1. 1 year ago 

    Just thought I would continue the blog while I am in DC for the winter time because it truly is an amazing and underrated city and I would like to share it with all of those who follow me. I think this city is the closest city to any city in Europe..as far as American cities go. The architecture, the mixed cultures, the variety of cuisine, the public transit..all combine much like many European cities. And well..of course there are the politics.

    I have been extremely busy with work (which by the way I love my job!)…but have still had plenty of time to explore (adds up to VERY little sleep). I work in Georgetown, very near the University of Georgetown. It is a very quaint area and I love going out on my lunch breaks to walk around, window shop, and check out some of the neat cafes! I then live about a 40 minute walk away in an area called Dupont Circle. I love where I live (although a bit expensive..so I doubt I could live there for much more than three months. Everyone is always outside, walking their dogs, sitting in cafes..it really is a great area with much activity. I live about 9 blocks north of the White House..and although the blocks are wide..I have discovered this is a very walkable city. If you do not want to walk..you can obviously take the underground metro or the bus. I have been to a few mnuseums and have seen all of the monuments. Although I have seen most of the sites before..I have a better appreciation for them. 

    I hope you enjoy some of the pictures of neat things I have come across so far…it really is a great city full of some much activity and culture. There are pictures of St. Matthews Cathedral, Coral made out of yarn from the Natural History Museum, and a variety of places I have come across! 

    Stay tuned..

  2. 1 year ago 

    Well…here it is! My last post of my adventures! 

    I returned safely to the States on Tuesday and wow did it feel great! It was sad to say goodbye to Copenhagen, especially since I had a week by myself there where I met some amazing people from all over the world and had time to explore the city. It was neat to have absolutely no American influence whatsoever, but I must say…I did miss all the amenities in the States.

    I soon ventured to Prague for 5 days with my cousin and it was the absolute perfect city to end my summer. A truly untouched city with great food, entertainment, and the most breath taking vistas I experienced the entire summer. We ate lots of local cuisine like dumplings, goulash, and sausage. We had to try all of the Czech beers and wines and was such a great experience tasting wine at the highest point of the city near the castle. We met some really fun people at the hostel and even though it rained for most of the trip, I had an absolute blast. My flight home was canceled, but on the reschedule I got a direct flight home and ended up being bumped up to first class! That was definitely the best plane ride…probably won’t be sitting in first class again for quite some time!

    Thank you to all who followed me and my adventures this summer. I looked back and realized I visited 10 countries and 21 major cities…I could not believe it and truly feel blessed to have had this opportunity. I learned so much about myself morally and spiritually, and well..there was a little bit of school thrown in there. I don’t see myself visiting those cities again because I realized there is so much to see in this world, but I think I would recommend Amsterdam and Prague over any other city. It is great to be back and I am ready to return to Cincinnati for school. For now, I will be indulging in plenty of hamburgers, free water, free restrooms, corn on the cob, american currency, mexican food, and ENGLISH! 

  3. 1 year ago 

    Update 5/5 

    It is extremely hard to believe I only have 9 days left in Europe. These past few weeks have been insane. I am very exhausted so I apologize for the lack of details in my stories.

    I finished my project and presented it the first week of August. The assignment was a bicycle pavilion for a strip of land on a boulevard. The final design celebrated green space and acknowledged a collision between a dense old city center and a sparsely planned area north of the city center. Despite it being only an intense three week project, I learned a few things along the way…I hope! I feel that I am coming back with a wealth of knowledge that is unbelievable and my eyes have seen so much. It makes me wonder what will stick in my mind for years and what I will forget. I am trying to document everything the best I can. 

    Now that the weather is finally turning in Copenhagen..much rain everyday, I decided to take a 7 day trip to Amsterdam, Brugge, and Berlin. It was fun travelling with three other girls on a night train to Amsterdam…although a bit scary when the German police boarded the train and banged on the cabins to check passports. Regardless, I slept pretty well on the train..a 14 hour journey. Amsterdam was quite a surprise. It was absolutely beautiful and has been my favorite site so far. The atmosphere was so relaxed and the city is a collection of canals that are absolutely gorgeous. Visiting the Anne Frank House was a surreal experience because I was always so interested in that story and Nazi Germany. It was as if you could  feel her in the house and sense the fear she, her family, and friends went through. Of course we had to try some Dutch Apple Pie….best pie I have ever had! We did some antique shopping and found some really neat things to bring home. The shopping was great and it truly was enjoyable just to relax by the canals at night. Then we were off to Brugge, Belgium. It is a small town near Brussels and was just so charming. Of course we had to find Belgian chocolate! We sampled all kinds of Belgian beer..some of which were 10-15% alcohol. My friends then departed for Brussels. I stayed another night in Brugge and had some Belgian waffles! I left for Berlin to meet up with some other friends. It was a rough day of traveling with three trains and 10 hours of train rides. However, it was great to see my friends again in Berlin.I was a bit skeptical about visiting Berlin..just because my other visits to Germany were…interesting. I was not impressed with the city at first, but by the time I left it had grown on me. It was interesting how you could definitely notice how there was a mass rush of built projects and as a result much of the architecture is weak and not well thought out. It was just interesting how the remnants of World War II were still noticeable and it felt like the city was still recovering. I suppose that is a rather neat thing to observe. I loved to eat doner kebabs..gyro like sandwiches. Could eat those all day! 

    Anyways.. I was more than ready to return to Copenhagen and had a great night back in the city with a friend. Now I am glad to be able to relax in Copenhagen and actually have time to explore. I have met some amazing girls in the hostel, some from Sweden, Moscow, London, Austria, and Holland. So many cultures! I am looking forward to a visit from my cousin this weekend and we will be heading off to Prague! Home is in sight…and it sure is a welcome site. I will fly through Poland and then be on my way back to Chicago en route to Pittsburgh! Crazy to think I have been to 15 major cities, 11 countries, and countless sites. Truly am blessed to have had this opportunity. 

  4. 1 year ago 

    It has been a few weeks since my last update soo there is much to say but I will just mention a few things. We are finally busy working on our project- a bicycle pit stop for the city of Copenhagen. We do not have much time to output the work, but at least all of my lectures are finished. Last weekend I took a trip to Germany to visit some friends. We stopped for a night out in Hamberg and visited the Reeperbahn (the old redlight district of Hamberg). It was pretty crazy. We grabbed a 5am train to Wuppertal..where my friends are studying. It was the day of the Love Parade, a huge open air techno music festival in Duisberg so the trains were packed with people. We ended up arriving at the festival later that evening, but learned it was canceled because a stampede occurred where 21 people were killed. It was so tragic. That definitely put a damper on the weekend but I was glad I was not directly involved. We visited Cologne Germany and saw “The Dom”, the HUGE gothic cathedral and went to a cool art museum with Daniel Liebeskind’s artwork. It was a good way to end the weekend. I enjoyed the train rides and met some really neat people including a Danish novelist living in Germany. I tried several good German beers and the German food has been my favorite food so far. The train actually boards a ferry when crossing the Baltic Sea..pretty neat. It was a very eventful weekend of both good and bad experiences! This past week we took a bus tour of Western Denmark and saw many sights. It was not as exciting as the trip to Norway and Sweden a few weeks ago, but nevertheless it was quite fun. I am glad to be settled in Copenhagen for two more weeks. I only have 9 days of school left! It is crazy how fast time flies! 

  5. 1 year ago 

    Kobenhavn Update 4/4

  6. 1 year ago 

    Updates from Kobenhavn 4/4

    Hello All! 

    Just a quick little update….We have just returned from our study tour to Finland and Sweden. Wow…what a trip! Not only is this part of the world beautiful, it is one cultural place! Everday we woke up by 8am and were touring until about 8pm every night…so you can imagine the amount of things I saw. We mostly toured famous architecture in Stockholm and Helsinki. We took a cruise from Stockholm to Turku, Finland twice and saw some of the most beautiful scenery-the archipalegos islands. We were soon bonded as a group (of about 40 people!). It was exhausting boating and bussing everywhere, but it was totally worth it. In Finland, we stopped at a Finnish spa…one of the top cultural experiences. You stay in the sauna until you cannot handle the heat anymore and then you run out and jump into the lake..and repeat! It makes you feel so refreshed and clean! We had a cookout this night at the lake as well. It is amazing that with that many people, no one was lost or left behind. In Stockholm we went to the world’s first ice bar..a bar made of entirely ice. You had to wear this huge parkas to stay warm. It was a bit of a hype..but none the less it was neat to go. In Finland, we saw sooo much Alvar Aalto architecture…that man was a genius! The landscape in Finland is absolutely beautiful with tall pines and lakes everywhere. I tried my best to stay awake on the bus so I could see all of it. We saw countless churches..so ornate and aging beautifully. I think by the end of the trip I can conclude that I liked the city of Helsinki the best. It was beautiful, laid back, organized, and not as touristy as other cities. I bought a few pieces of jewelry there..after all they have like 18 hours of darkness in the winter time for the craftspeople to do these things. I tried my first piece of reindeer meat..quite delicious! The strawberries at the Helsinki market were amazing as well..partly because of 18+ hours of sunshine in the summertime. By the time we finished all of our architecture tours…I had one full sketchbook of sketches! We were a very busy bunch. Check out my latest pictures on flickr: 

    Here is the link:

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/er1ne/  

    They are the albums titled Kobenhavn Weeks 1.2.3.4 and Sweden/Finland Photography. Enjoy! Hope all is well back in the states! Can’t wait to see everyone again..starting to miss the little things about America (like free ice water and the dollar bill!)

  7. 1 year ago 
    Update 2/2: Well, we have been in Copenhagen for one week now! We are busy working on models of existing buildings that we will visit on our trip to Sweden and Finland this weekend. My studio group is responsible for building a model of Saynatsalo Hall in Finland by Alvar Aalto…one of the most prominent architects of the 20th century. I have had an amazing time exploring the city! So far, I think this picture best represents Copenhagen: medieval, colorful, quaint, and everyone rides bikes! I have gotten lost so many times wandering around the city..but I think that is the best way to see things! We had a small barbecue with friends this past weekend for the Fourth of July..my first fourth of July out of the states! There actually were fireworks..somewhere here. I think the craziest thing here is the amount of daylight hours. It does not get dark until about 10pm and then it gets light at about 3am. We always wake up thinking we are running late! I guess the opposite is true in the wintertime here…don’t think I would like 18-20 hours of darkness! The World Cup is still going on..so it is very neat to go out for the games. They have a big screen they broadcast the games on down by the harbor. We went to the beach this past weekend…it is just so pretty to look out and see Sweden across the bay. The weather is very mild..about 60-70 every day and then it cools off at night. Pretty comfortable! Shopping is a bit insane here…very expensive, but it is fun to search out the neat boutiques. Yesterday, I took a walk to find the Little Mermaid statue. She actually is not in Copenhagen now, but has been moved to Shanghair for Danish Pavilion at the World Expo. Today, we took a bus tour to northern Copenhagen to tour some architecture buildings…basically a little training session for our study tour next week. We saw Grundtvigs Church..a very famous church..almost resembling a hand. We visited this community called Trudesland that is considered “co-housing”. People live together in a close-knit situation, each with their own homes, but they have shared responsibilities and share a common house. Definitely a different approach to living. Well..we have studio presentations Friday and then leave for Sweden on Saturday morning..soo I probably will not have an update for a while. I will post more pictures on my flickr site. 

    Update 2/2: Well, we have been in Copenhagen for one week now! We are busy working on models of existing buildings that we will visit on our trip to Sweden and Finland this weekend. My studio group is responsible for building a model of Saynatsalo Hall in Finland by Alvar Aalto…one of the most prominent architects of the 20th century. I have had an amazing time exploring the city! So far, I think this picture best represents Copenhagen: medieval, colorful, quaint, and everyone rides bikes! I have gotten lost so many times wandering around the city..but I think that is the best way to see things! We had a small barbecue with friends this past weekend for the Fourth of July..my first fourth of July out of the states! There actually were fireworks..somewhere here. I think the craziest thing here is the amount of daylight hours. It does not get dark until about 10pm and then it gets light at about 3am. We always wake up thinking we are running late! I guess the opposite is true in the wintertime here…don’t think I would like 18-20 hours of darkness! The World Cup is still going on..so it is very neat to go out for the games. They have a big screen they broadcast the games on down by the harbor. We went to the beach this past weekend…it is just so pretty to look out and see Sweden across the bay. The weather is very mild..about 60-70 every day and then it cools off at night. Pretty comfortable! Shopping is a bit insane here…very expensive, but it is fun to search out the neat boutiques. Yesterday, I took a walk to find the Little Mermaid statue. She actually is not in Copenhagen now, but has been moved to Shanghair for Danish Pavilion at the World Expo. Today, we took a bus tour to northern Copenhagen to tour some architecture buildings…basically a little training session for our study tour next week. We saw Grundtvigs Church..a very famous church..almost resembling a hand. We visited this community called Trudesland that is considered “co-housing”. People live together in a close-knit situation, each with their own homes, but they have shared responsibilities and share a common house. Definitely a different approach to living. Well..we have studio presentations Friday and then leave for Sweden on Saturday morning..soo I probably will not have an update for a while. I will post more pictures on my flickr site. 

     
  8. 1 year ago 

    Chartres, France: my favorite site we visited in Paris! 

  9. 1 year ago 

    My first post…oops.

    Well..I know it is 20+ days into my trip and I have yet to blog…my time in Europe has been crazy, to say the least. Thought I would just hit the highlights with this first post:

     The trip started out on a sour note, because my friend Laura and I lost our luggage on the flight from Chicago to London. Luckily..they came within a view days. Thank you Virgin Airlines! Met an Irish boxing team on the flight over…their accents are hard to understand! We were in London from June 13-17th. London was my favorite city. The people were beautiful, friendly, and I loved the atmosphere. The food was so-so..which was what we expected. Our hostel was in a great location near Piccadilly Circus with plenty of shopping and night life. We saw most of the major sites in London..I won’t name them because that is boring and well..most people know the major sites. I think my favorite place was the Natural History Museum. It was a huge cathedral-like structure with an interesting combination of old and new.

    We then were off to Paris on the Eurostar. We left at 5 in the morning after having arrived at the train station at midnight. We were exhausted and I fell asleep shortly after going through the Chunnel in the English Channel. Paris was an….interesting experience. Our hostel was near the Sacre Couer…this amazing church situated on one of the highest points in Paris. It was a sketchy area, because many of Algerians have settled there since the times of prohibition when all the bars and clubs were moved to the very edge of the city. Again..we walked a lot to see most of the major sites. I was not as impressed with Paris as most people seem to be. It was very dirty, crowded, and smelly! However, the architecture was beautiful…there is no doubt about that. We were in Paris for 5 days and on one of those days we took a trip to Chartres, France to see the Chartres Cathedral with one of the biggest, if not the biggest rose window in the world. It was amazing seeing this medieval city and this very old cathedral. I think that was my favorite place in Paris. Unfortunately, we did not get into the Louvre..due to our mistakes with the time schedule..but things like that happen. We had some unsightly and disturbing experiences in Paris as well..but I will save those for face to face conversation.

    On June 23, we were off to Barcelona. We were ready to go to the beach! I really loved Barcelona. It is clean, the people are friendly, the architecture is AMAZING (Thank you Antonio Gaudi). The first night we arrived was Barcelona’s festival of Saint Joan (I believe). It was one massive city party at the beach with fireworks and drinking. Little kids like as little as 2 years old were lighting off fireworks. It was very insane. We had a great time in Barcelona..going to beaches mostly..much like South Beach, Miami. We took a half hour train ride to a more resort-like beach called Sitges. It was in a small medieval town..and was totally worth going. The water is warm and the beaches were much cleaner. All and all the experience in Barcelona was great..the only hard part was the language barrier.

    On June 29th..we arrived in Copenhagen..finally! We were all pretty exhausted from traveling and almost missing our flight. However..I do like European airlines and public transportation. It is seamless! So far I LOVE Copenhagen. Classes should be somewhat challenging and we are hear meeting lots of people..mostly from the States. Copenhagen is a relatively flat medieval city and the people are gorgeous, polite, and friendly. It is a hard city to find your way around in (much like Pittsburgh). Everyone here is still very much involved in watching the World Cup even though Denmark is out. So..we will see what adventures this city brings….

    I will try to post more frequently for those who are following! Also..check out my pictures on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/er1ne/with/4750108718

  10. Notes: 2575 / 1 year ago  from sabastooge (originally from observando)
    sabastooge: observando: thank you god for showing me this picture xD

    sabastooge:

    observando:

    thank you god for showing me this picture xD

     
  11. 2 years ago 
    Decent description of architecture students
  12. 2 years ago 
    Architecture Clothes-above and beyond Zaha Hadid's shoes
  13. 2 years ago 
    I like finding combinations of art and architecture!
  14. Notes: 1 / 2 years ago 
    I would like this very much.

    I would like this very much.

     
  15. 2 years ago 
    Amazing that things like this DO exist.

    Amazing that things like this DO exist.

     
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