Photography Friday: New Orleans Villa

For our trip to New Orleans we had the most lovely accommodation! We stayed in a period villa in the French Quarter.

The rooms were decorated with antique furniture, and our spare quilts were crochet nana blankets. The light fixtures were old and I loved the peeling paint and shutters. The bathroom had a vintage stand alone bath and a beautiful tiled floor. I just loved the vintage everything in this house.

We arrived in the dark and rushed out soon after. But when we woke up the next morning the sun was streaming in the shutters and the birds were chirping. There was a band practicing or playing a couple of blocks away, and I could hear trumpets and drums. When I peeked out the window I saw a couple of cafes and junk stores in old, vibrantly painted houses across the street.

That is the kind of morning I love waking up to. 

Photo du Jour - Lake Geneva

We took a train to Geneva for the day today. The view on the ride down was one of the most beautiful things I have ever experienced. Two of three hours of the trip was through snow covered fields and mountains. Absolutely stunning. We both agreed that the ride down was worth the effort of the trip alone. 

However, if you are traveling at 200 km/hr, photos of Narnia-esque landscape don't really turn out how you are seeing them... So here are some swans in the freshest water I have seen in nearly a year. 

Photo du Jour - Basilica

This is the Sacre Coeur. It sits high on a hill in the northern suburb of Montmartre. Inside the chapel there is a strict silence rule so that all you can hear is the choir singing. It is overwhelming to sit and think of all the people who have come here to worship or seek solace over its history. The buildings means so much to so many and has weathered many wars. It was truly a stunning place to visit.

Photo du Jour - through the looking glass

We spent the morning at the Louvre today. My favorite section is the Egyptian artifacts, and Rob wanted to see the Mona Lisa and some other paintings so we mostly focused on those floors. It was an amazingly beautiful sunny morning and has turned into a bit of a rainy day with a massive temperature drop. It was 0 Celsius this morning, so it was hard to imagine that it would get colder... But it certainly did. Time to warm up before we meet up with Nay.

Photo du Jour - Napoleon

Today we spent five hours wandering Les Invalides. It is one of my favorite museums in Paris. It is a reminder of how young New Zealand is - we were looking at pieces of weaponry and armor that were made 300 years before there were people in NZ. Crazy. And the pieces are all so beautifully crafted. Was a fantastic learning experience - and Rob loved it. Which is also fabulous.

The photo is a shot of the ceiling above Napoleon's tomb. The paintings are stunning and quite breathtaking. 

Photo du Jour - Benny!

Can't wait to edit the photos on our camera. For now, this will do.

It is amazing how impressive it was. And you know what? I am super glad we went to London at this time of year. It seems appropriate that it was cloudy with autumn leaves - I feel like it would be weird if it was hot.

Another amazing holi - day.