aesthetic focus photography: Architecture Photos

My best friend, (and sister-in-law) and had the opportunity to take a girls trip to the Loire Valley while we were in France...it was made perfect with a stay at a true french country bed and breakfast. The Loire Valley is located to the southwest of Paris and during the Renaissance, much of the royalty built their chateaus here. You can spend days visiting them all, but since we were only there for two, we had to narrow it down.

Chateau de Villandy had the most amazing gardens I have even seen. They are symmetrical and perfectly manicured. As we strolled under beautiful grape arbors and across stone bridges we came to this breathtaking view. It is a small slice of the gardens known as the knot garden. It immediately reminded me of Alice in Wonderland. If you look closely you can see the old portion of the chateau that was actually fortified castle when it was first built

While in England we traveled by train to Stratford Upon Avon, the birthplace of Shakespeare. Directly across from the home Shakespeare was born in, we encountered this charming tea shop.

We took tea outside at quaint little bistro tables. The scones, clotted cream and hot tea, was delightful...all served on white china.

It was a perfect break...warm tea and scones under the crisp fall sun in the middle of a cobblestone street... lined with half-timbered buildings with their leaded glass windows that lean just ever so slightly from their foundations.

"Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss"

This sculpture is absolutely breathtaking in person! We arrived at the Louvre early and so I was able to capture this photo while no one was around.

I LOVE this sculpture; the curve of the embrace, the translucence of the wings....
and perhaps because of the connection to one of my favorite books: "Till We Have Faces" by C.S. Lewis

As we emerged from the "Tube" (London's subway system) I caught a glimpse of this row of perfect red British phone booths.

Red phone booths really are everywhere, along with cute, old-fashioned black cabs and double-decker buses. It is partly what makes London ~feel~ like *London*!

This is one of the many ivy-covered stone walls on the colleges in Oxford. Visiting the university was a personal pilgrimage of sorts for me... to see the pub where C.S. Lewis hung out and worked on his writings.

After visiting the Eagle and Child pub, wandering down one of the many narrow cobblestone streets, we happened upon this beautiful wall covered with ivy vines. I wonder about the hundreds of years this college building has stood with the ivy gradually growing, covering and invading its walls and windows...over time, creating what I think of as the quintessential collegiate look.

While in London we had just visited the "Eye" and were strolling back over the bridge towards Parliament. As we got closer Big Ben came into view, along with this quaint street light. They day was slightly overcast and created the perfect ambiance for this photo

Throughout our travels in London we were struck by the numerous chimneys!

Each morning as we sat on benches and waited at the Putney Bridge Tube station, I was enamored by this nostalgic view. I don't think I have ever seen so many chimneys in a row. It was early autumn, and not cold enough yet, but I imagined that soon there would be smoke wafting out of each one of them, and wished I could come back for another photo...

I have been a fan of Monet since High School, and during my most recent visit to France I had the opportunity to visit the city of Rouen where Monet painted his famous Notre Dame cathedral series.

Rouen has many beautiful cathedrals (hence the nickname "city of 100 spires") but Notre Dame is absolutely breathtaking!! ...and so far ranks as my favorite cathedral from my travels.

This photo of the spire is taken as we approached the cathedral from a cobblestone street that runs alongside it.