Autumn Comes to Bruges

October 17, 2015 ~ travelsandtomes ~ 8 Comments

Bruges, Belgium, October 2015

Bohemian Rhapsody: Not Quite Wordless Wednesday

October 7, 2015 ~ travelsandtomes ~ Leave a comment

“Bohemia”: a kingdom established in 1212, in present day Czech Republic.

“Rhapsody”: a musical work featuring highly contrasted moods and colors; rapture, ecstasy.

A few days in Prague = a Bohemian Rhapsody.

On the Path: Dachau

October 4, 2015 ~ travelsandtomes ~ 12 Comments

I’ve been meaning to write about Dachau for some time now, but it’s a very difficult post to write–it’s unpleasant, it’s uncomfortable, and it’s just hard to get the words to say anything right. Something about the very shape and logic of language makes it the wrong vehicle to express anything about the Holocaust– where’s the shape or the logic to such atrocities?

But the post will get written. . . someday.

For now, I offer a photo of stones on the path by the barracks. They struck me as very beautiful and appropriate to the place: thousands of small stones, smooth and beautiful, but some so violently broken, to remind us not only of the atrocities of the place, but of the beauty of the souls who passed through. It seemed a fitting and reverent image to remember the victims of Dachau by.

Photog Friday: Chess Players

Image ~ October 2, 2015 ~ travelsandtomes ~ 1 Comment

Speyer, Germany

Friday in the Frame: Kapellbrucke (Chapel Bridge)

September 25, 2015 ~ travelsandtomes ~ 16 Comments

Lucerne, Switzerland

There are some places that make you remember what it feels like to really breathe. For me, Switzerland is one of those places. It’s crisp, it’s open, it’s beautiful. In Lucerne, you are surrounded by glorious mountains, but you never feel landlocked. The sky above is expansive and feels even more so because it is reflected in the clear lake water. The mood is tranquil, even though you are surrounded by other tourists.

Friday seems like an appropriate day to be writing about bridges and breathing. Sometimes Friday is that transition point out of a busy week and into a relaxing weekend, that point where you remember to breathe and look out at the world around you.

How long has it been since you lifted your head from that pile of papers on your desk or whatever other concerns you were juggling? If it’s been a while, then breathe deep–it’s Friday! Here are some more photos of Lucerne to get your weekend started.