{places: at the gallery}

"Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time."

~ Thomas Merton

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. . . a very favourite thing to do while travelling {or anytime, really}, is to while away endless beautiful hours wandering the echoing halls of museums and art galleries, breathing in the history and marveling at each brush stoke -- monet, renoir, pissaro and degas -- so much so, that once even braved the crowds of tourists at the louvre in paris one winter's day, even catching a mesmerising glimpse of mona lisa's mysterious smile . . . there is just something so magical about being enveloped in such stunning creativity . . .

{p.s.} a favourite is the musée d'orsay

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{images: le portillon via the inspiration board; art institute of chicago, photography by thomas struth via flickr; lazareva valeria via julia}

{lost in love and chicago}

While it may be true that shall never tire of Paris or the south of France, always ready for new adventures and sometimes fun to go somewhere completely different, and on the last long weekend of the summer: The Windy City . . .

. . . despite there being not much use outside the hotel lobby for gold strappy heels, sequined jackets, and silk and linen dresses -- all of the things in my carrying cases -- there were, happily, fresh lake breezes and miles of beaches, afternoon boat rides and expansive parks, marble fountains, and art and architecture . . .

cloud gate, outdoor sculpture by british artist anish kapoor


endless summer, navy pier

toasted coconut & strawberry marshmallows

dusk

frank gehry-designed jay pritzker pavilion in millennium park

cocktails + view from the ninety-sixth floor

the modern wing of the art institute of chicago, designed by pritzker prize–winning architect renzo piano, whose work includes the centre georges pompidou in paris; the art institute's impressionist & postimpressionist collection is considered the most important outside of france

buckingham fountain, made of pink marble and modeled by edward bennett after the latona basin at versailles


afternoon on the water

{and afterall:} pink cotton candy, afternoons along the beach and on the water, a late-summer picnic, sipping champagne in the courtyard of the art institute by moonlight -- and especially -- all the time in the world together on the last long weekend of the summer . . .

{images: 6, 12, 13 - this is glamorous; 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 14 - p for this is glamorous; 10 - via renzo piano}