On the last day of our trip home, Marcus and I went for a walk with my parents in Hoyt Arboretum, nestled above downtown Portland. The temperatures had dropped significantly during our visit, turning the bright autumn colors a duller, winter version. We wandered over the hills as the late-afternoon air turned cool. Finally when our fingers were numb, we headed for dinner at Serratto and then back to Amsterdam in the morning.
The last of the autumn leaves are clinging to the branches of the trees here in Amsterdam. The temperatures have dropped and my morning bicycle commute now requires a thick scarf and gloves. It's pitch dark outside when I make my evening ride home and I can feel the edge of winter peeking around the corner.
I'm keeping it cozy with this book, this show, and cupfuls of peppermint hot chocolate. How are you bracing for the winter ahead?
Photo of Glen Torridon by Richard Childs
Happy birthday to my wonderful husband. Some ages are rung in with fireworks, others with a single candle after a momentous year. I am looking forward to all the years ahead of us and celebrating each one with you.
Photo by Chris Spira
While I was visiting Casablanca on a work trip, I took a walk in the late afternoon with my colleague Manja to see the city. One of the main highlights of Casablanca is the Hassad II Mosque, located on the edge of the city next to the ocean. Construction finished in 1993, so it isn't exactly an ancient building, but it is certainly impressive.
To arrive at the mosque, we crossed a large courtyard with the minaret - the tallest in the world - looming ahead. The expanse of the mosque and the weight of the minaret create a sense of grandeur. Then we went in close and saw the detail carved into each stone, door, and archway. Unfortunately, we couldn't go inside. We had only one headscarf between us and the mosque didn't appear open to visitors at the time. But the sun was warm and the smell of saltwater was carried on the breeze as we walked around the mosque.
Oregon is beautiful in all seasons, but autumn just might be my favorite. After my trip to Casablanca, I returned to Amsterdam for a few days before departing for Portland. The occasion was my father's 60th birthday, which we celebrated with abandon. My father declared his birthday a season and has been celebrating the past several months with fishing trips to Bend and explorations of hidden lakes. We take birthdays seriously in my family.
The actual celebration of his birthday lasted about three days, starting with a large party on Saturday, complete with live music and an array of baked goods by yours truly. On Sunday, my parents, Marcus, and I went on a long walk through the orange-leaved trees in surprisingly warm weather. We wore summer clothing and sat outside, drinking lemonade and eating watermelon. On Monday - my dad's actual birthday - we turned in our ballots, went book shopping, and gathered around the table for a family dinner. I'm thankful for such a wonderful family, a dad who has humor and wisdom, and especially for the love of nature he has inspired in each of us, which comes in especially useful each time I return home to Oregon.
Above, a few images from Instagram (clockwise): sunset over the Willamette River taken while hanging out with my two sweet nieces; the sun shining on the leaves of a maple tree in my parent's garden; the Stayton-Jordan covered bridge; and the view from the Wildwood trail at Hoyt Arboretum.
It's a cold Sunday in Amsterdam. I'm bundled in a sweater and sipping hot tea, trying to remember the warmth of the sun that I enjoyed last week during a work trip to Morocco. I spent most of my time in Casablanca, but took a train to Rabat for a meeting on Tuesday. Both cities were amazing. Bright colors, thick air, and a bustle of activity as people prepared for Eid al-Alha (the Feast of the Sacrifice).
My best part of the trip was the food. Each meal began with an array of dips and bread as an appetizer, which ensured there was never much room for a main dish. The craziest part was certainly the taxi rides, careening through the streets with people, cars, and horse-pulled carts coming from every direction and a driver screaming out the window. It was just a first glimpse of the country and I hope to someday return and visit the smaller cities and the countryside. Working with great people and getting local tips was a good start though.
And a few shots from Instagram. Clockwise from the top left: An Arabic stop sign in Casablanca, a morning view of Casablanca, a colorful lantern at Riad Zitoune, and a doorway to the medina in Rabat.
Weekend Links is a collection of the interesting bits and pieces that I’ve come across on the streets and online. I hope you enjoy them as well!
1. Looking forward to my first visit to Morocco, a work trip that will take me to Casablanca and Rabat (picture above by Chrissy Hunt) 2. Anticipating the opening of the Diane Arbus retrospective next week at Foam photography museum in Amsterdam 3. Listening to Elaine Scarry speak about Beauty and Justice 4. Noting recipes from this list of 20 scrumptious pumpkin recipes 5. Loving the images of England's Isle of Purbeck from Marte Marie Forsberg (pictured below)
How do you end up reading certain books? Do you get recommendations from friends or tips on social media? Do you keep an ongoing to-read list? Or does a cover catch your eye in a bookstore? Every since I began using Moleskine agendas, I've kept a list of books to read on the last page and am constantly adding tips from Twitter, recommendations from friends, or the titles of interesting books I see in stores. I recently created a pinterest board of books I want to read and am constantly looking for new titles. Here's a list of what I read over the summer and how I came across each book.
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. A story about a group of students at an English boarding school as they grow up and slowly learn that their lives are destined for another purpose. I enjoyed reading Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day and watching the film adaptation of Never Let Me Go, so I thought I would be enamored with the book. But I found the writing was a bit stiff. It's not often that I'd recommend a film over the book, but that's the case here.
1Q84 by Haruki Murakami. I finally had my chance to read the latest from one of my favorite authors, which I gave to Marcus for Christmas and had to wait for him to finish. In the books of Murakami, I know I will always get a dose of the dark, mysterious, intriguing, and perplexing. 1Q84 is the story of a parallel world and parallel lives, with a threatening cult thrown in the mix. I know people who found parts repetitive, but I thought the pace of the book reflected the rhythm of music, one of Murakami's recurring themes. I didn't want it to end, and that's the best recommendation I can give.
The Tower, The Zoo, and The Tortoise by Julia Stuart. A very pleasant read about a man with a deep sadness who is put in charge of the royal menagerie. Sweet, but not frivolous. This had been on my to-read list for a while after seeing a recommendation in an issue of Real Simple. Check.
Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James. I heard an interview with the author on NPR last winter and was naturally drawn to a story that attempts to intertwine the characters from a book by one of the greatest authors. It's an engaging novel from a murder mystery point of view, but the characters were nothing like the characters of Pride and Prejudice. I spotted this book in a bookstore in Bath and thought I would see what it would bring.
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. A look at the lives of two women in Kabul, Afghanistan. Mariam's life is a struggle from the start and when her father forces her to marry an older, cruel man, it only gets worse. A few houses away, in another world, Laila lives a life of happiness with her parents. When her family is killed, Laila and Mariam's lives are brought together and they become stronger as they struggle together.
Persuasion by Jane Austen. My favorite Austen book about the story of a second chance. I've read it a dozen times and will a dozen more.
The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides. This book begins at a university with three students exploring the limits of sanity, which was written so spot on that it made me nostalgic for my undergraduate days. The students leave the comfort of higher education and the real character development begins. I can't remember when this book landed on my to-read list, but I finally got my hands on it thanks to the lovely Ellen.
The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton. A story set in New York at the end of the 19th century. The beautiful Lily Bart belongs to a society bent on pleasure and centered around money. This book is almost as good as The Age of Innocence. My younger sister and I have been reading American classics together over the past year and this was a gift from her.
If you're interested in more reading tips, here are some previous posts about books I've read: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. I'd love to hear recommendations from you!
I first discovered the work of London-based photographer Lottie Davies through her series North and have come to admire the way she captures other places and people. A few weeks ago, I was revisiting her portfolio and spotted her images of Syria taken in 2007. A striking contrast from the images we currently see coming out of Syria. I asked Davies to take us back to that trip, the people she met there, and her approach to photographing them and their land.
What led you to work in Syria in 2007? Lottie Davies: Actually it was a very personal trip - my father is very interested in early Christian architecture, and Syria (Aleppo particularly) was a cultural hub during early Christianity. He wanted to visit the area and learn more about its history, so we went together and split our time between his explorations and my photography. For a female photographer in an Arab country, it was the perfect combination - travelling with my father was considered extremely respectable, so we were welcomed everywhere, and unusually, my father was able to meet women because being with me was considered appropriate.
What was your impression of Syria and its people? Lottie Davies: Syria is a beautifully verdant, thriving place. The countryside is green, the earth dusty and warm. Aleppo bustles with markets and people selling clothes, SIM cards, and plastic trinkets alongside jewelry, spices, and traditional foods. It is a mixture of medieval fortified city and modern trading centre; ancient temples sit next to apartment blocks covered in satellite dishes. The country's position means that it has been a meeting point for cultures and peoples for many centuries and that is still very evident in its daily life.
Your images often focus on the people within their cultural context. Why do you take this approach and what did it reveal in the Syria project? Lottie Davies: I find the differences between cultures totally fascinating, the subtle differences which develop in different climates, different geography, and within different religious and social contexts. That's what human society is about; how we live together and organize our interactions on a family, local, and international level. I try to approach each project with that in mind, so that I can learn about other cultures and understand the subjects of my photographs better. I feel it is important to at least try to understand someone's cultural context if you are purporting to represent them.
In Arab countries, welcoming visitors and inviting them into your home is considered extremely important and part of everyday life. My father and I were invited to have tea, coffee, lunch with total strangers who fed and watered us and were genuinely interested in getting to know us. Arab hospitality is famous, of course, and I was struck by the difference to Britain, in my experience. We are so suspicious of 'foreigners' here, the last thing we are likely to do is invite a total stranger from another culture into our home and give them lunch and ask about their opinion on the war in Iraq. In Britain, we are much more private. I think we would consider it an imposition on their time, might oblige them to eat with us when they would probably rather be on their own, would we have the right food, we would worry that we would offend them, and let's face it, we can be fairly xenophobic when the mood strikes.
For me, and my work, the experience was about being open, and just seeing what the day would bring. I had no particular preconceptions about the place or its people, I was simply curious. Of course, at that time there was no war, and although the state had a fairly tight grip on the population, it was beginning to relax (hence the relatively new ability to watch non-state television like CNN and the BBC) and there was no obvious sense of state control. The people I met were just people along the road who live around Aleppo, whose day to day concerns were their family, their jobs, their livestock, what they would eat for dinner, just like the rest of us…
What are your hopes for the people of Aleppo and Syria? Lottie Davies: Clearly I hope for an end to the conflict as soon as possible, and thereafter peace and self-determination for the Syrian people and others across the Middle East. If I were to go back to Syria and meet those people again, I would wish them Allah yafrijha alekum, which translates as 'May God free you from your troubles'.
Weekend Links is a collection of the interesting bits and pieces that I’ve come across on the streets and online. I hope you enjoy them as well!
1. Seeing autumn everywhere (pictured above the artwork of Meral Sarioglu) 2. Imagining what it'd be like to vote Dizzy Gillespie for President 3. Reading 10 Things Americans Can Learn from Amsterdammers (via) 4. Award-winning book cover designs from 2011 5. Viewing the fascinating photo project people and their breakfast by Jon Huck 6. Putting Lola Bikes and Coffee on my list to visit next time I'm in The Hague (via Petite Passport) 7. Tips to for homemade limoncello coming from Nostrana in Portland
Lola Bikes photos by Arthur Wieffering
One last post about our road trip through the UK to highlight the Prior Park Landscape Garden and the beautiful Palladian Bridge. Built in the 18th century, the garden is located south of Bath. It was designed by Alexander Pope and Capability Brown (great name!) with funding from Ralph Allen. Arriving when the garden opened for the day, Marcus and I had the place to ourselves. The entrance is at the top of hill and the path leads to a clearing with a view over the garden and Bath in the distance. A winding path took us through the foliage, past a herd of grazing cows, until we reached the bottom of the hill and the bridge.
We returned to the Cotswolds for the remainder of our trip for a second round of rolling hills and sunny weather. Our base was a bed and breakfast in Gloucester, a town with fantastic pubs, easy access to nature, and an impressive cathedral.
The highlight of the Gloucestershire region was the Forest of Dean, an ancient woodland said to have inspired J.R.R. Tolkien while writing Lord of the Rings. Wandering among the trees, you could almost sense the motivation for the Ents. We made our way to Woorgreens Lake, but had to take a detour when we came across a wild boar and her piglets scavenging for food.
The next day, Marcus and I visited several nearby towns, such as Cheltenham and Painswick, centerpieces of the Cotswolds charm. In the morning, we slowly made our way to Bath to return the rental car and then took the train to London for the last night. For as much as we saw, there is still much more to explore.
Our fantastic UK road trip has been over for about a month now. I spend a lot of time planning for each holiday and when it's over, I can't help but start planning for the next. What are you upcoming travel plans?
The Lake District. The land of William Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter greeted us with a downpour as we headed to the northernmost point of our trip. Marcus and I stayed in the bustling town of Keswick, which sits on the shores of Derwentwater Lake. When the sun came out on our second day, we made our way around the lake and picnicked on the shore with a flock of ducks. The unpredictable weather prevented us from hiking, but we did get the chance to visit the prehistoric Castlerigg stone circle.
During our last night in Keswick, the rain came in torrents. We were lucky to have such good weather for most of the trip, but when we woke in the morning, we quickly packed the car, grabbed coffee to go, and headed back south for a second round of the Cotswolds' sunshine.
Weekend Links is a collection of the interesting bits and pieces that I’ve come across on the streets and online. I hope you enjoy them as well!
1. Enjoying the start of pear season and baking spiced pear muffins (picture above taken at my local market) 2. Spotting two new cookbooks that I need to add to my collection: Under the Walnut Tree and Small Plates and Sweet Treats 3. Seeing pictures of the autumn harvest around the Northern hemisphere 4. Looking forward to the 'Dutch fish with a French twist' restaurant by Ron Blaauw to open in Amsterdam in January 2013 5. Putting the Italian Lago d'Orta on my travel list 6. Viewing the photo series Window Seat by Matt Low that captures the feeling of looking to the earth below (pictured below, via cool memories)
During our visit to North Wales, we climbed Mount Snowdon, the highest point in the British Isles outside Scotland at 1,085 meters (3,560 feet). My hiking boots were quite dusty from years of living in the Netherlands, one of the world's flattest countries, but we planned to take one of the easier trails past the lakes and waterfalls.
Due to a series of circumstances, we ended up taking the Watkins trail, deemed the most difficult route to the summit. It was very difficult. The first part of the trail had a moderate incline and an abundance of beauty. Most of the photos are from the first 1.5 hours of the hike. About the point where I took the photo of the cairn, the incline steepened and clouds rolled in. I put away the camera and we focused on the summit. There were moments I felt daunted, when the wind whipped and the fog was so dense that you could only see several meters ahead. Not to mention the 45 degree incline. Reaching the summit made it all worth it though and we basked in the glory before beginning the descent.
The sunny weather stayed with us as we drove to North Wales on a narrow road, barricaded on each side by stone walls. I distracted myself from the terrifying proximity of oncoming vehicles by taking in the dramatic landscape and countless sheep grazing on the hillsides. We stopped for afternoon tea at Pont Yr Afon Gam Cafe, surrounded only by sheep, a stone bridge, and a swift-moving creek (images 2 and 9).
Our destination was the town Betws-y-Coed, nestled in the foothills of Mount Snowdon. We stayed in a Shepherd's Hut, again right in the middle of nature, with an ideal view for watching the sunsets. The first morning, we discovered Cwmni Cacen Gri (The Welshcake Company) and their delicious assortment of griddled Welshcakes. Another culinary highlight was The Silver Fountain, where I ate my favorite meal of the trip, Welsh style wild rice with roasted tomatoes. Wales was amazing. One of the many reasons I love to travel is the opportunity to go to new places and discover new things. To put myself in unfamiliar territory in the chance that I might discover something new about the world and myself. It's the best of places that you long for when you leave and dream about returning to someday very soon.
After leaving Bath, we headed one hour north to The Cotswolds, an area filled with rolling hills, stone cottages, and green meadows. We rented a yurt in a field owned by an organic farm to be in the midst of nature. Our days began with the sight of cows grazing on the fog-covered hills and ended around a campfire with the last bits of sunlight streaming through the trees.
We hiked through fields, spotted a fox, climbed over stone walls, cooked dinner on the campfire, and enjoyed the pubs and farmers' market in Cirencester. And we discovered the Budding Pale Ale made by the organic Stroud Brewery, one of the best drinks we've come across yet.
Our road trip started in Bath primarily because we didn't want to pick up the car in London and have Marcus learn how to drive on the other side of the road in city traffic. Still, I was excited to see the place Jane Austen once lived in and a town so teeming with history that the entire city is a Unesco World Heritage Site.
When we arrived in Bath, it was sunny and warm. A nice welcome to England and the forecast for almost the entire trip! We dropped off our luggage and promptly went out in search of a pint. After getting in a properly relaxed mood, we headed towards the circular row of houses known as The Circus (images 2, 6, 7). It was beautiful and the sun shone warmly on the houses. Soon after, we found a fantastic vegetarian pub and then took a meandering walk back to our hotel among the old buildings.
The next day was dedicated to seeing The Royal Crescent (image 1), visiting the Jane Austen Centre, and picking up the rental car, which resulted in a long walk along a quiet canal. We left Bath and traveled 1200 miles (about 2000 kilometers) around England and Wales over the next ten days. At the end of our trip, we returned to Bath for the afternoon and had the chance to visit Prior Park (post to follow) and the Pulteney Bridge (images 3, 4).
The last weeks have taken me across England and Wales, on a road trip dedicated to spending as much time in nature as possible. (And admiring the ease with which Marcus could drive on the left side of the road.) I'm still awash in the experience of waking to foggy hillsides and hiking across the Welsh countryside. More about the when, where, and how to come in the next days. For now, a few images from my Instagram feed.
Weekend Links is a collection of the interesting bits and pieces that I’ve come across on the streets and online. I hope you enjoy them as well!
1. Making homemade graham crackers for a s'mores party/workshop on a perfect summer night (pictured above) 2. Visiting the exhibition German art from Kiefer to Henning at Museum Boijmans van Beuningen in Rotterdam 3. Anticipating the Monocle and J.Crew collaboration, a show about print media 4. Putting a trip to the Scottish islands on the travel list 5. Learning a few more reason why to love sauerkraut 6. Dining at Hotel New York, where from 1872-1971 passengers began their voyage by ship across the Atlantic from Holland to America (pictured below)
