arlon & luxembourg

These are the pictures from Arlon and Luxembourg, my second trip since I've arrived in Belgium. (The first was a quick visit to Binche, to celebrate Carnival. But since their tradition involves throwing oranges at people I thought I might want to skip on photographing that one!)

We hopped on a train to Luxembourg a couple of hours after seeing a bit of Arlon. Luxembourg is small but it does hold quite some beauty. I was particularly enamored with the Old Quarters and Fortifications. The place got me curious mainly because it's a country I normally wouldn't have the opportunity to visit. And after that, since so many of the Luxembourgish community has Portuguese roots, I was curious to see to how our cultural footprint influenced the daily life there. Luxembourg is very international - I'm thinking the average Luxembourgish speaks about 3 to 4 languages. And while I didn't get to speak Portuguese with anyone, I was able to find products from Portuguese brands, Portuguese establishments and someone who thought they ought to learn Portuguese already. It's a weird way to put it and not entirely accurate, but it was probably my most Portuguese day since I've arrived.

brussels #1: the vanishing act

(Quartier de la Cour: Place Royale, Montagne de la Cour, Mont des Arts)

Ever since I've arrived, I've stopped countless times what I am doing just to watch the sunset from my window. It is particularly beautiful in Brussels. Or maybe it's just me - a passer-by that wishes she could stay a little while longer already, that is noticing things she'd otherwise take for granted.

One day I was on the bus though, coming back from one of my many walks in the center, and I looked back. The view from the Mont des Arts towards the Grand Place was pretty special, and I decided I had to come back for just that. So I did.

à paris

from November 2014.

Being in Brussels now, these photos from Paris seem like they were taken forever ago. I was visiting a friend who was spending a semester abroad. I remember feeling like it was a taste of what was to come. 

And now I'm here, and it's been a month and a half. 

Despite feeling that I'm slowly settling into a routine here, it still dawns on me every now and then that I'm stepping on the streets of Brussels everyday. In those moments, I am completely overcome with happiness, a tingling childlike exciment.

I can't wait to develop the rolls I have finished already and show you some pictures. 
(In the meantime, this is where you should go for some timely updates.)

But to get back to the topic: Paris. Pictures from Paris. Well, everyone knows that a weekend in Paris is a weekend well-spent, and it's always nice to remember.

canada & usa roundup: the polaroids

To give this series a proper ending, here are my very last photographs from last Summer's travels, taken with a Polaroid SX-70. 

These feel like some of the most special memories to me. I guess it's in the numbers. I shot many, many pictures on my digital camera, but only a few with my SX-70. Special and dear as I may hold my digital snaps, there is one thing I cannot remember... I remember taking photos as I went on... But the action of taking a picture is a burry thought, in most cases. 

With these, it's different. These take me back. In the most literal sense possible. I can remember every little detail about the moment I took the shot. Where I was, whether I was standing, sitting or in some weird position to get the shot, I can remember changing the settings for the light, checking once or twice because I haven't had this camera for that long... And taking the shot. I am able to evoke the feeling so well it's almost like I'm there again.

Here's to unforgettable places.

{previous posts}

Vancouver, BC

Seattle, WA

San Francisco, CA

Yosemite National Park, CA

Sequoia National Park,CA

Los Angeles, CA

Route 66

Grand Canyon, AZ

Las Vegas, NV

las vegas, nv

Las Vegas, Nevada.

(our last stop)

Las Vegas is different from everything I have ever seen. You have the glitz of the casinos and the lit-up Strip by night, the busy-as-ever streets, the restaurants and all the good life... But Las Vegas is not entirely about the Strip, and the decadence we imagine. It also welcomes us with a number of others attractions from museums, to shops you simply don't find everywhere or incredible permanent shows from Cirque du Soleil and many others. Everything revolves around the hotels, which unlike in any other place in the world, are open to the public. Why? Because in Vegas, hotels are not just hotels. They are casinos, homes to the most incredible staged performances, aquariums, luxury malls, restaurants, theme parks, you name it. It's a city that allows you to keep busy and still go at a slower pace, which was perfect for the end of such a long trip.

And well, long story short, not crossing Vegas out of my list just yet.