st. denis

One of the great inevitables of Europe is the plethora of churches. Large cities have their landmark churches, tiny towns have their forgotten churches, and there are too many to count in between. I've always loved churches. I'm not Catholic, but I always find a moment of peace while walking along the wooden pews and gazing at the stained glass.

My favorite is when you can see light reflected in different colors on a somber, gray surface.

The Cathedral of St. Denis became famous when the kings of France chose it as their designated burial spot. There are tombs throughout the cathedral commemorating the centuries of French kings. The city itself is rich with history and has grown in its own way right alongside Paris.

The most exciting thing I learned about the cathedral is that it was the model for the Notre Dame. Of course Notre Dame is significantly larger and more well-known, but the facades are similar and you can see the similarities in the gothic architecture between the two. My favorite part about the cathedral? It was just down the street from Vanessa's flat so we could see it when we looked out the kitchen window.

istanbul

During the last week of my trip to Greece, we took a cruise around the Aegean Sea with our first port in Istanbul. I hadn't anticipated going to Turkey but everything just worked out.

Istanbul was witness to a lot of "firsts" for me. Cab racing. Dining and dashing (we were willing to pay for the fancy dinner until they wanted €500 for one bottle of vodka and five Red Bulls that we didn't ask for). My first and only hookah (mint, and exquisite). And stepping into another culture's holy place.

The last three photos are of the Blue Mosque. Even when I tip-toed with my bare feet, I still felt like I was intruding as I saw so many people bent in prayer. We all felt so small in such a big mosque, but in the best way possible. Then there was the Hagia Sofia. I know that no one worships in the Hagia Sofia, but with the detailed walls and streaming sunlight, I easily could have. It was breathtaking.

ravenna

although ravenna used to be the capital city of the western roman empire and later the kingdom of the ostrogoths, my interest in ravenna lies in the fact that it is home to some of the best preserved byzantine mosaics in the world.

going into the basilica san vitale and the tiny baptistries, you'd never think that the art on the wall was actually mosaics of gold until you saw them glitter in the sun light. my little pictures don't do any of them justice.

in less than 24 hours i'll be on my way to berlin, my final european stop before heading back home next saturday. it's bittersweet knowing that today is my last day in this beautiful country.

roma, firenze, lucca, pistoia, fiesole, rimini, san marino, perugia, assisi, napoli, sorrento, pompeii, pisa, siena, volterra, san gimignano, montepulciano, pienza, viareggio, cinque terre, venezia, verona, bologna, padova, ravenna and still so much more to see.

tornerò per te, italia.

padova

true to my wanderlust, i couldn't resist a little day trip to padova this weekend and enjoyed the sunshine. i guess in english you would call this city "padua," but i think "padova" is much nicer to say so i'm going to stick with that. padova is a quaint little town in the veneto region (it's close to venice) and it houses one of the oldest universities in italy (after bologna, of course).

other than the basilica di san antonio, i didn't have a lot on my agenda. the church is gigantic and beautiful. not only is the nave beautiful, but there are several courtyards that glowed with sunlight. i think that a lot of catholics come to this basilica to pray to san antonio, the patron saint of lost things. along with reliquaries and reminants of his tunic from the 13th century, there were altars where people left prayers and photos of loved ones. i'm not catholic, but seeing people's hope and prayers is always touching.

this normally quiet town was particularly quiet because it was a sunday and most everything was closed. the city, however, is cute enough to enjoy just walking around and appreciating its sleepiness.

salisbury

other than steak, i didn't really know much about salisbury before we went to visit. turns out it has an amazing cathedral and a lovely river running through it (although i suppose that's true for most british cities). this short visit was wonderful. a wonderful fusion of town and nature, bowls of fruit and veggies sold at one pound per bowl, and baby ducks (:

köln!

the floor of the cathedral

on the way to frankfurt from amsterdam

we stopped in köln to visit the largest cathedral in germany

david's helping me write this post.. so his comments are in italics.

there's the cathedral

it's pretty gigantic

inside the cathedral

please note the organ on the left.. near the ceiling

de-frag window

stained glass!

golden box

this is the "reliquary of the three magi"

supposedly their bones are inside...

bunch of candles

giant bell

(i'm dutch, celeste, everything is labeled accordingly)

some of the 500 steps to the top of the tower...

celeste naked

thanks, david.

i'm not actually naked..

but these are our tired faces.

cologne

finally at the top!

celeste

graffiti?

you cut out "ich auch!"

(that means "me too")

looking up

any final words?

no

my boyfriend.. is a man of few words.

happy april!