Prague 5: Photography in Prague

Prague Part 1: The Worst Train Ride Ever
Prague Part 2: Prague…My Favorite European City
Prague Part 3: Jewish History in Prague
Prague Part 4: Prague Castle

If you’re into photography, Prague is the city for you. It is breathtakingly beautiful. And we went to Prague in December…when I nearly lost my fingers to the freezing cold. I can only imagine how wonderful Prague is in the comfort of spring or summer.

I googled “photography and Prague,” and found countless maps and suggestions. Here are some of my favorite spots.

1. Old Town Square
2. St. Charles Bridge tower – Old Town side
3. St. Charles Bridge – Mala Strana
4. Santa Maria Boat Wharf
5. Letensky Profil
6. Walk down from Strahov Monastery
7. Lennon Wall

Old Town Square: This is an obvious spot and full of charm. Sadly, the Old Town Tower was under construction when we were there, and I missed out of the aerial views I so desperately wanted. I made it up with bubble pictures.

St. Charles Bridge tower – Old Town side: There are so many great places to view St. Charles Bridge and they each offer something different. Even on a rainy day, it’s worth a climb up the bridge tower to look down on the bridge and the city from above.

St. Charles Bridge – Mala Strana side: Different areas offer different vantage points of Prague’s most famous bridge. If you cross St. Charles Bridge and walk underneath it on the Mala Strana side, you can catch some lovely views.

Santa Maria Boat Wharf: Just under Manes Bridge, you can steal some beautiful views of St. Charles Bridge – especially at night.

Letensky Profil: This is my favorite place in Prague. If you cross over Svatopluk Cech Bridge and hike up to the top of the park, you’ll be in the perfect place to see all of Prague’s bridges. Feast your eyes on this:

Walk down from Strahov Monastery: Strahov Monastery is situated on a hill, and the walk down offer beautiful views of Prague.

Lennon Wall: This is more of a curiosity than anything else. But it’s a fun curiosity.

 

Holland Part 3: Snapshots From The Hague

Holland Part 1: Falling for Amsterdam
Holland Part 2: Jewish History in Amsterdam

If Amsterdam is the Netherland’s New York City, The Hague is its Washington D.C. The Hague is a short one-hour train ride south of Amsterdam. While M went off to look at art, I strolled The Hague and played photographer.

Let me take a moment to remind you that the whole reason we were on this trip was because M was invited to visit Holland’s exhibit commemorating the 100th anniversary of the De Stijl movement – and one of its founders, Dutch painter Piet Mondrian. If you don’t know the iconic red, blue, and yellow paintings Mondrian is famous for, you will shortly when you see how The Hangue decorated various buildings and landmarks in the spirit of Mondrian’s stark composition.

These buildings included our hotel, as well as the construction paneling surrounding the train station.

As you walk through The Hague’s center, you will pass many government buildings, including the Department of Justice…

…and a protest in front of the Department of Justice.

Finally, I hit the beautiful Binnenhoff, a complex of buildings that houses the States General of the Netherlands, the Ministry of General Affairs, and the office of the Prime Minister of the Netherlands. The castle-like buildings were built in the 13th century and became the center of Dutch political life in 1584. It is the equivalent of Washington’s Capitol campus.

Even the Binnenhoff got in on the Mondrian fun with red, yellow, and blue squares in the Hofvijver lake. Apparently, the pigeons loved Mondrian’s squares so much, the squares quickly turned white from all their pooping. A weekly cleaning of the squares was quickly arranged.

I was surprised to discover that the banks of the Hofvijver are covered in sea shells.

I turned into town and explored the narrow streets and cute shops. I even bought myself a pair of colorful socks.

The Hague’s version of Chinatown.

An indoor arcade and shopping mall.

Another fine example of The Hague getting into the spirit of the De Stijl movement.

M joined me and we did a quick stop at the Church grounds where the famous Jewish (and excommunicated) philosopher Benedict Spinoza is buried.

Being Social with Butterflies

We spent a lot of time with butterflies this summer. Butterflies are weird. I mean, they are bugs, after all. And I capital-H hate bugs. But there’s a difference between the bug on the wall of my apartment and bugs flitting about a garden, hovering over beautiful flowers while I hover over them with my camera in hand.

Our first butterfly visit was the garden at Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright’s most famous house about an hour south of Pittsburgh. Sweltering in the August heat, I could not stop myself from snapping.

Our second garden was closer to home. After a weekend in Silver Spring, Maryland, we stopped by the Butterfly Garden at Brookside Gardens. Brookside Gardens is a beautiful area independent of the butterflies, but the butterfly garden was the icing on the proverbial cake. We even got to see some caterpillars before they transformed!

The butterflies like M!

Published!

First, a mea culpa. I have been AWOL, but this time it’s not just good ol’ laziness to blame. Election time is busy season for me, and I have been swamped with work. You know how accountants can’t breath or sleep during the first half of April? That’s me in September and October — just guzzling Diet Cokes faster than I can buy them. So that’s my excuse. Now the fun stuff.

M and I had our first collaborative effort published. Really, M gets most of the credit. He’s written a couple of articles about an amazing art exhibit called Washed Ashore. His latest is published in Sierra Magazine, and I contributed the photographs! Go us.

Washed Ashore is the brainchild of artist Angela Hazeltine Pozzi. The Oregon-based artist noticed the tons of plastic and debris littered across our beaches, and decided to turn the garbage into art. Her staff is made up of volunteers, and they spend hours collects, sifting, and organizing piles of beach garbage. Toothbrushes, bottle caps, beach toys, shoes, flip-flops — everything you can think of — become a piece of a sculpture.

Chompers the Shark

The Smithsonian Zoo in Washington D.C. hosted an exhibit of Angela’s sculptures this summer, and M and I had a great time exploring and taking pictures. Here’s the most amazing part: Angela and her group don’t paint any of the items they collect. They use all the debris exactly as they found them.

When you walked into the zoo, you were immediately met with a giant, colorful parrot fish named Priscilla.

The exhibit has since left the Smithsonian Zoo, but it is moving across the country and will even make a stop at the State Department here in D.C. Check out the website for details on where the Washed Ashore animals are going next. Here are some of my favorites.

SeeMore the Sea Lion Pup

SeeMore the Sea Lion Pup

Sebastian James the Puffin

Flash the Marlin

Lidia the Seal

Close-up of Lidia the Seal

Octavia the Octupus

Whale Bone Rib Cage

Smith’s Jelly

Welcome to Pittsburgh!

After seven months of dating, M and I finally took a trip together. More accurately, I went to Pittsburgh for work and M tagged along. But we managed to squeeze in some tourist time – my first real tourist effort even though I’ve been to Pittsburgh a handful of times.

Here are some thoughts. Pittsburgh is hilly, folks! I’m going to have to get into some serious shape if we’re going to do more Pittsburgh exploring. Pittsburgh is also a growing, trending city. In the four years since I started working for a Pittsburgh-based company, I’ve watch the city change: Rising skyscrapers, new restaurants and hotels, hip neighborhoods flourishing in the place of hollowed-out factories. Just walking around with my camera in hand was entertaining enough for me.

My favorite building hands-down is the PPG Place – a multi-building complex that takes up six city blocks. The 19,750 pieces of glass offer stunning reflections of Pittsburgh, especially on a sunny day. 

There’s plenty of old-fashioned architecture too.

And opportunities for self-portraits abound.

We set aside one evening to take the cable car up the Duquesne Incline to the top of Mount Washington. The cliffside neighborhood offers stunning views of Pittsburgh’s many bridges.

Photo credits to M on this picture of the incline.

The glorious view that meets you at the top.

St. Mary’s on the Mount lit up as the sun dipped into the ground.

I dragged my tripod out for this view. Totally worth it.

Part 8: Hiking Professor Creek

Part 1: Road to Arches
Part 2: Arches Galore
Part 3: Delicate Arch
Part 4: Hiking Dead Horse Point
Part 5: Canyons For As Far As The Eye Can See
Part 6: Waking Up At The Crack of Dawn To See Dawn
Part 7: Into The Fiery Furnace

With two national parks so accessible from Moab, it’s easy to ignore the rest of the surrounding area. But do so at your own loss! There are so many interesting sites and activities in the Moab region. From kayaking, to bike riding, to paddle boarding, to more hiking – there is something for everyone.

Our last day in Moab, we decided to wander off-the-beaten track. Our google research turned up the Professor Creek Hike (AKA Mary Jane Canyon), an 8 mile out-and-back hike through a small stream bed, deep into a canyon, and ending at a waterfall. When I say through a stream – I mean that literally. You WILL get wet. We found it impossible to stay dry, and 10 minutes into the hike, just gave into to the adventure.

At the same time, I recommend wearing some kind of sneaker and/or hiking shoe. The stream bed is very rocky and requires some maneuvering. You do not want to expose your toes to open rock, and some ankle support is helpful. We wore our regular sneakers and threw them in the wash when we got home from our trip.

Our sneakers at the end of the hike.

As we started hiking, we marveled at the natural beauty and the sense of solitude we felt. The cold water sloshing on our feet was refreshing as we melted under the hot sun.

This incredible structure overlooking Castle Valley is called the Priest and Nuns, for the obvious reason.

About a mile and a half into he hike, the canyon walls start to rise. They continue to rise until you are hiking through a narrow slot which provides generous shade.

The hike ends when the stream bed collides with a sputtering waterfall. At that point the water is quite high.

Part 7: Into the Fiery Furnace

Part 1: Road to Arches
Part 2: Arches Galore
Part 3: Delicate Arch
Part 4: Hiking Dead Horse Point
Part 5: Canyons For As Far As The Eye Can See
Part 6: Waking Up At The Crack of Dawn To See Dawn

Five months before we even landed in Colorado, my sister and I booked two spots on the ranger-led Fiery Furnace hike in Arches National Park. While most of the hikes in the park are open to the public, Fiery Furnace is limited to a small group of people per day. According to the National Parks website, “The Fiery Furnace is a natural labyrinth of narrow passages between towering sandstone walls. To enter the Fiery Furnace, visitors must accompany a ranger-guided tour or obtain a hiking permit at the visitor center.”

The ranger-led hike is three hours long with many stops along the way to to talk about the geology and history of area. The website labels the hike “strenuous,” but I’m not exactly an Olympian and I was just fine. There are some tight spaces that involve a bit of scrambling, but those were my favorite parts!

The hike starts off with a scary sign and an introduction about the geology of the rock maze we’re about to enter. Confession: I spent more time taking pictures than listening…

Our group took a break when we reached the cave below, featuring a natural arch. The guide talked about… something… Honestly, I was just taking pictures.

I love the way the light peeks through the rocks.

We took another rest stop at this natural water hole and the double arches below. Our guide told us about all the different types of bugs that live in the water. He warned us not to step or fall into the hole, lest we kill all of the bugs.

We reach a particularly narrow stretch that involved some scrambling and creative maneuvering.

My sister captured me at my most graceful.

There were lizards everywhere.

At the end of the hike, as we emerged from the furnace, we are treated to a beautiful array of red rocks.

If you like guided hikes, Fiery Furnace is a must. If you get a little bored and prefer to roam on your own – like I – Fiery Furnace is still fun, and offers an exclusive peek into a different part of Arches National Park. Just remember: Book early. These tours get sold out! 

Part #6: Waking Up at the Crack of Dawn to See Dawn

Part 1: Road to Arches
Part 2: Arches Galore
Part 3: Delicate Arch
Part 4: Hiking Dead Horse Point
Part 5: Canyons For As Far As The Eye Can See

We were determined to see sunrise at least once on our Utah trip. Really, really determined.

So we set our alarms for 4 a.m. We snoozed once, cracked our eyes open, and groaned.

“Do you want to get up?” I mumbled.

“Whatever you want,” my sister mumbled back.

I contemplated closing my eyes and falling into an oh-so-tempting sleep. And then I thought of those magnificent pictures of Utah’s arches ablaze in the rising sun you see in every gift shop, and I said, “let’s go.”

Spoiler alert: My pictures do not look like the famous photos you see in National Geographic. Sigh. I think we misjudged exactly where the sun would be relative to the arches. That, and I’m not actually a professional photographer. But waking up at the crack of dawn is a good way to get pictures of Moab’s famous arches without a throng of tourists in the way.

You can see the moon!

In order to get a shot Turret Arch framed by the North Window, I had to do some tricky climbing to a spot behind the Windows. Probably not the smartest thing, but I survived in one piece.

And of course, goofy, I’m-exhausted-and-can’t-be-held-responsible-for-my-actions pictures.

Part #5: Canyons For As Far As the Eye Can See

Part 1: Road to Arches
Part 2: Arches Galore
Part 3: Delicate Arch
Part 4: Hiking Dead Horse Point

Canyonlands National Park is home to, well, canyons. It is much larger than Arches and much less populated. The park offers many hikes, mountain biking trails, and off-road routes. But we were dead tired after our hike around Dead Horse Point State Park, and all I really wanted to see was Mesa Arch. Mesa Arch is one of Utah’s famous arches, dressing the walls of many a Moab hotel (including our own).

You might be wondering, how many pictures can one person take of a single arch? Wonder no more. The answer is: A sh*t ton of pictures. That’s how many.

It’s a short quarter of a mile hike to the arch. Calling it a hike is a bit generous, but it is uphill. And then all of a sudden – bam – there it is. Miraculous and captivating. By mid-afternoon, the sky had turned a stormy grey/purple which made for a dramatic scene through the window of Mesa Arch.

After Mesa Arch, we made a short stop at Grand View Point Overlook before heading back to our hotel. I’ve seen a lot of canyons in my travels, and sometimes, they blur one into the next. But Grand View Point Overlook offers a unique view of Canyonlands. We were exhausted, but it was definitely worth the drive.

Part #4: Hiking Dead Horse Point

Part 1: Road to Arches
Part 2: Arches Galore
Part 3: Delicate Arch

On our second day in Moab, we headed west of Arches National Park to Dead Horse Point State Park and Canyonlands National Park. Dead Horse Point State Park is a hidden gem. It’s not one of the major national parks advertised in all the magazines, but it’s beautiful and feral, and we had it all to ourselves.

Once we entered the park, we got a map from the visitor center and settled on a five-mile loop around the park. The hiking is easy to moderate at an altitude of 5,900 feet, but little elevation change. The most difficult part of the hike is the constant maneuvering from cairn to cairn, with the occasional rock scramble. As we hiked, we were rewarded with vast and stunning views of the Colorado River as it winds its way through never-ending canyons.

As we set out, the first thing we noticed was the electric blue water in the distance. It looks supernatural, almost like an alien colony. Sadly, it’s not that exciting. The blue water is a potash mine. Miners pump water into the ground, bringing potash ore to the surface in a potassium-filled brine. As the water evaporates,  salt crystals form. The water is dyed a bright blue to speed up the evaporation process, which takes about 300 days. Dark water absorbs more sunlight and facilitates evaporation.

That’s a lot of science when I really mean to say, the views were amazing. The electric blue water contrasted brilliantly with the deep red canyons and the occasionally stormy clouds.

My love affair with Utah’s stark, half-dead trees continued. As did my sister’s teasing laughter.

A little less than halfway through the hike, we reached Dead Horse Point – the point where the Colorado River curves around the canyon. The sweeping views are breathtaking. (As an aside, “breathtaking” describes pretty much every single sight on our Utah trip to the point of being utterly trite.)

A picture of our faithful cairns. There’s a very good chance we would have hiked straight into the canyon without our trusty cairns guiding us. They were not always easy to spot!

Dead Horse State Park is a short 37 minutes from Moab and on the way to Canyonlands National Park. If you’re looking for a strenuous calorie-burning hike, Dead Horse Point will fall short. But if you want to have a massive canyon to yourself while getting some moderate exercise, this park will hit the spot.