Reasons I Love Europe

Polytechnical Museum

2010-02-22T06:58:00.001-05:00

the Polytechnical Museum - Moscow, Russia

We had a wonderfully sunny and not too cold day here in Moscow about a week ago, so I took the opportunity to explore an area of the city I found while walking around in the bitter cold 1 month ago. This is just one small part of the massive Polytechnical Museum, built in 1872. I haven't been inside yet, but the website says that it has 65 halls of exhibitions! This will be something good to do on a rainy day.

Church of the Resurrection in Kadashi

2009-12-18T08:57:00.000-05:00

Two years ago, I saw this church through the trees when I visited the Kremlin. I didn't know where it was, and I never managed to find it. Two weekends ago, while walking with my friends, I found it! It's even better up close than it is from afar. When I get a chance, I'll go back during the day and get some more pictures.

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Note to my readers: I still don't have internet in my apartment, so posts here won't be as regular as I'd like - but I do promise to not go another month between posts!

Спасская башня

2009-11-13T08:10:00.002-05:00

Спасская башня (Spasskaya Tower), The Kremlin, Moscow

In just 5 days I'll be back in Moscow, looking at this clock tower with my very own eyes again!

The Spasskaya Tower overlooks Red Square. The red star on top was put there in 1935, as a traditional Soviet symbol. The tower itself was built in 1491. If you watch the New Years programs on Russian TV, this is the clock they show counting to midnight.

Prague

2009-09-16T11:48:00.000-04:00

Prague is a beautiful city, filled with wonderful old buildings. The Prague Castle dominates the skyline, as shown in my picture below. I didn't take a tour of the castle itself, but instead spent hours wandering around the grounds. I'll be posting pictures of that in the next couple of days. If you look at the bottom left corner of this picture, you'll see the Charles Bridge... well, let's rephrase that - you'll see the mass of people on the Charles Bridge! The covered areas are where they're doing repair work, which was rather noisy and dusty. Needless to say, the bridge was not one of the highlights of my trip - but I did get some wonderful photos from it, so I can't complain too much! This photo isn't from the bridge itself, but from the Mala Strana tower at the end of it.

The Prague Castle and the area surrounding it, taken from the Mala Strana tower.

Long overdue update

2009-09-11T23:14:00.003-04:00

I've been a terrible blogger, this poor blog has only had 2 posts for all of 2009. So to start things up again, I'll begin with some big news - I'm moving to Russia at the end of October! I'll be teaching English in Moscow.
Here's a taste of what I'll get to see every day...

Before I could apply for a teaching job, I needed to get a formal qualification. I decided on the CELTA, which is perhaps the most prestigious certificate in teaching English as a foreign language. I chose to take the CELTA course in Prague, Czech Republic. The course was a month long, and extremely intensive. Sadly, I only had four days for sightseeing while I was there, but I still managed to take around 800 pictures! I haven't finished reviewing all of them yet, but once I do, I'll be posting some of them here. This is just one of the wonderful buildings I saw.

I promise to be a better blogger from here on out : ) Stay tuned for more updates!

I'm back - and actually in Europe!

2009-07-20T01:52:00.004-04:00

I'm finally back to blogging - and now Reasons I Love Europe will be published from Europe! I'm in Prague, Czech Republic right now, taking a teacher training class. I'm planning to teach English as a Foreign language. I'm sitting at the coffee house (free wifi!) waiting to walk to class... I'm anxious for today - I just want to begin!

The first couple of days have been great. A few of us went exploring/photographing yesterday in central Prague. It's beautiful - so much to photograph, of course. Being a Sunday, it was rather crowded, so I'll have to go early in the morning to be able to get unobstructed shots of most buildings. That's okay, because the sun rises at like 4:30am here, so I'm pretty much up by 5:00 because it's so sunny.

I'll post pictures soon - I shot all of them in RAW, and I haven't had time to edit them yet. By tonight (my time) I'll have a few up!

The flat I'm staying in is pretty nice. Aparently we don't have hot water now - Prague does the same thing as Moscow in the summer - the hot water is periodically turned off throughout the city so that they can do maintenance work on the pipes. Cold showers it is!

I guess we're heading out soon, so that's all for now... I'll keep everyone posted!

Check out my travel blog too - nomadashira.blogspot.com

Happy 2009!

2009-01-04T11:43:00.010-05:00

Happy 2009!
I couldn't decide which photo I wanted to start off 2009 with, so I picked three!

Vienna, Austria
This photo was taken from the big ferris wheel in Vienna, the Reisenrad. I love how there is so much variance in the rooflines - there are the old cathedrals and churches mixed in with the new highrise buildings. Vienna is my favorite city, and I hope that 2009 will take me back there. There is so much of the city that I have yet to explore!

Saint Basil's, Moscow
Ah, Moscow... this is my favorite city to photograph. The architecture everywhere is wonderful, and every street has something of interest on it. I can't wait to go back - I already have a very long list of places to see!

Innsbruck, Austria
Although I only spent a few hours in Innsbruck as I waited to catch a train back to Linz, it was enough time for this city to intice me to return! This picture features everything I love - mountains, old buildings, outdoor cafes, and pedestrian only streets. It sums up my summer of 2007 in one picture! Whenever I am able to return here, I will leave myself much more time!

Here's to hoping for many travels in 2009!

Fountain in Innsbruck

2008-12-23T12:23:00.006-05:00

a fountain just past the train station in Innsbruck

There's something about fountains that I just adore... I can't really pinpoint it, but I'm always drawn to them! I love the dragons holding the shields and flags in this fountain. I also love how softly the water was flowing from the fountain, which you can really see when you enlarge the picture.

Vienna

2008-12-15T23:47:00.003-05:00

a street in Vienna, Austria

I was browsing through my photos of Austria, and this one caught my eye. I'm really missing Europe right now, and this made me smile, so I thought I would share it with you! I don't remember walking down this street, but I wish I had because I would have loved to have seen more of the building with the rounded corners! Oh well, there's always next time... :)

Государственный Исторический музей

2008-11-22T17:29:00.005-05:00

State Historical Museum, Moscow Russia

The State Historical Museum (Государственный Исторический музей) is my second favorite building on Red Square. My favorite, of course, is St. Basil's. The museum was built between 1875-1881, and opened in 1894. While this building was not demolished during the Soviet regime, like the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour was, its beautiful interior was painted and plastered over. The building went through major restoration in the late 1990s,
and is now restored to its original state. The interior is as beautiful as the exterior.
What I love the most about the exterior is how it looks as if it's covered in snow -
even in August, when this photo was taken!

Olympia Eissport Zentrum

2008-11-18T16:06:00.004-05:00

Ice Skating Rink in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany

Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, hosted the 1936 Winter Olympics.
This rink is still used for skating and hockey events, and many future Olympic hopefuls train there as well. I think that the building fits so well into the beautiful mountain landscape with its weathered exterior. It must look fantastic when the mountains are covered in snow!

Кунцево

2008-11-11T22:13:00.002-05:00

Kunstevo Train Station

Кунцево (Kuntsevo) is a train stop that I would pass on the way to my Metro station.
I love the building - it certainly stands out!

Храм Христа Спасителя

2008-11-08T20:20:00.006-05:00

Храм Христа Спасителя, Moscow Russia

The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour was the first church I saw in Moscow.
It's huge, and beautiful! The original church was completed 1860, but unfortunately it didn't even stand to be 100 years old. Stalin had it demolished in 1931 so that he could build a monument honoring Communism. That was never built, but the site sat empty until it was turned into the world's largest swimming pool. Luckily, it was decided that a church was much more important than a swimming pool! This new church was completed in 2000.
The bridge I'm standing on while taking this picture is a new addition, and quite an excellent one, I might add! It allows for people to be able to take photos like this one :)

Think Pink! October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

2008-10-31T23:59:00.001-04:00

Please take a minute to check out Pennies in Action
It only takes a penny to make a difference!

This charity supports research for more than just a cure -
we're supporting a program that is working to develop a vaccine to prevent breast cancer!

New York City

2008-10-26T23:57:00.004-04:00

I know, I know - this isn't Europe! But I was sorting through all of the photos on my computer today and came across this one of New York City, and I like it so much that I decided to post it! I took this from my car (don't worry, traffic was terrible so I wasn't actually moving) and I love how it turned out slanted. Completely unintentional - but I think that sometimes accidental pictures turn out better than planned ones!

Gmunden

2008-10-25T16:36:00.002-04:00

lovely houses on the shore of the Traunsee Lake

This picture was taken in Gmunden, Austria. We spent the day at the Traunsee Lake. It was beautiful there. The lake was surrounded by houses like these. My favorite house in this picture is the yellow one on the bottom left.

St. Basil's

2008-10-21T10:47:00.003-04:00

looking up at St. Basil's Cathedral

I absolutely adore this church! This is taken from the side facing GUM, the huge shopping mall that spans almost one whole side of Red Square. I like this picture because it shows the differences in each tower. I also love how blue the sky was that day, and how the sun was shining so brightly. It highlighted the church beautifully!

West Chester, Pennsylvania

2008-10-18T08:21:00.005-04:00

old firehouse in West Chester, Pennsylvania, USA

Here's a bonus shot from America! West Chester is a fun little town, lots of little shops and restaurants, and some interesting buildings too! This is the old firehouse, which has now been turned into a restaurant. Below is a picture of the door that caught my eye.

This is such a beautiful door!

Vienna from the Riesenrad

2008-10-17T23:29:00.004-04:00

just a pretty view of Vienna :)

Vienna's Prater, in the 2nd district just outside of the city center, is a wonderful park.
We stopped to take a ride on the Riesenrad (ferris wheel). It's the one that was shown in the 1987 Bond movie The Living Daylights :)

The views from the wheel are simply amazing! The gondolas are quite spacious, and we were lucky to only share ours with 2 other people! I think I took 50 photos just from this one time around on the ferris wheel! This is a shot taken on our descent, about halfway, if I remember correctly. Click on the picture to make it larger so you can truly see the beauty of this scene!

Mountains

2008-10-15T23:22:00.002-04:00

mountains in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany

Being nestled somewhere in the mountains is definitely my ideal vacation. The crisp, fresh mountain air, and the opportunity to take pictures like this is all I need !
I have yet to visit the mountains in the winter, and I would love to go back to Garmisch to re-take all of these pictures with the mountains covered in snow!

Воздвиженка улица

2008-10-13T11:49:00.004-04:00

Воздвиженка улица, Москва

Воздвиженка улица (Vozdvizhenka Street) was the first street I explored in Moscow. I love the contrast of this picture, the old and new is apparent in both the buildings and the cars! The yellow building on the left originally belonged to the Sheremetyevs, and it was built in the 1790s. The gray building on the right is the Kremlin Hospital, and it was built in 1930.
140 years certainly makes a difference in architectural style!

Kärntner Strasse

2008-10-12T12:26:00.001-04:00

Kärntner Strasse, Vienna

Kärntner Strasse (Kaernter Street) is a famous shopping street in Vienna.
This street is also home to the State Opera and St. Stephan's Cathedral (pictures of those to come later). This particular segment of the street is pedestrian only, so it makes for a very enjoyable walk!
There's a little bit of everything there - try to see how many familiar things you can spot in this picture!

Добро пожаловать и Москву!

2008-10-10T11:22:00.003-04:00

This was taken just after I got off of the plane in Moscow.
It's at the top of the stairs before you go through the fun that is passport control :-)
My advice - fly in at 5:00am. There's no one there so you don't get stuck in any lines!

More from Bad Ischl

2008-10-08T10:19:00.002-04:00

View of the Danube in Bad Ischl, Austria

Water, everywhere!
The ground was wet, the fountain was running, and the Danube was flowing very rapidly!
Even though the weather was dreary and gray, and it was July and we were all wearing turtlenecks and jackets, being able to take pictures like this make the weather tolerable!

Дом педагогической книги

2008-10-06T23:51:00.003-04:00

Moscow, Russia

This is another treasure I found on one my aimless walks through Moscow.
I love the window here! The photo doesn't really show it, but it's a fairly large window.
By the way, the top sign says "rent" and the bottom says "house of pedagogical books".

View of Linz

2008-10-05T10:17:00.001-04:00

view of Linz from Pöstlingberg

We took a trip here to ride of the famous Pöstlingbergbahn, Europe's steepest tram.
It was closed for the day, so we drove up halfway and parked, then walked the rest of the way.
It certainly is steep! But it was worth it, because I got to see this beautiful view of Linz!

Building Details

2008-10-04T13:30:00.003-04:00

I found this building as I was just walking around and exploring Moscow.
I love the details - everything is so intricate!

Schloß Weinberg

2008-10-03T07:50:00.003-04:00

Schloß Weinberg, Oberösterreich (Upper Austria)

This was taken on one of the many little day trips I took to various regions of Upper Austria. Schloss Weinberg (Weinberg Castle) was built in the 17th century. If I remember correctly, some of the rooms have been turned into classrooms.
That would be a fun place to attend school!

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

2008-10-02T22:35:00.005-04:00

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Moscow

This is one of Stalin's 'Seven Sisters' buildings. This was the only one I managed to see on my trip. It certainly is an impressive building when you see it up close. I've got some great pictures of the building up close that I will post another time!

Pink Building in Linz

2008-10-01T12:57:00.006-04:00

Linz, Austria

In honor of October being Breast Cancer Awareness month, I chose this pink building in Linz.
Many buildings in Austria were pink, but this is the only one I took a picture of!
And if you're wondering - yes, those are palm trees... I wasn't aware that Austria had palm trees either!

Yummy Restaurant in Germany

2008-09-25T12:28:00.002-04:00

Germany - restaurant in Garmisch-Partenkirchen

I spent a week in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. It's a beautiful little town nestled in the mountains.
This was one of the restaurants I ate dinner at. They had delicious food, and the only type of beer I actually liked! I don't remember what it was, but I think it was a beer they brewed themselves...?
And to prove how obsessed I am with architecture - I decided to eat here because I liked the building! =)

Fountain near the Kremlin

2008-09-17T12:37:00.005-04:00

fountain in Alexandrovsky Sad, Moscow

This fountain is in Alexandrovksy Sad (Alexander's Garden) located outside of the Krelmin adjacent to Red Square. In the upper right corner of the picture, you can see one of the gates to the Kremlin.
As you can see, this is a popular place in the summer. Children play in the fountains to stay cool,
and I took the opportunity to splash around a bit as well!

Austrian Countryside

2008-09-06T12:43:00.002-04:00

somewhere in the Austrian countryside...

I thought I would honor my last post of the summer with a summer-y photograph.
This is somewhere in the Austrian countryside. We were driving, and decided to stop to pick flowers.
My friends picked the flowers while I wandered around and took photographs!

St. Nicholas on Bersenevka

2008-08-29T13:52:00.002-04:00

St. Nicholas Church on the Bersenevka Embankment, Moscow

This little gem of a church stole my heart!
I found this completely by accident. I was standing on the bridge taking some panoramic shots of the Kremlin, when I happened to notice something shiny and gold through the trees. I knew it would be a church, but I never imagined I would find this!
It's so beautiful, but it's hidden away like a treasure...
The top picture was taken exactly a year ago, August 29, 2007!

street in Innsbruck

2008-08-25T13:45:00.001-04:00

Innsbruck, Austria

There is so much to look at in this photo - the tourists, the ornate details of the building on the left, the old look of the building at the end of the street, and the multitude of colors everywhere!
It was a gorgeous, sunny day in July when I took this shot, and I think that you can see that in the photo! Innsbruck proved to be quite photogenic - even though I only spend a few hours there, I have over a hundred pictures. I'll share more of them later!

Галерея Ильи Глазунова

2008-08-20T13:15:00.001-04:00

Галерея Ильи Глазунова - Ilia Glazunova Gallery - Moscow, Russia

This is an art gallery in Moscow. I just LOVE the color of the building!
It took me quite a few attempts to photograph this without losing the color.
There are many colorful buildings throught Europe,
but this is the only one I've seen painted in such a bright shade of blue!

street in Bad Ischl

2008-08-14T12:55:00.002-04:00

Bad Ischl, Austria

It's a rainy day here, so I thought I would post a rainy day picture!
This is a street in Bad Ischl, Austria. It's a small town in Upper Austria.
It has a very old world feel, and was a wonderful place to spend an afternoon just relaxing and walking around.

Resurrection Gate and Iberian Chapel

2008-08-06T12:39:00.001-04:00

the Resurrection Gate and the Iberian Chapel - Red Square, Moscow

This is sadly not the original gate nor chapel, they were knocked down by Stalin in 1931.
In 1996, this new gate was built as an exact replica of the old one.
If you enlarge the picture, look through the left side of the gate - it's a little peek at Saint Basil's!
This was the first view I had of Saint Basil's, and I must admit I spent a good
5 minutes just standing there in awe before I entered Red Square to take a closer look!

Salzburg

2008-07-26T22:42:00.001-04:00

Salzburg - old meets new

This was taken near Getreidegasse, the expensive shopping alley in Salzburg.

The elements of this picture span many centuries -

Hohensalzburg Fortress (top)- 1077, airport signs - 1990something...

Now there's a bit of a difference!

View of the Kremlin

2008-07-21T12:52:00.003-04:00

view of the Kremlin and a little bit of Saint Basil's - Moscow, Russia

I like this picture because it's one of the only ones I took that
shows the Kremlin AND Saint Basil's. It's also not shot from
a traditional angle, but it's my favorite distance shot I took.
Oh, and look at the pretty clouds!

Driefaltigkeitssäule Monument

2008-07-19T11:32:00.001-04:00

Driefaltigkeitssäule Monument in the Linzer Hauptzplatz - Linz, Austria

This monument is in the main square of downtown Linz.
It was built in 1723, and the square itself dates back to 1230.
Most weekends in the summer there's a concert or exhibit held there.
In the winter it's home to the Christmas Market.
This was the first picture I took of Linz!

Stay Tuned...

2008-07-16T19:55:00.000-04:00

There aren't many pictures yet, but there will be soon!
Keep your eyes peeled...

Собор Василия Блаженного #1

2008-07-14T21:25:00.002-04:00

St. Basil's Cathedral - Moscow

This is the first of many photos to come of St. Basil's Cathedral.
I dreamt of seeing this since I was a little girl,
and needless to say, it didn't disappoint.
It was even more beautful in person than these photos can possibly show.

First Post!

2008-07-11T21:22:00.001-04:00

This is my first post, so I decided to put up my first picture of Moscow to go with it!

This picture was taken with my cell phone, from inside my friend's car. It was my first glimpse of Red Square and the Kremlin. This was a very exciting moment for me. I wish that I had brought my camera with me that day, but at least I had my phone to capture the moment.

Many, many, many more pictures of these buildings will follow this one. And I certainly had my camera ready for them!

I hope that everyone will enjoy looking through my photos as much as I enjoyed taking them!