cathedral

Photo of the Week: Concrete Forest

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IMG_9355Barcelona, Spain

La Sagrada Familia is the crown jewel of Barcelona and one of Gaudi’s most famous works; yet it’s been under construction on and off since 1882 and still not complete.  The towering pillars rising up to the vaulted ceiling reflect the colorful lights from the stained glass windows and reminds me of the mottled effect of sunlight pouring through thick branches. Gaudi is well known for his organic style of architecture, drawing inspiration from nature, so it’s not far-fetched to enter the cathedral and imagine yourself walking amongst a concrete forest. This is one of my all time favorite cathedrals. 

Every week, I’ll share a photo with you from my adventures around the world and at home.  Most of my photos have little or no post processing.  If you would like to see more, please click the Follow button.

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10 Things to do in Rio

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IMG_3508

Rio de Janeiro is one of the largest cities in South America, known for many things:  its world famous beaches, magnificent natural landscapes, and its iconic landmarks. This sprawling metropolis has everything you’ll need for a good time.  Naturally, we were excited and looked forward to our first trip to Brazil.  We booked months in advance and planned out all the places we wanted to see.  Unfortunately all of that planning did not ensure a drama-free trip as we found out that our flight was canceled two hours before take-off and rescheduled to the next day – our already short trip became even shorter.  When we finally made it there, we were greeted with crappy weather.  Ironically, it rained every single day that we were there during the hottest and driest year in the country’s recent history.  Even with all the problems, we still had a great time.  Here are a few things that we did and a few things that we didn’t get to do due to weather:

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Photo of the Week: Notre Dame

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IMG_4331Montreal, Quebec

As you know, last week we took a family road trip to Quebec for Thanksgiving.  If you’ve ever been in a car  with 6 people plus countless luggage for an  eight hour drive, you’ll know it’s an effective torture method.  Aside from the  fact that my body was contorted into many weird positions, the trip was a success.  We had a little too much food, but that’s to be expected on a Nguyen get-together.  We also got to visit a few nice churches a long the way.

Notre-Dame is the famous basilica located in the heart of Old Montreal. The interior is filled with intricate wood carvings that would rival any European church.  The altar is back lit with a deep blue light, creating contrast and drama to the elaborate design.  The only drawback is that there is an admission fee of $5 to get in, which makes this feel less like a holy site and more like a tourist stop. 

Every week, I’ll share a photo with you from my adventures around the world and at home.  Most of my photos have little or no post processing.  If you would like to see more, please click the Follow button.