[Grace] i felt the love tonight

I haven't been in Africa for a long while. I was at a creative roadblock and then, when I finally got back into the swing of things, my perfectionist tendencies took over. In my early drafts of this video, I experimented a lot with music, which I believe is the foundation of every video I create. While I always wanted to use "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" there were so many different versions I tried to use before finally deciding. Also, I had to edit around the footage. Most of the videos I took were out of a Land Rover with my big zoomy lens that emphasises camera shake. While that was less than ideal, my subjects (aka the animals) are more than enough to steal the show.



Viola.

[Kate] Extremes On Our Trip

As we're nearing the end of our big trip, we have time reflect on everywhere we've been.  And boy is it a list!  Twenty seven countries (counting America)!  So I'm taking the time (as I sit on a balcony in Italy) to list out three polar opposites that have been squished into these six months of traveling.

Coldest vs Hottest

These were pretty easy to find, as they were generally accompanied by a feeling of great discomfort.  Taking the crown at Coldest is ...

Day 9 of Trekking (Kala Pattar).  It was freezing that day.  It was when we reached our highest day elevation wise, and was therefore very cold.  It didn't help that we woke up at four thirty, when the sun had not yet started to rise.  For an account of that day, click here.

This is us trekking in the early morning of the coldest day of our trip.

The hottest day was ...

Abu Simbel Sightseeing (Egypt).  The ruins at Abu Simbel were gorgeous, one of the best ruins we've seen on this entire trip.  But it sure was sweltering, and there was only a little shade.  Even for Egypt, were it was boiling on a daily basis, it was hot that day.  For an account of our time at Abu Simbel, click here.

This is the outside of the Abu Simbel ruins
(the ancient temple continues into the cliff).

Furthest North vs Furthest South

The place when went that is the furthest to the North is ...

Bergen (Norway).   We stayed for two nights in Bergen, which is a fairly small town in Norway.  Since it was so far north, it stayed light almost the night long, kind of creating, as Grace called it (our family photographer and videographer) "eternal golden hour".

A panoramic view of Bergen from above, taken from a viewing platform above the town.

The place furthest to the South that traveled was ...

Milford Sound (New Zealand).  We took a plane ride in a small plane from Queenstown (our first stop on the entire trip) to Milford Sound.  This was one of the great days of the trip.  For an account of that day, click here.

This is a collage of pictures of Milford Sound, courteous of Grace.

Biggest Cities vs Smallest Towns

For the purposes of these rankings, I'm not including all the towns we visited on our Nepal trek, because they're often more like a cluster of buildings than a real town.  I am counting the larger ones, however.  The biggest city we went to was ...

Cairo (Egypt).  The weird things about Cairo is that it didn't feel that big.  But it has a population of about 19.5 million people, which makes it the largest city that we spend time in on this trip.

This is Cairo.

The smallest town was ...

Namche Bazar (Nepal).  While this is a place we visited during our Nepal trek, it was big enough that we deemed it was technically a town.  We spent three nights here (two nights heading up, and one on the way down).  For an account of our journey to Namche Bazar, click here. 

A view of Namche Bazar.

We've gone a lot of places on this trip, and gone a lot of places that I said "yeah, right" about when first hearing about it (case in point: Everest Base Camp).  Even though we've about to head home, we still have four more days of travel.  Who knows what we'll do next?

[George/Cannon] The Musee D'Orsay

In this post I'm going to talk about what could be my favorite museum in the world, the Musee D'Orsay in Paris, France.  There are a couple reasons I love this museum, for one it used to be a highly decorated train station, so I think it looks great.  Also I just love the artwork.  Down below there are some of my favorite paintings, statues, and artists in the Musee D'Orsay.

The Polar Bear, by Pompon  This statue is amazing.  It is probably my favorite statue in the museum, if not the world.  It was made by François Pompon and it looks, in my opinion just like a polar bear.

I love this

Monet  The Musee D'Orsay has a whole section of impressionism.  Its mainly dominated by Monet.  I don't love Monet but still, he deserves a spot on this list.

The Floor Scrapers,  by Caillebotte  What a painting.  The first time I saw it I thought it was a photo.  This painting doesn't really show anything exiting, but it is just so realistic it is amazing.

Wow

Van Gogh  I LOVE VAN GOGH!  Even though he was a bit crazy, I love his paintings.  He is probably my favorite artist in the world.  In the Musee D'Orsay Van Gogh basically takes up a room by himself.  It might be my favorite room in the museum.

Why did he cut off his ear?

The Church At Auvers

And now my Mom is making me write a conclusion (doesn't this sound familiar).  Those are my favorite things at the Musee D'Orsay.

[George/Cannon] Candy!!

One this trip we have had some amazing candy, some weird candy, and some candy so bad that we all immediately started screaming when we tasted it (not an exaggeration).  This post is a list of the most memorable candies we've had on this trip.

1. BAMS!!  Bams are one of my families favorite candy treats.  My dad first found them in France without us and then when we went with him years later he showed them to us.  A bam is a banana flavored candy, shaped like a banana with sugar on the outside.  The inside is a marshmallow/gummy substance that is amazing.  Bams are some of the best candy ever.  Sadly they are very hard to find anywhere but Europe, and even there finding them can be a pain.

While really called bananas my family calls them bams.

2. Chocolate Koalas.  My Mom found this is a store and had to get them.  Upon finding out that they were chocolate covered marshmallows I was even more exited (I love chocolate covered marshmallows and gummy bears).  However these candies weren't very good.  But they were still fun!

KOALAS!!

3.  Charmallows.  I've talked about these before.  These are the amazing Haribou marshallows that I ate all through-out Spain.  They are marshmallows covered in sugar and they are great.

I LOVE MARSHMALLOWS!

4. Swedish black licorice.  These were the candies that made us all scream upon tasting them.  On the cruise that we did we stopped in Stockholm, Sweden.  I was put in charge of this day so I decided to visit a Swedish candy store.  I asked one of my uncles (who has spent some time in Sweden) what candy to get.  His response is below.

He warned us

Naturally we got the skulls and tried them.  They were nothing short of terrible.  My Uncle was right.  I didn't finish it.

Never again

[Kate] Homeschooling vs. Traditional Schooling

On this trip, my parents have been doubling as my teachers. I had an online math class, but aside from that my studies are determined by my parents. Naturally, a lot of it has revolved around the places we have visited. For example, we each had an overarching project about one topic we pick (sports, politics, or food for instance) in the countries that we visit.

Homeschooling has a very different feel and structure than sitting in a classroom.  For example:

• I get more of a say in what I do. Of course, I don’t control it, but I do get to pick some things. Like my big project topic (see above), for example. 
• My time is more my own. I’m not forced to sit in a classroom for six hours. Or course, I need to get my work done, but if I finish early then I can stop, not sit in the same place aimlessly. 
• No group work! (At last! Ok, I know teamwork is a very important skill, but school group work can be really, really, annoying. I and up being the person that does a lot of the work sometimes, and that’s not a great experience.) 
• No PE. I know they’ll be a lot of being active on this trip (Everest, for instance) but it won’t be PE. PE I have never really liked. People either get insanely competitive or they don’t care at all, and I often find myself to the weird in between. 
• We don't have a classroom setting.  I've done homework on road trips, in airports, on airplanes, in the Himalayas...let's just say its an extensive list.
• I’m trying to learn and keep up on top of all the traveling and adventures. That has been a little crazy to me, keeping the right ratio between the two. 
• My parents are my teachers, which is obviously a change.  But I did have some experience learning from them in the past, since they would sometimes help me with my homework.

This is a homework session in the airport in Cairo, Egypt.

Do I like homeschooling?  In some ways, yes.  As I mentioned above, I feel like my time is better utilized when I can transition so seamlessly from working on homework to relaxing or eating.  (And I really do like he short break from group work, as crucial as skill as it is.)  But sometimes the lack of structure and constant change is less helpful, especially in the confined spaces we spend most of our time in.  Sitting on a bed in an uncomfortably warm room, without a desk while everyone is talking around you, is not ideal for obvious reasons.

I think our system of homeschooling on this trip has worked quite well (for more information on our system, see this early blog post, Beal Academy).  All the same, some part of me is excited for normal school again in the fall.

[Grace] Unesco World Heritage

On this trip, we have been to a lot of Unesco World Heritage Sites. For a place to become a World Heritage Site the United Nations needs to think it has special physical or cultural significance. After looking at the list, I think it can get pretty biased at times, but it's still interesting to look at. Overall, we went to 30 World Heritage Sites, with the most (5) in Morroco.

New Zealand
Te Wahipounamu – South West New Zealand

Australia
Great Barrier Reef
Wet Tropics of Queensland
Sydney Opera House

Opera House

Laos
Town of Luang Prabang

Cambodia
Angkor

Vietnam
Hoi An Ancient Town
Complex of Hué Monuments

Nepal

Kathmandu Valley

Sagarmartha National Park

Sagarmartha National Park

Egypt

Ancient Thebes with its Necropolis
Historic Cairo
Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur
Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae

Morocco
Medina of Fez
Medina of Marrakesh
Historic City of Meknes
Archaeological Site of Volubilis
Rabat, Modern Capital and Historic City: a Shared Heritage

Spain

Alhambra, Generalife and Albayzín, Granada
Cathedral, Alcázar and Archivo de Indias in Seville

Alhambra

France

The Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes
Mont-Saint-Michel and its Bay
Paris, Banks of the Seine
Strasbourg, Grande-Île and Neustadt

Norway

Brygnn
West Norwegian Fjords – Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord

Germany

Museumsinsel (Museum Island), Berlin

Estonia
Historic Centre (Old Town) of Tallinn

Russia

Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments

Finland
Fortress of Suomenlinna

Switzerland

Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch

Swiss Alps

[Kara] Travel Clothes--A Project 333 Experiment

Have you heard of Project 333?  It's a minimalist clothing challenge to build a capsule wardrobe that is comfortable enough and versatile enough that you can wear no more than 33 items of clothing (including shoes, coats and jewelry!) for three months.  Thirty-three items of clothing for three months . . . 33 for 3 . . . 333.  (You can read about the Project 333 challenge here.)

I first read about it a few years ago and thought it was NUTS.  But it recently occurred to me that I've been living way under the 33 items of clothing for over five months now.  Here's a breakdown of the clothes I've brought on our trip.  According to the Project 333 rules, it's a total of 22 items of clothing and I've been pretty darned comfortable.

First, a note about climate:  We've generally planned our travels to coincide with warm weather in the locations we're visiting, but "warm" isn't the same everywhere.  We've endured temperatures over 115 degrees and cold, wet, blustery weather down to about 40 degrees in these clothes.  For purposes of this discussion, I'm leaving out the technical clothing we used for our trekking in the Himalayas (where the temperature was in the 20s).

Nine Tops

I have nine shirts with me.  They are all made of light-weight synthetic materials.  Two are exercise-style t-shirts (for exercise and casual wear), two have 3/4 length sleeves for cooler days and the other five have short sleeves and are button-down or blouse style rather than t-shirt style.  All of the shirts came from either REI or TJMaxx.  Each one will drip dry within 24 hours of washing and hanging and they all fit together into a single, pretty small, packing cube.

Seven Bottoms

I have three pairs of pants, one pair of (nice looking) shorts, one pair of exercise-style capri pants and three knee-length skirts.  Even thought that's a total of eight pieces, when we briefly stopped in the US for my brother's wedding, I left one pair of pants behind and added one of the skirts, so I've only had seven options at a time.  Two of my pairs of pants are hiking/travel style pants from REI and one is a pair of yoga pants (because sometimes I really want to be comfy).  All of these live together in one large packing cube in my suitcase.

These have been my favorite sandals for
several years and they have worked perfectly
for this trip.

Three Pairs of Shoes

I only have one pair of running shoes, one pair of sandals and one pair of flip flops.  When you only have three pairs of shoes, they better be good.  My sandals are Munro Pisces and they are amazing--cute enough to wear with a skirt and blouse when I want to look dressy and yet comfortable enough to walk in for miles and miles.

Two Jackets

We each brought a quilted down coat that packs down small, plus a packable rain jacket that fits over our down jackets for when we need to pile on the layers.

Two Pieces of Jewelry

I have worn a single pair of silver hoop earrings every day of this trip, and a single necklace (silver chain with a pearl pendant).  My wedding ring wouldn't count for purposes of Project 333, but I actually didn't bring my wedding ring on our trip and instead I'm wearing a $7 silver band I bought off of Amazon.

Other Items

I brought one pair of pajamas, one swimsuit, one set of long underwear (that I ditched in the US a few weeks ago because I only used them in Nepal), plus a 4-5 sets of socks and underwear.  These all share a large packing cube in my suitcase.

That's it!

Will this experience change how many clothes I own and wear when I'm no longer traveling? 

It will be interesting to see.  I know I will be happy to have a pair of jeans again, but they are simply not practical to travel with--bulky to pack, hot to wear and they take too long to drip dry.  I have noticed that with the capsule wardrobe I'm traveling with, it is easy for me to look more put together than I do at home (I'm usually wearing in a blouse and a skirt this summer) and I'm perfectly comfortable.  So maybe I will transition back to a slightly more polished look when I get home (as opposed to my daily jeans or yoga pants).  Time will tell.

[Kate] My Thoughts on Road Trips

We've done do a fair number of road trips on this trip.  For some of them my Dad is driving in a small, crowded rental car (specifically referring to our unexpected rad trip in Spain), for others we are all spread out luxuriously in a travel van equipped with wifi and enough seats for over ten people, with a driver (who kept giving us fresh water and cold towels) and a guide in the front seats (specifically referring to out road trip in Morocco).  So since we're getting ready for our big road trip in Europe, I thought I'd share are my thoughts on road trips.

Things I Like About Road Trips: 

This is a picture of the interior of the van we used in
Athens, Greece (which was couple years before this big trip).

• Like airplanes, they give me time to just relax. I can read or listen to audio or write (in some cases) or whatever. 
• I spend time with my family. This can lead to amusing conversations and laughable diversions. (I’m looking at you Cannon!) 

Things I Dislike About Road Trips: 

This is a picture from our cramped and unexpected road trip
in Spain.  (For an explanation find my live report blog post.

• I can get a little car sick, especially when I’m doing something and looking down. Not fun. 
• It can be annoying to be stuck in the in tight quarters with other people, especially for a long time. I love my family, but being stuck with them can be a little stressful at times. (I’m still looking at you Cannon!) 
• Like airplanes, WiFi isn’t always accessible. It can be a little annoying when I want to write. Or text my friends or something else that requires Wifi. But at this point in the trip, I’m honestly kind of used to it. 
• We often don’t get much food in the experience. We stop for candy or soda if we need to, and we have packed snacks, but as far as real meals, road trips are lacking.

[Grace] One Day in Helinski

We went to five cities on this 9 day Baltic Cruise: Berlin, Saint Petersburg, Tallinn, Helsinki and Stockholm. For the first two cities we had tour guides, but for Tallinn, Helsinki and Stockholm the kids were in charge of creating an itinerary. Kate had Tallinn, Cannon had Stockholm and I was in chagre of Helsinki.


Spoiler alert: there is not much to do in Helsinki. It’s a small city. But 100% worth going to just to try and pronounce the Finnish street names.

To start off in Helsinki, we took a ferry to Suomenlinna, which is a small island that is a ferry ride away from the market square.

A view of market square from the ferry

Suomenlinna was a great place to start off our day. The weather was great, the island was beautiful and we had a good time exploring.

After we took the ferry ride back, we had three churches on the agenda. First up was the Upenski Cathedral, right next to Market Square. It was a quick stop, but I thought it was worth spending a few minutes there because it's very cool looking.

Next up was the Cathedral of Helsinki, a beautiful white church. It's up on a hill, and so from far away it looks like it's floating above the city.

Finally, we made a stop at the Church of the Rock. This building was incredible, but felt very different from the other churches. Church of the Rock is a church with walls that are made out of bedrock - it's hard to explain, but I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

This is a view of the ceiling

After that, we took the tram back to our cruise ship. It was overall a successful day, and I learned a little bit more about how to plan out an itinerary.

[George/Cannon] Keychains

During this trip I have collected a lot of keychains from several different countries.  Some of these have broke by now, but I decided to write a post about the ones I still have.  The list is below.

The first keychain that I bought on this trip was from New Zealand.  It (as you can see below) is a rugby ball that says New Zealand, and then has a silver fern.  The silver fern is the symbol of the New Zealand All-Backs rugby team, one of the best in the world.

I also have the iconic keychain from Paris, the Eiffel tower keychain.  I bought two of these for 50 cents each.  As you can see below one is blue, and the other is colored like the French flag.

My favorite keychain we got in Granada, Spain.  It is made of two Fanta (the soda) caps blown up (see below).  We got it in this really cool shop full of recycled stuff.  The keychain is also fitting because Orange Fanta is my favorite.

On the cruise that we were on we stopped on a town called Helsinki.  There we found a keychain with a cannonball on it.  Since my middle name is Cannon we had to get it.

Lastly is the one we got today in Sweden.  It is a Viking head.  There's really nothing more to say about it.

[Kate] Planning A Travel Day

Obviously, we're doing a lot of sightseeing days on this trip, but mostly the kids don't do very much planning.  Either our parents have booked a guide, they have something planned out, or we make it up as we go along.  So there isn't much of an opportunity for Grace, Cannon and I to plan something out.

But then our Dad had an idea to have each of us to plan a day during the course of our cruise, in three different cities.  Our planning would include five things to do, how to get around, and a lunch location or plan.  So Dad wrote the three cities down on pieces of paper, and Grace Cannon and I each pulled out a paper out of a hat.

I pulled out Tallinn, Estonia.  Grace grabbed Helsinki, Finland, and Cannon got Stockholm, Sweden.

I procrastinated for a while, but eventually I did a quick google search, and found a website that gave ideas for what to do if you have a day in Tallinn.  (Having only a day in Tallinn seems very common, since cruises are a popular method of travel in the Baltic Sea area.)

Using that blog, and a few other sites, I found these five things to do:

• Viru Gate (a historic gate leading into the old town area)
• Alexander Nevsky Cathedral (a Russia Orthodox church from the time when the Russians ruled Estonia)
• St. Olaf's Church (an old church with a steep staircase up to a viewing point at the top of the church)
• Kohtuotsa Viewing Platform (a platform with views over the old town)
• Old Town Walls (a section of the walls that used to surround the old town of Tallinn)

All of these things were very close, and located in the old town, and so we would just be walking around the city for transportation, instead of worrying about metros or buses.  I also found a lunch recommendation (Rataskaevu 16) in the first blog I looked at.

On Google Maps I made a map of the places we could go, and ways to get to them (starting at the Tallinn cruise port).

This is a screenshot of my map of a possible walking route through Tallinn.

The day in Tallinn was really fun!  We didn't go to the Viru Gate or the Old Town Walls, but we walked through another interesting set of gates, and we saw the walls from the viewing point at the top of St. Olaf's Church.  Lunch was very delicious, and we ate traditional Estonian food).  We all had a good day in Tallinn!

[Kara] Review of Lush Shampoo and Conditioner Bars

A corollary to our minimalist travel lifestyle is that we can't carry a large amount of liquids.  However, we've stayed in a fair number of places that don't have shampoo (or don't have enough shampoo for five people including three girls with long-ish hair) or places that don't have hair conditioner.  In fact, since we've been in Morocco and Europe, none of our hotels or AirBNBs has had conditioner.  Do European women not condition their hair?  (They must, of course!)  Conditioner is a non-negotiable toiletry in my life.  So when I read other full-time travelers extol the virtues of solid shampoo and conditioner I was intrigued.

It just so happens that Lush (the most nose-assailing store in the mall) sells solid shampoo and conditioner bars and that there's was a Lush a short walk from our apartment in Paris.  I stopped in a couple of weeks ago to pick out my new--strongly scented--beauty products.

Lush offers several options for solid shampoo.  Most are in cute circular shapes, but the one that smelled most appealing/least offensive to me is Trichomania.  It doesn't come in a cute shape, so it doesn't fit in a correspondingly cute tin that Lush offers, but that wasn't my highest priority.

The Lush store I visited only had two solid conditioner options, so I read the online reviews of both while I stood in front of the options and picked the one that people dislike least:  Sugar Daddy-O.   Also, the scent of Sugar Daddy-O didn't clash horribly with the Trichomania shampoo.  (Can you tell I don't love the Lush scent marketing strategy?)

I've tried each of these a couple of times now and can tell you what I think of them.

Using the Shampoo Bar

This works just as a soap bar works.  You have to get it wet and lather it up.  But you have to lather it up again and again and again in order to get enough soap onto your hands and into your hair.  Picture how much lather you get when you wash your hands with a bar of soap.  Then picture how much lather you get when you wash your hair with shampoo.  And then contemplate how many times you'd need to wipe the lather from your hands into your hair in order to build up sufficient lather in your hair to be able to wash it.  It takes me about 8-10 hand latherings before my hair has enough shampoo in it.  This does take some time, but not too much time because the shampoo bar is relatively soft and breaks down in a nice, soap-ish way.

A note of caution:  The Lush website also says that you can rub the shampoo (or condition) bar directly on your hair.  Do not do this if you have long hair--or medium-length hair.  It created a tangled mess of hair on my head and it hurt, too.  I can imagine it would work fine if your hair is an inch long.

Using the Conditioner Bar

You use this bar just as you do the shampoo bar, but it doesn't react exactly the same way.  The consistency of the conditioner bar is much harder than the shampoo bar and so it doesn't break down as easily to transfer onto your hands and then your hair as the shampoo bar does.

The conditioner bar is made of ingredients that are much more like a skin lotion bar.  That makes sense, right?  (I've even used hotel-offered body lotion as hair conditioner a couple of times on this trip when I've been desperate.)  And it makes sense that it doesn't lather like soap does, because it isn't a soap, it's a moisturizer.  But that makes it more of a chore to use.

In the shower, the conditioner bar doesn't soften to the extent that the shampoo bar does, and it doesn't lather, but when I rub it in my hands I can work up a mildly foamy film that I can then wipe from my hands onto my hair.  The problem with the conditioner bar is that it's tough to get much of it onto my hands so I can put it on my hair.  It takes me about two minutes of quick scrubbing to break down enough of the conditioner bar to transfer enough conditioner to my hair.  When I used it last night, it took me 14 separate repeats of scrub-bar-vigoriously-and-wipe-hands-on-hair before I had enough conditioner in my hair that I could run my fingers through my hair without getting my fingers tangled.


How Well Do They Work?

To be honest with you, I have pretty easy hair.  I don't need special properties in my shampoo or conditioner.  I only ask shampoo to get my hair clean and conditioner to make it tangle free.  Both of these products work perfectly well in that respect for me.

Environmental Considerations

One of the benefits of using solid shampoo and conditioner bars is that they eliminate the plastic waste created by empty shampoo/conditioner bottles, but when I'm standing in the shower for two minutes actively working to get a sufficient amount of conditioner into my hair, that's two minutes of water running down the drain.  (Because I'm seriously not turning off the water in the middle of my shower unless there's a SERIOUS drought. I really, really hate interrupted showers.)  Pick your environmental issue, and the degree of discomfort you're willing to experience.

How Long Will the Bars Last?

I've read that these shampoo and conditioner bars will last over a month each, even being used daily.  I can't report on that, as I only use them as backup when I don't have liquid shampoo or conditioner.  I can say that they don't seem to break down very fast, as I've used both a few times and they are still pretty much the same shape and size they were when I bought them, so they very well might last through 30 or more uses.  Because they last so long, you could easily chop them in half and make them even smaller if you want to travel with them.

Storage

After I use the bars, I leave them on the bathroom counter and by morning they are dry enough that I can drop them into ziplock bags and then pack them in my luggage.  It's not a pretty solution, but it works perfectly fine.  Lush does sell shampoo tins that fit all of their circular dry shampoo bars, but the solid shampoo I picked isn't the right shape for that. The Lush store I visited didn't have tins the right shape and size for the conditioner bars, so I don't know if Lush offers tins for the conditioner bars.

Conclusion

These solid shampoo and conditioner bars work perfectly well for my hair and I like these bars for traveling because they aren't liquid and they allow me to carry a relatively unlimited amount of shampoo and conditioner with me.  However, I can't say I'll keep using them when I get home because they are a lot more work to use than the liquid forms of shampoo and conditioner.

[Grace] I am an Art Nerd & My Top 5 Paintings in Paris

On this trip, specifically in Paris, I discovered a newfound love for art. I had been to many art museums before, including the Louvre and the Musee D'Orsay, the best art museums in Paris (in my opinion). Despite the fact that I had been to these great museums in the past, I never actually enjoyed them. Sure, I had a couple favorite paintings and I could recognize major artists, and sometimes I didn't hate art museums, but they were never my favorite.

This trip, however, changed some of that. I still get bored in museums, just less often. My parents know a ton about art and art history, so with their help I was able to help get a grasp on the basics. Once I had learned a little bit about art, I found the physical paintings much more enjoyable.

After spending time in lots of museums in Paris, I've compiled a list of my top five favorite paintings that I saw while in Paris (in order from least to most favorite).

1. The Fortune Teller - Caravaggio
2. Raft of Medusa - Théodore Géricault
3. The Wedding - Henri Rousseau
4. Arearea - Gauguin
5. Floorscrapers

5. Arearea - Gauguin

Found in the Musee D'Orsay

I love Gauguin's paintings, and this just happens to be my favorite one in Paris. I think Gauguin's use of color is incredible; he takes colors that should look ugly together and makes everything look cohesive. Also, his subjects are much more interesting to me than most other art subjects. 

4. The Floor Scrapers - Gustave Caillebotte

Found in the Musee D'Orsay

This painting is beautiful! First of all, I would never think that a painting of floor scrapers could be anything but ugly. This just goes to show how a talented artists make anything beautiful. But my favorite thing about this painting is the lighting. As a photographer, I live by the quote "lighting is the lens through which we see the world." Caillebotte captures the light in such a magnificent way.

3. The Wedding Party - Henri Rousseau

Found in the Musee de L'Orangerie

I absolutely adore Rousseau's style of art. I particularly love this painting because of all the faces of the people, which I think are very interesting. Another one of my favorite parts of this painting is the background - Rousseau is known for his jungle scenes, and we see a little bit of that come out in the vegetation in the behind the people.

2. Raft of Medusa - Théodore Géricault

Found in the Louvre

I love this painting! The composition in incredible. Absolutely incredible. While the online version of this painting is nice, nothing can compare to seeing it in person. It is gigantic and that just makes it so much more impressive. If you were going to see one painting on this list in person, definitely make an effort to see this one.

Drum roll please.......

1. The Fortune Teller - Caravaggio

Found in the Louvre

Important fact about me: I love Caravaggio. I think he is brilliant and influential and creative. This painting is my favorite of all time. I love the simple background, with the shadows on the people's faces. The incredibly realistic people with their outfits - I could go on and on! But, by far the best thing about this painting is a small detail that is easy to miss: if you look closely, you can see that the fortune teller's fingers are around the young man's ring on his finger! She is pretending to read his fortune while trying to scam him. Caravaggio is a genius and anywho who disagrees can fight me.

[Grace] Norway Fjord Cruise

Yesterday, our first full day in Norway, we spent the day in Bergen which is the second largest city in the country. Today, we are taking a series of vehicles (one bus, one boat and lots of trains) to get to the nation’s capital, Oslo.

We took a train, and then a bus, to get to the city of Vas. From there, we took a very pretty bus ride to get to a small port at the end of a fjord, where we boarded a boat that would drive us through the fjord.

We had incredible weather on the boat. We had done one previous fjord cruise, in New Zealand at Milford Sound, but that day was overcast and slightly rainy. But today the sun was out, so the water glittered and the temperature was pleasant. It did get a little windy, but I didn’t mind that.



I was amazed at the beauty of the fjord. Everything in Norway has been stunning, but I was especially in awe on this journey. The water was a deep blue-green, the cliffs were covered with green vegetation, there was the occasional waterfall and mountains could often be seen in the distance with the remnants of snow.

I spent a lot of time up on the top levels of the boat, taking pictures and admiring the view even when the rest of my family went below deck for a reprieve from the strong wind. When I went down to one of the lower levels of the boat to join my family, Cannon and Kate decided they wanted to try and give me some new hairstyles. So that is how I ended up looking like this:

I went up to the top deck to soak in more of the view. By that point, the wind had died down and so it was pretty toasty! I had a good view as the boat docked in a small town named Flan. It just so happens I'm writing this blogpost right now in Flan. As always in Norway, it is beautiful. I'm so grateful that I am able to explore this wonderful country!


PS While this post is just going live now, I wrote it on Monday. So when I reference "today" I don't actually mean today.