Architecture Archives - sateless suitcase

Of Baguettes and History – Jardin du Luxembourg

Most of the time, it just takes a pretty picture on Pinterest or a scene in a movie and all of a sudden I'm not able to get my mind off of Paris. This city is everywhere -- in the movies, the commercials, the fashion magazines. And every time I see it, I'm reminded of how I cannot wait to go back. For me, Paris is the almost surreal contrast between picture-perfect movie settings and the edgy urban agglomeration. Its beauty is so out there and so subliminal at the same time, that it is almost impossible to describe Paris in [...]

By Julika|2014-09-22T23:52:36+02:002014/02/11|Categories: Destinations, Europe, France|Tags: Architecture, Art, Europe, France, Paris|12 Comments

Photo Essay: Malahide – An Irish Castle Dream

I'm not a person who is easily impressed when it comes to castles. I mean, I love castles. How could I not? But my home country has approximately 25,000 of them, so it takes something special to catch my eye. But then Ireland happened. Ireland's castles are defensive, eerie, and mysterious. They don't look like something straight out of a fairy tale. They seem darker, because they have fewer windows and there a often ruinous remains of churches and cemeteries nearby. Malahide Castle about 30 minutes north of Dublin is no exception: It's everything you'd want an Irish castle to [...]

By Julika|2013-10-23T19:29:37+02:002013/10/23|Categories: Art History, Photo Essay|Tags: Architecture, castle, Europe, Ireland, medieval, Photo Essay|10 Comments

The Art Historian’s Guide to Falling in Love with Frankfurt

It's awkwardly quiet on the train leaving Frankfurt main station on this Tuesday afternoon considering there's no empty seat left. People are even standing in the hallways, but they are quietly looking at their phones, or reading. Rarely anyone speaks. I watch the long shadows created by the late afternoon September sun fly by the window and wonder: What is it that fascinates me about the city I just left? A city that apparently doubles its population during office hours? The people around me wear dark suits and expensive bags. They are business people working in finances and investment banking. [...]

By Julika|2021-12-22T16:54:38+01:002013/10/17|Categories: Art History, The Art Historian’s Guide to…|Tags: Architecture, Europe, Frankfurt, Germany, The Art Historian's Guide to...|18 Comments

Ireland via Instagram

Ireland. Just wow. Sorry for the lack of descriptive adjectives (I really should know better by now), but I was most definitely just wowed by this country -- in the best possible way! I got back from Ireland less than 48 hours ago and already dream of going back. I pretty much expected to find mostly sheep, green meadows, and drizzle in Ireland, but what I actually got was amazing people, gorgeous landscapes, and impressive architecture. It will take weeks (and several posts and photo essays) to recap my wonderful time in Ireland, but for now I just want to [...]

By Julika|2013-10-27T14:18:15+01:002013/10/09|Categories: Destinations, Ireland|Tags: Architecture, Dublin, Europe, Ireland|17 Comments

Photo Essay: The Castle of Braunfels

Usually, I don't like German clichés as I'm the walking opposite of a typical German (despite my hair color maybe): I don't eat meat, I prefer wine over beer, I'm horribly chaotic and I'm never ever on time. But I feel like there is one cliché about the country of Germany itself which really is true: Germany has an insane amount of castles. The little town where I went to school has a castle. I can see a castle from my parent's kitchen window. On the way to my summer job I drive by two other castles. During my undergrad [...]

By Julika|2013-08-19T23:48:38+02:002013/08/14|Categories: Art History, Photo Essay|Tags: Architecture, Europe, Germany, medieval, Photo Essay|7 Comments

A Walk Around Berlin’s Famous Sights

When I got to Berlin last month I wanted to find art, design, and hipster subculture. But somehow I got distracted by classical, historical, and beautiful Berlin. Berlin has experienced SO much history that you can't possibly grasp it during just one weekend, probably not even in a lifetime. But I wanted to stroll through the streets and find "the real" Berlin. While walking through Berlin, my mind was racing with images I remember from history books and TV reports: Swinging Berlin in the 20ies, shockingly impressive Nazi parades through the city's grand boulevards, entirely destroyed Berlin after the War. [...]

By Julika|2014-02-14T09:51:42+01:002013/08/11|Categories: Destinations, Europe, Germany|Tags: Architecture, Berlin, Europe, Germany|8 Comments

Photo Essay: Sainte-Chapelle in Paris

Every once in a while I just have to go back to the roots. Back to my roots as an art historian. I can't go too long without writing about my beloved Gothic cathedrals. If you have read my little art historical background you know that I decided to become an art historian while being moved to tears in the shimmering ambulatory of Basilique Saint Denis, one of the most magnificent Gothic cathedrals of all times. Medieval churches are my favorite places, my emotional safe havens. They are places to calm down, to think, to catch your breath, to be still. To [...]

By Julika|2015-05-11T09:10:56+02:002013/08/07|Categories: Art History, Photo Essay|Tags: Architecture, churches, Europe, France, medieval, Paris, Photo Essay|14 Comments

The Art Historian’s Failed Guide to Hipster Berlin

I already had the words formed in my head before I even arrived in Berlin. Maybe that was a mistake in the first place. The Art Historian's Guide to Hipster Berlin. I was convinced I could write this. I exactly knew what this post was supposed to be like. I wanted to write about street art and those cool coffee shops were you can buy coffee as well as the mug your coffee's served in and the chair you’re sitting on. I wanted to write about Berlin the party capital, where every café serves breakfast until 7 pm so you will [...]

By Julika|2014-02-14T23:36:54+01:002013/08/03|Categories: Art History, The Art Historian’s Guide to…|Tags: Architecture, Art, Berlin, Europe, Germany|18 Comments

Photo Essay: Picture-Perfect Potsdam

This past weekend I escaped on a spontaneous weekend trip to Berlin and its famous neighboring city Potsdam. Before I start putting my overwhelming Berlin impressions into words I wanted to introduce the beautiful city of Potsdam -- to give it the attention it deserves. Potsdam was the royal residency of the kingdom of Prussia and the former royal glamour can be seen all over the city. Potsdam is dominated by palaces and parks that have been proclaimed a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the 1990ies. Although the city center itself is gorgeously renovated, the most renowned part of Potsdam [...]

By Julika|2013-08-17T14:01:07+02:002013/07/30|Categories: Art History, Photo Essay|Tags: Architecture, Europe, Germany, Photo Essay|7 Comments

Photo Essay: Medieval Bruges

If I look back on the cities I traveled to this year, I'm surprised how I managed to stick to my (unintended) theme of gorgeous cities with canals and a medieval center -- Nuremberg, Strasbourg, Colmar, and even Paris are all places with an exciting medieval history and I adored visiting all of them. Although I probably described their outer features very much alike, for me, they was totally different: Nuremberg's medieval history was overshadowed by anti-Semitism, Strasbourg and Colmar have always had a special geographical position due to their location right in-between France and Germany. I don't know when [...]

By Julika|2013-08-07T09:22:39+02:002013/07/16|Categories: Art History, Photo Essay|Tags: Architecture, Belgium, Bruges, medieval, Photo Essay|2 Comments