ornate trees. A spectacular organ sits at ready in one end of the building.

There are many breathtaking buildings and architectural wonders both new and ancient in the world. But there is nothing quite like La Sagrada Familia. It is a one of a kind living masterpiece. And it won over my heart and mind no matter how hard I tried to hate it.

This UNESCO world heritage site is slated for completion in 2026, the one hundred year anniversary of Gaudi’s death.

Gaudí’s Sagrada Família To Reach Another Milestone (Click on the below link which includes a very quick ten second video on the future steps of the construction of the church. It is very interesting.)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/26/sagrada-familia_n_5889282.html

Park Guell

Remember back in the day when you would buy a tape from your favorite band and there was a secret song at the end? Well, if you liked La Sagrada Familia there is more!

Also in Barcelona, not too far from the epic La Sagrada Familia church, is Park Guell, another architectural exercise for your imagination. Originally built as an early single home development this park appears to be enjoyed by millions of locals and tourists alike. (Apparently, they only sold one of the plots probably because the ideas were too strange and ahead of their time for the real people of the time.)

This place looks like it should have been built for a Dr. Suess movie. But, again it wins you over for its unusualness and its view of the city.

One of the striking features of this park is its mosaics. Everything is brightly accessorized with mosaics.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Park_Güell

Windows and Doors

September 28, 2014August 21, 2015 / Bulldog Travels / 15 Comments

France is an amazing place and surely you will hear more on the subject from me in the future. But, as a photographer, it was a joy to take photos of things normally mundane like doors and windows. The history and age on some of these doors was so interesting. The design on others was fascinating and at times breathtaking.

Below is a door from Mont Saint Michel that was gorgeous in its simplicity and bold color.

This red and black door was also from Mont St. Michel. I love that it is aged and dirty. The metalwork on it is lovely.

This door is spectacular and just a standard site in Paris. I can only imagine what is on the other side of this door.

This is probably cheating but this is of course a spectacular window at the Notre Dame.

This, my friends, is a Troglodyte cave being re-purposed as a storage shed. There is literally no better place in the entire world to store your wine and your shovels than in this very spot. (This is probably one of my favorite photos from all of France.)

This lovely blue window was around the corner from the above cave door. I love the color and the large molding and the aged wall around it.

This knocker is dainty and sweet and scary all in one.

Below is another troglodyte cave again. France is full of them many of which were originally used for security from threats and are now used to live in, work out of, used for storage, and even in some cases as B&Bs.

Well, depending on what you believe this is certainly one kind of door. It just doesn’t lead to a traditional home. This is a dolmen, found commonly in the united kingdom. I found this one in the middle of some farms in France and had to show Eric.

This little heart door was sweet and of course needed to be added to my collection.

This is an example of a troglodyte cave turned very fancy home. Nearby was one that had been a bakery and another that was a B&B. In this area it was very common for people to live in these for thousands of years. The French felt the need to continue using the caves in what seems like ingenious ways. Some only had hatch doors and reminded me of people living off the grid with no power or running water and others, like this one, seemed modern and interesting.

One more troglodyte cave door. I just couldn’t get enough of these finally thinking it probably wasn’t much different than our ancestors digging caves or digging basements in order to keep their food cool. But, in some cases these caves were created long before modern times. Another blog post about those caves another day…

The Little Mermaid before Disney

September 26, 2014September 7, 2015 / Bulldog Travels / 3 Comments

A beautiful statue resides in Copenhagen, Denmark depicting The Little Mermaid. This statue was erected in 1913 to honor Denmark’s crowning author Hans Christian Andersen who wrote The Little Mermaid. She sits on a rock overlooking a lovely stretch of the sea and makes for a pleasant stop on your stroll.

I just read that there are multiple copies of the mermaid statue throughout the world even one in Solvang, California. Sadly, I am also surprised to read that she has been defaced and decapitated numerous times yet always restored to her former glory. She even once wore a Burqa! Who would have thought she would have had such an interesting life?!

Something isn’t quite right about this place

September 24, 2014August 21, 2015 / Bulldog Travels / 4 Comments

I recall sauntering down a street in Paris attempting to take in all the sites and beauty the city has to offer. Paris is arguably one of the most beautiful cities in the world yet it is also obscure and unusual and interesting in a quirky sort of way. I am afraid the quirky side of Paris probably doesn’t get enough credit. I love this photo and love this building. If you walk by too fast you will never notice. But, if you stop and look at it a little closer you will see everything is crooked. I just love it. I think this business has a ton of personality and I am glad it stopped me in my tracks.

If you look close you can see my reflection in the window and Eric attempting to be patient with my obsessive photo taking…

Waterfalls and Banana Slugs

September 22, 2014August 21, 2015 / Bulldog Travels / Leave a comment

Banana slugs are bright colored and weird and snotty and awesome. Well…with one exception. When you decide to go on a Russian Gulch (http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=432) fern canyon/waterfall hike a little late in the day on a short winter day without a flashlight. It appears that b.slugs, we are friends we can call them that, like to come out at night in massive quantities. Their seemingly bright colors are totally impossible to see in the dark. For about the last 45 minutes of our walk we were white knuckling the fact every single step we took might squash one of these unseen glorious creatures. As someone who doesn’t even particularly care to squash spiders you can imagine my dismay. I checked my shoes at the car and they weren’t slimed! I’ll take that as all the evidence I need to prove no slugs were harmed in the making of this post. At least that’s what I am telling myself.

Heartburn and Cool Cars

September 20, 2014August 16, 2015 / Bulldog Travels / Leave a comment

Every year Rocklin has a charity event called Hot Chili and Cool Cars. Officials shut down Pacific street to make way for chili booths and streets full of vendors and show cars.

I have never attended a chili cook off before and certainly never one in this heat! Nevertheless we tasted multiple cup fulls of chili finally dropping a ballot for our favorite one. After it’s all said and done chili won’t sound good to me again until winter I think.

With eye fulls of cool and interesting cars and a free snow cone we were done for the day. People watching was good as always with my favorite person accessorizing her outfit with a live lizard riding her buzom. To each there own!

And if you want my advice when the chili guy warns you that his chili is hot he isn’t kidding!

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Bulldog Travels / Photos By Jenny

Everything and Nothing Plus Some Pretty Photos