PARIS, FRANCE {EIFFEL TOWER}

Ever since I was a child I have seen this pointy metal structure called the Eiffel Tower showcased in books, in painting, on home decor... you can find the symbol on practically anything yet nothing prepared me for what it would be like to see this beautiful monstrosity in real life. In 2009, I headed to Paris to do some photo work and landed upon one of the most photographic cities I have ever been to. Oddly, even so- it is also one of my least favorite cities as well because I found myself surrounded by rude, smelly, judgmental people which greatly dampened the atmosphere. Ok, back to the tower. I will never forget the first time I saw it. I was touring the city with my brother Cake, who was living there at the time studying cooking. He took me there by subway. We came out of the subway station, walked up a flight of stairs until we reached the sun and I turned to my left and stopped dead in my tracks. This was the scene in front of me:

The photo still doesn't do the sight justice but it's the best I could do without bringing each of you there with me.  I've always had some odd fascination with this structure. My living room is covered with Eiffel Tower things. This was pretty darn exciting. I sat there for a long time just staring at it.

As I continued on my adventure in Paris, I would photograph any image I could that allowed me to put the tower somewhere in the background. I have always thought this image to be fun. Somehow I always seem to capture birds flying off of sculptures when I go places and I never even know I did until I get home and look at the photos.

This is my favorite photo that I took of the tower. When I took this I was standing at the top of Notre Dame Cathedral. It took climbing 400 very steep spiral steps to get this image. What I think I love is that unless you look closely at the cars and buses, you could places this photo in practically any time period from when the tower was built. It's ageless. This is another 16x24 inch canvas that hangs on my office wall. It is so beautiful blown up.

And here is one more from the top of Notre Dame but this time you can see a gargoyle off to the side. When I got back from Paris I said it was the first place I have ever been that I didn't feel the need to ever go back to but the more and more I look at my photos, the more I want to go back and take more. If only I could take away my sense of smell while I was there and if people would just be more nice. Another big this was how expensive everything in the city was. It would be a great place to go if you were rich but I wouldn't recommend it to a poor college student.

And then I must include a photo of the tower at night all lit up. When it gets dark the lights on the tower go on which is the yellowish orange color you see but every hour on the hour the tower then also sparkles like crazy for a few minutes. It looks like a tower of glitter and that is the white areas you see around the arches. It is quite a scene. There are huge crowds that gather to watch. It was really hard picking some of my favorite Eiffel Tower photos to post. I have so many more. If you would like to see more, please feel free to contact me and I'd love to send you a link. 

~Kristen~

OAHU {HAWAII}

Continuing on through the islands of Hawaii, we hopped over to Oahu for a few days. Oahu is much more commercialized than Kaua'i was but it was still very beautiful. Our first stop, which everyone must make when they visit this island, was Pearl Harbor. Everyone learns about this tragedy in school but for me at least, I don't think the reality of it really sank in until I went there for myself. As I was standing on the memorial looking down at the ruins of USS Arizona, I was filled with so much emotion and couldn't hold back the tears. I think this in one place that every American especially should make a trip to visit during their life time.

As you look out over the waters while standing at the memorial, the USS Missouri remains parked, which is where the treaty was signed that ended WWII. Above is a photo of this incredible ship. Not many people know this but I have an enormous fear of large ships so for me to handle going to this memorial and being so close to this large vessel without melting down was quiet a feat.

On a sweeter note, we then ventured out to the Dole plantation to learn how pineapples grow.  Wow, I was in for a shocker! I didn't know they grew like this. They are so CUTE! They grow on a tiny little bush close to the ground and it takes three years for a pineapple to finish growing. That explains why they cost so much. Pineapple is one of my favorite fruits. Looking at this photo is making my mouth water. Oh I should mention... finally the sun decided to join us, only two weeks into our adventure. Hooray!

Later that week the winds started to pick up which brought in some incredible waves. We had a lot of of fun sitting on the shore watching the surfers ride the waves. I also am not a huge fan of going in the ocean or of water in general- perhaps I am part cat. So I sad from the sidelines and took my photos.

My littlest brother though thought he was tough enough to beat the waves. See that tall white thing behind him? That is the wave that came crashing down and ate him right up into the ocean just seconds after I took this photograph. My dad had to jump in and get him. He gave the entire family a heart attack, no lie! and was picking sand out of every inch of himself the rest of the week.

This guy however, knew what he was doing. I had a lot of fun photographing him. I submitted this image to Jones Soda and for a brief time it was published on their bottles. The look on his face as he is doing this flip is so awesome. Well there weren't as many crazy adventures on Oahu but we still had fun, got some sun, and ate great food. However, if I ever go back to Hawaii I will make sure that Kaua'i is on my list of stops. That island is unbelievably breathtaking and not so touristy! Highly recommend!

ARIZONA AND THE {GRAND CANYON}

In my last few posts we visited Alaska where the weather is dangerous and very cold. Now we are going to head way done south back to the lower 48 to Arizona and make a stop at the Grand Canyon and neighboring desert. There is this thing about the Grand Canyon. No matter how many photographs you see of it, nothing will prepare you for the site you will see with your own eyes. It is spectacular, mind blowing, stomach dropping, and best of all it is insanely photogenic. Sounds like a terrible place, I know. It was one of those places where at first I never really cared if and when I ever got to see it but now, I can't wait to go back and see more of it.

 This is one of my favorite photographs that I took of the Grand Canyon. I have a 16x24 inch canvas of it displayed in my office that I look over at every day and day dream about sitting up on that ledge looking over at the most amazing drop I've ever seen.

Here you can see the sun shinning out over the horizon. A little slice of heaven. There are pathways that lead down to the bottom of the Canyon. You can either hike or take a mule and there is much to explore once you reach the bottom. I didn't have time to do this. It takes an entire day to get to the bottom and then to come back up. Next time I go, it is on my list of things to do. There are also some amazing water falls around the Canyon that I would really love to check out some day.

 As I was walking around taking photos, this little feller came across my path and asked me to take a portrait of him. So I did! I was almost within petting distance. Now that isn't something that happens very often in Minnesota.

During this adventure I also had the opportunity to visit some parts of the Arizona desert. We took an amazing motorcycle ride for a day. It was my first time ever on a motorcycle. At first it scared me something crazy, then after a while I couldn't get enough of it!

The one thing I just had to photograph while in Arizona was a cactus. So we drove out to the desert and me in my flip flops walked out into the deadly desert where all the scorpions and snakes live so I could get my darn photo. Seriously, I'll do ANYTHING for a picture. I was later informed that if the police would have caught me I could have been issued an idiot ticket. Ha ha! Yeah I would have deserved it. But luckily  nI as OK!

And last but not least, this is one of my all time favorite photographs I have ever taken. I made us stop at this church out in the middle of the desert as the sun was setting. It's amazing the photography opportunities you will find when you simply just get in the car and drive with no destination in mind.

~Kristen~

Bethal, Alaska {Cama-i Dance Festival}

A few hours flight west of Anchorage is the small town of Bethal, Alaska. This town is the most known to many of the villagers. It is where the closest airport, hospital, and grocery stores are. It's the closest town to the Yup'ik Eskimo villages that is modern and many of the school kids have flown to this town from time to time for events funded by the government's school funds. I traveled to Bethal to attend their cultural festival which features dancing from all regions of Alaska, including a few villages that I performed while in Tununak. This festival is known at the Cama-i Dance Festival. It is a weekend long event and villagers from all around Alaska, as well as tourists come to watch.It is even broadcast live on their website so people from all around can tune in and watch. The festival was still going on once I was back in the lower 48 and I did indeed turn on the website channel and leave it play the rest of the festival. I really enjoyed watching this dancing.

This group of Yup'ik dancers if from the village of Chefornak. I had the privilege of getting to hear them when I was in Tununak so I was familiar with some of their songs and dance steps.

I LOVED photographing the children dancing. This is one of my favorite photos from Bethal. Their expressions are natural and in the moment.

During my travels from Bethal to Anchorage I was able to capture some breathtaking sights of the landscape. These images are the kind that you know in that moment when you see the view it is so spectacular you will never forget what it looked like as long as you live.

Can you see the smoking volcano? I actually didn't even notice it until I was back home and looking over my pictures. What a beautiful sight!

And one last photo to share. It doesn't even look real to me. It looks more like a painting and my memories of being here seem more like a dream.

Question for my readers:

What are some of the most beautiful locations on Earth you have ever had the privilege of visiting?  (leave your comments below!)

TUNUNAK, AK {ESKIMO VILLAGE}

Part 1:

In March of 2011, I decided that the freezing cold winter was the perfect time to travel farther NORTH all the way up to a little alcove along the Bering Sea to an Eskimo Village known as Tununak. This was truly a once in a lifetime adventure being that the general public could never be able to enter these villages without a specific reason or invitation. My invitation was to come and photograph the village. I have a friend from college who was a teacher in the village and without this connection such an opportunity would never have been possible. So, how do you get to a secluded village located in the tundras? Well that alone was a trip of a lifetime.  By a little 4 seater bush plane. I flew from Minneapolis to Anchorage and then from Anchorage to Bethal. From Bethal I took this bush plane where the entire trip all you see is tundra for miles and miles. The day I flew in the weather was terrible and I was the last flight to arrive in the village for 4 entire days! That means no food, supplies, medial equipment or emergencies for that entire time can be attended to until the weather is flyable again. It is so dangerous that the have a TV show on cable about it called Fly Wild Alaska. Yup, that's who I few with, and the village I went to have been featured on the show.

This is me in front of a larger 6 seater bush plane I took going home.

The first few days of my stay there, the neighboring village was having a cultural festival so most of Tununak hopped on snow machines and drove miles through the open windy tundras to go watch the other village dance their traditional Yup'ik dance which is called Yuraq (pronounced: u-huck). I even learned some of their dancing while I was there. Yuraq is a very important part of their culture and is practiced by the adults and children many times a week. Each song they dance to tells a story about their culture. Their dance moves are very strategic, each one representing a word- sort of like sign language. Traditionally, the women stand up and dance, young boys sit on the floor in the front and dance, and the men sit in the back on chairs beating on drums while singing or chanting the words. The drums are made from the intestines of whales and  use sticks made out of the bone of a whale.The women wear fancy headdresses and use dance fans. Family members wear matching Qaspeq's (pronounced: gus-bucks) which is what they call their traditional Yup'ik clothing. The songs are very catchy and even though I don't speak Yup'ik I find myself humming the songs around the house quite often. Here is a photo of one of the elders dancing at the festival. The festival is held in the school gymnasium which is the only modern building in the village. It was build by the government. Most of the villagers live in shacks or huts.

As I mentioned, many of the villagers still live in old huts and shacks. This village is very undeveloped and if it wasn't for the government recently coming in and building them a school they would have very little knowledge of the outside world. They still dress traditionally, however you will see some students who are starting to conform to popular styles of clothing if they can find a way to own it. Most of their diet revolves around what they find on the land and in the ocean. Whale, seal, muskox, fish, salmon berries; they only have a few months a year where there is not snow on the ground so not much grows there for vegetation. There is a small grocery store in town about the size of my bedroom that supplies some packaged goods but only 10% of the villagers hold a job so money is a huge problem for these people. I have traveled to many places around the world. Many poor places. Here in the United States is where I found one of the poorest places I have ever been.

Tununak baby in traditional clothing

Pauline Pitka, Tundra grass weaver

~Welcome~

Welcome to Kristen's travels from around the world. I've decided to give you a little taste of the different experiences I've been so fortunate to encounter over the past few years. I'll be sharing with you some of the stories from my adventures as well as some photos I was able to capture while I was there. I hope you enjoy visiting over the next few weeks.

xoxo
~Kristen~