More Montmartre

After Notre Dame Chris and I strolled through a neighborhood called Montmartre. With its steep hills, winding staircase streets, windmills and romantic cafes, I was truly taken with this area. At the top of Montmartre is Sacre Coeur, or the Sacred Heart, a beautiful white wedding cake-like church with quite a view of Paris. At the bottom of the hill is the Red Light District, with none other than the Moulin Rouge .

la joie de vivre

Woman in Paris

This woman was begging outside Notre Dame. I dropped some money into her can and asked if I could take her photograph. She nodded and looked right into the camera.

Cathedrale de Notre Dame

Our second day in Paris began with Notre Dame. Founded in 1160, this ancient cathedral is breath-taking. It is difficult to capture the scope and detail on camera, but I still managed to take many pictures :)

Paris-Day 1

The first thing Chris and I did in Paris was visit Place de la Concorde, the city's largest square, for instant Paris gratification. From this area, you can see the Eiffel Tower, the Champs Elysees leading to the Arc de Triomphe, and the Tuileries Gardens, which lead to the Louvre. There are two beautiful fountains in this square (top photo) and an Egyptian Obelisk. We strolled through the Tuileries Gardens all the way to the Louvre entrance. The manicured grounds were filled with statues, fountains, cafes, and sunbathing/napping Parisians (second photo).

Houses of Parliment in Black and White

I've walked through this area of London several times now, and I'm always affected by the age of this gothic building. Our first day of London consisted of wandering Lambeth (below) and of course, taking Chris to see Big Ben. In route to the Tower Bridge our feet grew tired and decided a lunch of fish and chips at a pub on the river was best. Our stay in London was a brief two days, and the third morning we took the Eurostar through the Chunnel into Paris.

Bits of London

Walking around Lambeth, street musicians in a pedestrian walk, yellow doors to a flat, Big Ben.

Youth Hostel-London

Chris and I stayed in Youth Hostels while bashing around Europe (really just London and Paris), last week and this was not something I had experienced before. Despite my fears of a bunk mate named Sven snoring thunderously above me every night in our six person dorm, or the idea of creaky bunk beds and musty blankets with 19 year old Australians arriving drunk into the room at all hours of the night (a few of the places on Hostelworld.com advertised "Stay here if you love beer,") it was actually really cool. Hostels are a fun way to meet people from all over, who mostly speak English and are trekking around for the same reasons you are, to see the world and experience a culture other than their own for a decent price. Yes, my husband slept on the bunk above me and no, it was not our honeymoon all over again, but it brought us distinctly back to our days of living in the dorms at Central Michigan, only in London with Australians, Canadians, an Argentinean, and a few Americans for roommates.

These frames are from our first hostel in the Lambeth neighborhood of London. It was our first stop so I took more photographs at this hostel than the others. There must have been some sort of smudge on my lens, which is noticeable in the second photo. We stayed here for two nights and it was within walking distance of Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the London Eye, etc. Breakfast was free every morning. The milk was whole but Nutella was available for toast and the tea was excellent.

Montmatre

Chris and I were in Paris and London from the 15-23. This shot was taken in a quaint little area in Paris called Montmatre. I will be posting more photos from the trip as I go through them.

Not Enough Room

Carter Wiseman suffers from Holoprosencephaly, a condition that has left him with severe special needs. His mom, Melissa, has to carry him from his bedroom to bathroom because their hallways are too narrow for his chair. When the Wiseman's bought their home several years ago, they planned to sell before Carter turned five, but have been un-able to because of the housing market. "We just want a better life for him," said Melissa, who is pregnant with their third child.

For City Hope.

This slide show was only supposed to be of the recent headshots and group shots I took of the City Hope Deacons and Elders (the black and whites scattered throughout). Needless to say, it ended up being a bit more. I have been attending City Hope for a few years now and have been honored to have met some of the most wonderful people. It has been humbling. These are a few of the photos from events and services. Please forgive the abrupt cut of at the end due to the audio track. Thanks City Hope!

Sami's Gyro

I got to shoot the new location on Monroe Center for Sami's Gyro, one of my favorite little fast Greek places to eat.