I like art. I like art galleries too. Sometimes the art is worth the aching feet and the inflated food prices. Sometimes it's worth it just to see the architecture of the building. I regret not going inside the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona because I thought I couldn't afford it. I couldn't really, but I wish I had gone anyway. On the other hand, I am also so glad I went into the Guggenheim in New York. The art is amazing there, but the building itself is a true masterpiece. (You can see one of my photos of it here.)
The Uffizi Gallery is beautiful but I'm more glad that I could witness this scene: An Australian family on holiday to Italy. A shared joke and some cheeky grins. Seeing this kind of breaks my heart in a weird way. This picture really takes me back to the loving warmth of a family holiday. This family might take away memories from this day that they hold onto for a long time. Even if nostalgia makes them seem better than they were at the time.
Photography
View from the Ponte Vecchio /
I'm debating being pretentious vs. being accurate. I'm going to go with Florence (not Firenze) just for the sake of it. Florence has so many amazing vistas. The Ponte Vecchio is great, but this scene really seems to capture the timeless vibe of this amazing city. This photo might as well have been taken in 1876 (except it wouldn't have been taken with a DSLR, not would it have been in colour). I say 1876, but apparently this bridge was only constructed in the 1950s because the original was destroyed in 1944 by fleeing German troops during WWII. Appearances can be deceiving.
EDIT: This photo is from an iPhone camera, which explains why it doesn't look as crisp or high res as my other photos. I still like it in general, so it can stay.
Apartments in Antibes, Southern France /
Antibes holds all the charm that the Côte d'Azur can offer. Even in winter, the cold air didn't seem so cold. Winter in Australia is nearly over and I can't wait to feel the sun again. I would love to be in France again as soon as possible, but I guess I will have to settle for spring in Melbourne (which isn't that bad...)
Please Don't Feed the Pigeons /
With his back to the Atelier Brancusi (near the Centre Pompidou, in Paris' 4th Arrondissement) I imagine that this Parisian came to the same city square every day to carry out this task of feeding the pigeons. He was certainly an enigma to me and my friend Paul. I don't know if he knew he was contributing to the problem of an overpopulation of pigeons, or whether he viewed himself as their gentle caretaker. This mystery only became more confusing when one of the people watching him claimed to have seen him deliberately kill one of these pigeons. Unfortunately he did seem to have some kind of mental illness, and was abusive to another pedestrian.
Photography is sometimes a fickle pursuit. You can have an amazing vista in front of you and come away with no good shots, and sometimes you can get lucky in an instant. This is one of the latter occasions. I am proud of this photo, not for my own glory, but simply because I feel so lucky to have been able to successfully capture this chaotic and beautiful scene.
I'll try to update at least once a week for the next few weeks. My slow and even pacing of these photos has turned into a tedious and staggered drought. I plan to remedy this ASAP.
The British Museum /
When you enter the British Museum you are struck with the scale, the beautiful architecture and the clean modern look of it all. The entrance into the Great Court is dazzling to any newcomer and when the roof was put on in 2000 it was the largest covered area in Europe. The coalescense of old and new is monumentally striking and neither jarring nor gaudy.
I love museums and the British Museum rivals any I have ever been in. There are artefacts from every age of history and millions of individual items. I could spend a week in this place and never get bored.
If you are in London, you have to go. If not for your own interest then at least go on my behalf.