Harvey Travel Arts

Happy New Year! May the new year be filled with God's blessings and peace for you and yours!

This is a couple days late, but Merry Christmas! I hope you all enjoyed your family and friends...Brian and I have just moved back to Texas and I plan to continue sharing our adventures with you as soon as I get access to my photos once again. Take care and I'll see you guys soon!

Hello friends....I know I haven't been posting regularly the past couple of weeks. Soon I will have more to share, but I just wanted to let you know I haven't forgotten about my blog! I am just very busy right now and will "see" you all soon!

I could live in Santorini (Saint Irene in Greek--at least that's what we were told). There. I said it. Or I could live on Mykonos. I don't remember which island this one was taken on, but they are both very similar with architecture. The white washed buildings, the blue domes on the Orthodox Churches. All very beautiful...Beautiful structures on rocky, largely infertile soil. I have had friends who are/were part of the Orthodox Christian churches and they talk about the "smells and bells". It's true; we stepped into a couple of small chapels and the incense and peacefulness of it all makes on feel reverent. The bells I didn't get to hear, but I could imagine the sounds. There were little chapels all over the islands. I wonder what Christmas is like; if the sun still shines and if the sky is still blue. My point is; this place has a quiet beauty to it that makes me want to return there. Perhaps someday I'll come back and relax on the beaches o

I'm leading up to something here. You're probably wondering what a photo from our Greek cruise has to do with Thanksgiving. We'll, it is one more thing that we have to be thankful for this year: traveling opportunities. That's certainly not the most important thing I am thankful for; the top of my Thanksgiving list is my Savior, my God and His love for me and mankind . I'm also thankful for Brian, my wonderful husband and my family and friends...health and opportunities. Since I've made it a personal rule not to share photos of family and friends in my very public blog, you'll have to settle for a picture from our travels. I hope, reader, that whatever you did on Thanksgiving, you enjoyed your blessings with friends and family. I hope that you reflected on the gifts God gave you. And I hope that you are always thanking Him for His love. My blog posts may be irregular for the next couple of weeks; I hope that is okay. Trust me, I have plenty of thi

The Acropolis in Athens is one of the best recognized or best known monuments. I cannot begin to tell you what we had to go through to get to the top. Our journey started when we walked through town, up a couple of hidden passages, just to arrive at the base of this attraction. You know all of the TV specials that show some man standing with an empty Acropolis in the background? I have no idea how they get those shots, unless it is off hours or the crowds are edited out. Seriously, there is no physical privacy there. Once we got to the base of the Acropolis, we saw a large crowd of people chaotically waiting near the entrance. It took a few minutes of observation to realize that tickets had to be purchased at a different area before getting in the massive crowds. So glad we figured that out first. Then, basically, there is pushing and shoving on slippery rocks until you finally make your way in. I am not exaggerating; people actually did stumble a bit around us and bodies were too

I need a good laugh, and today's Flower Power! post should do it. These are all more photos from Greece. I'm not sure where the "Having Pistils and No Stamens" wording came from. It must have amused Brian, though, because he photographed it. For those who aren't familiar with flowers, pistils and stamens are the female and male reproductive parts of a flower. There are some flowers which are "incomplete" and have one but not both. Not sure exactly what flower they were referring to here, but nonetheless, the English phrase in Greece amused us. Can't talk about flowers without showing this cute storefront! I love whimsy, and this place was certainly filled with it. The beautiful little jewel below is a perfect ending to today's pictures, don't you think?

Did you know that some of the Greek Isles are mostly rock? Uninhabitable places? I didn't, either, until our cruise. Other parts of Greece do have vegetation, though, as seen by the palm and the cactus. The country's landscape is diverse and every day on the cruise a new adventure. I particularly like the notion of the cactus by the water. I think more often of desserts and cacti together, and certainly there may not be much rain in a given area, yet the water surrounds it. So close, yet so far? I chose the below archway to go with today's posting to show the plant life growing all around the stone, crowding out the manmade structure. Sometimes life thrives in the most unexpected places!

I've had a really long week without much sleep. I should be in bed getting some much needed rest, but I'm not yet tired so here I am writing on my blog. I endeavor to update once per week, and this week I've just barely made it. Sorry 'bout that. Sometimes the creative ideas are just gone from my mind and so I leave you with a couple photos from Greece. I honestly don't remember what the top one was about; it looks like a pile of bricks leftover from a wall. Perhaps Brian will shed some light on the subject for us. The second was some type of ruin of a temple or monument. I remember we walked inside; it was very quiet, an old sage of a man was "guarding" the structure. Anyway, no interior photos allowed as usual. Enjoy your weekend!

Do you ever feel like just getting away to somewhere quiet, isolated, still, and silent? I do. We were on our cruise to Greece and even from our bustling ship, we were able to sit on the balcony and view the remote islands in almost complete privacy. Even upon anchoring, we still felt far away, knowing that it would be at least a tender or walk into town. We saw several small boats and yachts, and often wondered what time out at sea would feel like. Lonely, at times, but peaceful and calm. I think there are certain types of people who, for at least a period of time, choose to sail, climb, hike, or otherwise spend time on a journey seeking solitude or perhaps just time with one or two other people. The cross depicted at the top is actually on top of ruins, but it fit with the idea that even when we feel alone, Christ is with us. Whether we are choosing to spend time in quiet reflection of God's creation, or if the aloneness is more of an emotion in the middle of a difficult t

"The streetlights on Sint-Veerlepelein are connected to the maternity hospitals in the city of Ghent. Every time the light slowly flashes a child is born. This work is dedicated to the newborn and all children who are born today in this city." I'm taking a break this week from cruise photos to turn to a more serious matter; that of the precious life of a child. This photo, captioned above, was taken in Ghent, Belgium over Columbus Day weekend. I couldn't find a lot on the project, but the art is meant to show how important new children are in Ghent in helping to build the society there. I thought it was a unique way to demonstrate the joy of new life. Perhaps even the child in the stroller was announced by the flashing light; if it were born in Ghent. So why am I focusing on this now, when I could have added it to the blog at any time? This past summer, the lives of children lost, killed, or kidnapped have been prevalent. We mourned for Caylee Anthony. We no

Corfu, Greece was the second destination on our anniversary cruise this summer. There remains an old Venetian fortress or Palaio Frourio pictured here, which is quite a climb. We were hot in the 90 degree sun, starting to sweat, and definitely earned our lunch. We enjoyed the walk and reaching the top feels like a mini-accomplishment for the day. On top, I was surprised to find a cross. I haven't yet discovered the cross's history here, but I am very happy to share it with you.

I think there's some sort of unwritten rule that when we visit a city, Brian and I must find the towers, climb them, and get a photo of the city view from on high. Such was the case in Split, where once again, we climbed a tower ruin only to find another set of scattered orange tile rooftops, a sea of gray buildings and hazy skies. Yet somehow, every view is different, just like each city, each person...well, you get the picture. Speaking of changing views: I did change the look of my blog today! I'm going to test it out like this; time for a change. Please let me know what you think...Thanks for reading!

So this is still in Split, Croatia. On top is part of the Diocletian's Palace/Cellars, lots of long tunnels and rooms carved out...Not much left there, but it was just the sort of thing Brian and I like to explore. Below is a bronze of St. John the Baptist. This statue was placed in the "repurposed" Jupiter's Temple...where a baptistry were put into place. I find it interesting that the statue depicts John the Baptist with dreadlocks as his hair. We don't know what John looked like, but if one thinks back to his life, he preached for a while in the wilderness (Matthew 3:1-12). It is also debated on whether or not John the Baptist was a Nazarite. To my knowledge it doesn't specifically mention the words "Nazarite Vow" with regard to his birth; in Luke 1:5-25, one can read about John's birth. No mention of "not cutting the hair" is there. Yes, he was set apart in other ways (no alcohol or strong drink--similar to a Nazarite), but I

The first port of call for our cruise was Split, Croatia, a beautiful city with ancient history at every corner. To see so many people living in buildings that are part ruins, at least on the facade, in close proximity with new structures, cobbled together like siamese twins...I really have no words to describe this place. The old city and fortress walls, with nothing left but windows that shoot through to the blue sky; every turn was a new view and a new alleyway to explore. There are many more photos where these came from...I'll be sharing them soon!

Hi everyone! Please have patience with me a few more days. I didn't want to post this ahead of time, but Brian and I just returned from a 9th anniversary cruise to Croatia and Greece! I am so excited to share with you our finds! We arrived last night (Monday--Labor Day) around midnight, and we are both busy working and getting things ready for my mom's visit on Thursday! I will start sharing our photos with you in a few days, but they aren't uploaded yet. See you soon!

Above: inside the Dom in Koln, Germany. Below, the outside of the Koln museum. I liked the shutters and stair-step facade. I won't have computer access for a couple weeks. In the meantime, please enjoy these images from Koln and give your imagination a vacation to another place in the world. When I return, I promise to have many things to share with you. Be patient, and I will return soon! Below: exterior of the Dom...

One of my readers has asked for pictures of the castles/palaces where the swan came from. Linderhof, pictured above, is where last week's swan photo was taken. Linderhof was never completed; the Mad King mysteriously perished in a lake (how's that for a Gothic novel?) before his tribute to the Sun King (King Louis XIV of France) could be finished. He did, however, have time to have a mini Hall of Mirrors installed. What was with the royalty of this time period? Obsessed with having the gaudiest furnishings? And obsessed with each other, too! Below you will see another of Ludwig's family estates, Hohenschwangau. I'm going to have to look a little more to find Neuschwanstein's photo....I think all we have are some of it tucked up in the trees. Either way, these beautiful, if yet obscene, homes are only the tip of the iceberg as to what all there is to do and see in Bavaria. Last week I also included a peacock, and I will post its palace photos next week. En

I have to tell you that I think both of these birds might have hissed at us. The swan is a permanent fixture of a gaggle of swans that reside on King Ludwig's property, as it was a symbol of the family. Hence the names Hohens chwan gau and Neu schwan stein. At one point during Isaac's visit, he approached the swan and it followed him about; hissing and whatever else swans do. The peafowl was at the Schwetzinger Schloss, and was being followed by Brian, who was trying to get it to do what I'm not sure. I distinctly remember it hissing at us, too. The colorful bird was calling to his mate and she was on the other side of the grounds. Apparently, she didn't like his hissing, either.

So, inside the Dom Cathedral in Koln (Cologne), there is a small part of a low hanging ceiling that appears to be covered with more modern day imagery. I looked for information on this and couldn't find it, but I'm sure it's out there somewhere. It was the first time I've seen something modern incorporated into the actual decor at Ye Olde Church. At least, I think it's modern. It completely stands out from the rest of the building and yet fits right in. So for now, I'll share it with you to enjoy...

Okay, to go along with last week's blog about wasted time, I decided to post these photos of mosaic floors for wealthy leaders and merchants of long ago. I laugh, because in quite a few blogs, I mention that I am amazed at the time and talent of our ancestors. I am; these floors are beautiful! I believe a lot of artisan skills are being lost, or at the very least, becoming less a part of our society. On the other hand, it only takes a couple days to install floors in the average home today versus how long to plan and install something like the floors we see here? Two thousand years ago? The laborers then went to their dirt floored cottage or tent and slept a couple hours only to come back the next day. My dad used to install floors for a living. It is tiresome, long work and little pay. Not much has changed.

When in Koln (Cologne) a couple weeks ago, Brian and I visited this museum with loads of Roman and pre-Roman history. One of the showcases of the museum was this large "monument" or whatever to what? The Roman "gods"? I honestly can't remember if there was something about this written or not, but either way it was two, nearly three floors tall and overpowered the large area. It demanded attention, but for what purpose? So many of these towers must have been made, probably by slave labor, and yet I can't help but wonder if people's time could have been spent on other projects. I'm not talking about using slaves, either, but rather allowing people to spend their time freely and productively. This made me think of God, and his demand that we put no idols before Him. At first glance, you may think, well of course not, I haven't built some stone tower. No, you probably haven't built something like this. But there are things in our lives

Brian and I hopped in the car this past weekend and drove to Koln, or Cologne as we English speakers say. One of our main reasons for visiting was to see the Dom, pictured above. This cathedral, otherwise known as the Kolner Dom or the Hohe Domkirche St. Peter und Maria was started in 1248 and completed in 1880. Talk about a long term building project. I wonder if any of the original engineers got to see it through to completion?! Our visit to this city was short lived, only two nights, but I have many photos to share and will do so in the upcoming weeks.

Okay, so Trier, Germany is a little further away than our own backyard. But this place is only about an hour and a half or so away from where we live. I love the little town with it's ancient history, it is one of the oldest settlements that we know of in Germany. The happy Roman ruins are dotted all over the city and the example above reminds me a bit of Rome. We enjoyed taking Isaac there on his visit, and he exclaimed that the ruins were some of the best part of the trip for him. I could imagine so...I felt much the same way the first time I visited many years ago.

The Maginot Line was built along the French border (largely only where the French bordered Germany) after WWI in an effort to prevent the Germans from invading. Unfortunately for the French, the Germans knew about this and went around the protected border area just in time for World War II. Brian and I thought this would be a great history lesson for Isaac, so we took him to see this part of French military history. There's an entire underground system that took us a couple of hours to walk through, and more pictures to come soon.

Brian and I have been playing tour guide to my cousin Isaac, who is visiting from Texas. He has recently graduated from high school and wanted to see Germany. We are happy to have him here, and took him to Bavaria for a couple of days. The view up top is Hitler's Eagle's Nest. This structure was built to be a conference center or meeting place of sorts; it was never meant for sleeping. His house, which was later destroyed, was a little way down the mountains. Our tour guide told us that the only reason they allowed Eagle's Nest to stay open for tours was if absolutely no memorial or museum to Hitler was put in place. Because it is at the top of a mountain and has but one way to get to it through an elevator, or perhaps very brave and successful mountain climbers, there was no fear of the site becoming a "shrine" for someone who created such horror with his actions. It is now a restaurant and merely a stop on a tour, and otherwise a very beautiful mountain

Sometimes my posts are very serious, and hopefully thought provoking. We need to take time in life to reflect and listen to lessons being taught. And then, there's times like today, when I needed a smile and a laugh! Thank you, God, for giving us humans a sense of humour, some of us more than others, I'll admit. Sometimes Brian and I like to window shop when traveling. Seldom to I have a reason to go into any stores, but usually as tourists one has to wander through a shopping district to get to the museums and monuments. The little wigged dog caught my eye and made me smile. Oddly enough, I remembered the dog but not the merchandise, so I'm not really sure how effective of an advertising technique he was. But he was cute and photo worthy. Enjoy!

How fitting that we spent time on Memorial Day at Anne Frank's house in Amsterdam. We left for the weekend trip on the Friday before, which is when these pictures were taken. However, the line was so long that afternoon, and we were so very tired, that we decided to take a boat ride instead and return later. I've never read Anne Frank's Diary, but in school I did read Corrie ten Boom's The Hiding Place. I've read other books about the horrors of WWII, as well. This house brought a sense of connectedness more than any other exhibit I think I've seen. Anne's father, Otto, was the only survivor from her family. It stuns me to realize that Anne and her sister Margot only missed freedom by a mere few months; dying instead of typhus. Anne wanted to be a journalist, and write someday of the "secret annex". Her wish came true, albeit posthumously. Otto Frank returned and had Anne's diary published. He also prepared the way for the museum,

I scrolled through my photos in an attempt to come up with something appropriate for Memorial Day. Saw the cross on the door of a small chapel connected to some ruins and felt that it fit the emotions associated with the holiday. Something small and plain, like this glass cross peephole in a humble door; nothing to distract from those we seek to remember. The holiday has somewhat become more of an opportunity to vacation and have cookouts than it is to memorialize, and with the exception of a Presidential Mention or a marking on the calendar, some of us might not remember. But for all those who do, and all who have lost loved ones, please take a moment to brighten their day. Let's not forget those who have served. And let's not forget He who serves us. Thank you, God, for your many gifts and salvation!

My words are few this week. Sometimes I have a lot to say, or thoughts on my faith, travels, art, history, etc. Other times I don't have much on my mind; perhaps that's a good thing. I think it's okay to let the pictures speak for themselves. Let your imagination take you somewhere new. But I am dedicated to posting and sharing new photos on a regular basis, so here goes. This little place was part of the ruins that were posted last week. It's too bad much of the original structure was destroyed, but you can still see enough to envision what it might have looked like.

Blogger is apparently working again. My lost post is now reinstated. That's okay, I'll leave both of them up; I see the humour in it all. Have a good week everyone, and I'll post something new soon!

Something quirky is going on with Blogger. Yesterday I posted these two lovely photos of the dainty flowers growing at the top of a set of ruins. Earlier today, I tried to sign in and noticed that this post was missing. I couldn't even sign in, there was an error message popping up. It's too bad, because my words were a bit more eloquent yesterday. Today I leave you with the photos. Have a good weekend all!

One of the reasons Brian and I like to see old castles and ruins is because we have an active imagination, I am sure of it. There's nothing like climbing steep stone staircases and peeking out through old windows and doors to wonder what it must have been like hundreds of years ago. Fortifications were often built on high, so as to have the advantage over the enemy. Also, I'm quite certain being able to look down upon your subjects brought satisfaction to the leaders of that day. I think the fact that these delicate little wildflowers are growing at the top of this structure that was used for such heavy military action is amazing. What stories could be told from these walls!