Art Archives - Page 2 of 3 - sateless suitcase

Photo Essay: Books, Books, Books!

I love books. I'm a huge bookworm. And despite all the apparent benefits of Kindles and other e-Readers, I will never ever prefer an e-book over an actual one. I love the smell of books. I love the sounds when running through the pages. I love how a hardcover, or the pages feel. And - I think books are THE best fitment. Nothing makes an apartment more comfortable than books... Of course, book stores and libraries are the places I feel at home right away. One of the most amazing book stores I have been to so far, was Ler Devagar [...]

By Julika|2013-05-07T04:32:29+02:002013/01/07|Categories: Art History, Photo Essay|Tags: Art, Europe, Lisbon, Photo Essay, Portugal|16 Comments

The Street Art of Paris – In Pictures

I don't know how I discovered street art. Somehow it was suddenly there. Maybe I am just a lemming of a huge new hipster street art hype. But no matter how I came to like street art in the first place, I know I do. A lot. And Paris has plenty of street art. un regard est si vite arrivé - a glance happens quickly by MissTic During my first visit to Paris back in 2006, I was totally fascinated by the stencils of the French artist MissTic. Her art was omnipresent in Montmartre back then. So even without even [...]

By Julika|2013-05-07T04:40:41+02:002012/12/20|Categories: Destinations, Europe, France|Tags: Art, Europe, France, Paris|6 Comments

Rediscovering Paris

I love "taking advantage" of my friends. This year, I was already hosted by Sarah in London and Kathi in Munich. I admit, I was cadging a little. But I can't help having cool friends, who live cool places -- I just have to go stay with them as soon as they invite me over! And again, one of those globetrotter friends of mine moved to one of the prettiest cities in Europe recently -- and I didn't hesitate for a second when Janina invited me to come to Paris last week! While I'm medieval art historian nerd, Janina studies archeology and [...]

By Julika|2013-08-18T10:30:25+02:002012/11/08|Categories: Destinations, Europe, France|Tags: Architecture, Art, churches, Europe, France, medieval, Paris|14 Comments

How I Tried to Give Modern Art a Chance

Every five years the sleepy town of Kassel in the north of the state of Hesse, Germany, turns into the artistic center of modern art: The Documenta is the most important and biggest exhibition of contemporary art worldwide! However, I'm not very much into contemporary art. Don't get me wrong. I love art. I love modern art, too. I almost cried when I saw my first Jackson Pollock. I adore getting mesmerized by Rothko or overwhelmed by Rosenquist or tricked by Dalí. But: I'm a medieval art historian (well, almost). I have my problems with video installations and abstract, weird artists like [...]

By Julika|2013-05-07T04:41:40+02:002012/11/01|Categories: Destinations, Europe, Germany|Tags: Art, Europe, Germany, medieval|10 Comments

Photo Essay: The Old Grand Piano in a Croatian Backyard

I love looking out for the little things in life: Random constellations in nature, unexpected street art, things that aren't where they would be found usually, or things that are combined in a remarkably new way... While staying on the island of Krk this fall, I discovered this backyard right behind the house we rented... At first, I didn't even pay attention to it, because it looked unspectacular and little chaotic. But then I realized that there was something adoringly different in this disordered little garden: Among the colorful branches of early fall stood an old grand piano. The keyboard was chipped, the once expensive [...]

By Julika|2013-05-07T04:36:35+02:002012/10/29|Categories: Art History, Photo Essay|Tags: Art, Croatia, Photo Essay|6 Comments

A Coffee Break in Ljubljana

I think I first read something about Ljubljana, Slovenia, when I was 16 years old: An article in a magazine saying that though Ljubljana was small capital, it has a great artistic (nowadays you would maybe use the word "hipster"?) vibe and is incredibly beautiful... and I wanted to see it for myself ever since. On the way back from Croatia (which I will be talking about very soon!) we drove through Slovenia and I insisted on stopping in Ljubljana - even if only for a few hours... These are my impressions collected in two hours in lovely Ljubljana: Starting out from [...]

By Julika|2013-05-07T04:42:49+02:002012/10/12|Categories: Destinations, Europe, Slovenia|Tags: Architecture, Art, Europe, Ljubljana, road trip, Slovenia|2 Comments

Photo Essay: Flying Umbrellas in Évora

This was just one of those perfect little moments when you enter an unknown street in a city you have never been to before and it surprises you - with an installation of colorful umbrellas hovering over a little square to offer the restaurants in it shade from the hot Portuguese summer sun... In Évora, a pretty medieval square is turned into a fairy tale through this wonderful and surprisingly brilliant idea! I just loved this!

By Julika|2013-05-07T04:37:36+02:002012/09/24|Categories: Art History, Photo Essay|Tags: Art, Europe, medieval, Photo Essay, Portugal|2 Comments

Amsterdam – Sex, Drugs and Sightseeing

After finally having found a place to stay in Zandvoort Steffen and I were excited to explore the (in)famous capital of the Netherlands: Amsterdam has a crazy reputation. It's all about drugs, sex and beer, but at the same time Amsterdam has (had) a huge influence in the art scene. The regular train connection from Zandvoort took us right into the gorgeous central station of Amsterdam, which is already a first major sight to check out. After that we wanted to experience the city by foot and boat. Those are certainly the best ways to get to know the city. (Renting a bike [...]

By Julika|2014-05-06T09:22:42+02:002012/08/22|Categories: Destinations, Europe, The Netherlands|Tags: Amsterdam, Architecture, Art, Europe, medieval, Museums, The Netherlands|1 Comment

Turning 25 in Munich!

25. That is HUGE. Very grown up. A quarter century! I really wanted to do something special for this occasion - which included being as far away from my ugly-passing-through home town Siegen as possible! Luckily, my wonderful friend Kathi invited me to stay with her in June 2012. I had met her during my semester abroad in Lisbon, where we became friends quickly and also went on several trips together. Kathi lives in the city center of Munich - and I couldn't wait to finally come back to Munich at last! To get there, I used Mitfahrgelegenheit which is a platform arranging [...]

By Julika|2013-05-07T04:44:32+02:002012/08/14|Categories: Destinations, Europe, Germany|Tags: Architecture, Art, Bavaria, churches, Europe, Germany, Munich|0 Comments

London’s Gems: Portobello Road and Brick Lane

On a large scale, London has been what I expected it to be: Crowded, busy, oh-so British, but also culturally and artistically buzzing. What really surprised me however, was the hipster-artsy-hippie-vintagey side of London. Knowing me way too well, my host and guide Sarah took me to Portobello Road and Brick Lane. And she was so right about me -- I just loved these street markets! Having been a sucker for flea markets for the greater part of my life, this isn't so surprising... but these markets are so much more than just random street markets! Portobello Road in the heart [...]

By Julika|2015-08-05T14:53:19+02:002012/07/31|Categories: Destinations, England, Europe|Tags: Art, England, Europe, London|3 Comments