Harvey Travel Arts

A few weeks ago, Brian and I had the opportunity to visit Vienna, Austria. Vienna is a beautiful city most known for musical history: classical composers and musicians such as Mozart and Beethoven. However, as we walked through an old part of the city, we came across an unexpected archaeological dig. The Roman ruins and foundations of the city were dug a few years ago, and you can look down today and see ruins of ancient homes and streets I have seen similar digs in Rome and other cities in Europe and the same questions always remain in my mind: how does so much modern architecture get built on structures that are later excavated and found to be in structurally original condition? Also, how much of these underground ruins were destroyed when subways and other modern infrastructure were put in? Just a few well placed rock blasts, and you've left history in the dust to make way for the future. It kind of reminds me of our lives. We are temporarily on this earth, only to die and ...

Stress has been a recurring theme in the lives of many friends and family the past couple of weeks. Some of my friends have lost loved ones, others are facing medical issues, some are just overwhelmed with major changes in their lives, but no matter what, it seems to be affecting many people. I saw this photo when searching for blog ideas and had to smile. This panda is certainly not stressed. Laying on a cool bed of stone, one giant paw swooping toward the water, the panda at the National Zoo in DC appears very relaxed and comfortable with its surroundings. I assisted with a women's conference this past week, and received a book that tells 100 things we can do to feel better. There were a lot of good suggestions in the book, such as exercise and eating right, getting a massage, or just spending time with loved ones. These are all great ideas, but I have to add one more: pray. God can ease our mind, troubles, and help us work through our stressful times. The Lord IS my Sh...

Just after leaving the John Lennon "Peace" wall in Prague, we continued on our walk to discover a bridge with these locks on it. We didn't see anything telling what they were, or why they were there. I didn't find anything in the guide book. Thankfully, a Segway tour was going by and the guy stopped and talked to his group about it. The tour was in English, so we listened in. They are "love locks" and it is a trend that occurs in other cities as well, but something I had not yet seen. The idea is that you and your love come put a lock on the wall and throw away the key (some toss it into the water under the bridge). I have to admit, I think the lock part is a neat idea, although I would hesitate throwing the key into the water for environmental reasons. These locks were of different shapes and sizes, and have been painted or marked on with the couples' initials and various colorful designs. I couldn't help but wonder, how long have these loc...

About a month ago, we were in Brussels. The city is known as the "capital" of the European Union, and of course the City of Brussels is the capital of Belgium. Translation: a lot of government and business goes on in this modern city. Although I have more pictures that more accurately describe the history and culture of the area, these statues grabbed my attention. The inner part of the city has had so much money poured into the modern clean architecture that the whimsical figures almost seem out of place. We never found out about these statues; who created them or why, but they still found a place in our photo album. It's almost as if the two women featured here have been sitting in the city for centuries and are looking up amazed at what all has changed over the years.