Slickrock and Shadow

Inside Guggenheim Looking Up I won't put too much text here.  I just thought the Guggenheim museum was wonderful as a place of art and architecture.  I left my wide 17mm lens on my camera as I wandered up the circular incline.  I snapped a photo from the bottom and top.  These are great to compare side by side. Inside Guggenheim Looking Down

Doge's Palace:  Arches and Columns The Doge's Palace is a must-see to any visitor of Venice.  So much history, power and art are on display here.  The exterior is an architectural wonder.  The interior is also magnificent.  Although photography is not encouraged inside, the details outside can be photographed freely.  Here are some of my shots.  In order to have an empty corridor of arches, I had to arrive very early in the morning.  I came back later to enjoy the official tour. Details of the Doge View from the top of Doge's palace stairs You can sneak a few photos here and there.  I found the "no photo" policy widely abused by all travelers.  Everyone had their cameras out and shot here and there.  For about every 1,000 photos I saw taken, I heard one guide saying "no photo." Art-covered ceiling inside Doge's Palace While I was there I also got to see Manet's Olympia displayed next to Titian's Venus.  T...

Pont du Gard: second tallest Roman ruin in existence today.  Only the Coliseum in Rome is higher. A wonderful and busy way to spend a day in Provence is to have a theme.  With all the Roman ruins around the town of Arles, it made sense to have a Roman day.  In the morning we visited the Roman arena in Arles.  It is a spectacular sight.  Also in Arles, there is a Roman Museum.  This excellent museum is perfect to give background and meaning to the Roman ruins which still stand.  This museum is small enough to see in one hour.  The curators have selected high-quality original items to display.  This is able to show what a Roman life was like 2000 years ago.  There are also models showing what the town of Arles was like under the Roman command.  I highly recommend a visit. Statue at the Roman Museum in Arles:  Bad Hair day. Roman Theater in Orange From the Roman Museum, it is an easy drive to Orange.  ...

Cheverny Chateau Cheverny chateau is one of the most popular in the Loire River Valley.  It is not the biggest and it does not sit beside a lovely river.  However it has more charm than the others.  The small village of Cheverny is centered around this wonderful Castle.  There is a parking lot at the entrance to the town.  Walking 2 blocks through the lovely street leads to the entrance of Cheverny.  You have an option of seeing the castle alone or also attending the Tintin museum.  I was traveling with my children and we decided to see the museum and the castle together.  We arrived around 4 clock in the afternoon.  It is good to time your arrival late in the afternoon because of another event that is free: the feeding of the dogs.  This is also called "La Soupe des Chiens" in French.  More about that later. The Tintin museum is a very nice, clean museum that celebrates this wonderful comic book character.  Many of hi...