Two Photo Challenge - Backpacking Europe

Although I'm trying to only post photography taken within the last year and on, I've decided to go back through my photos from my post-graduation european backpacking trip (spring 2009 with Rachel) and choose two photos from each place I visited that I feel summarize it well. Not an easy task, but a fun one! Because each person experiences and remembers a place differently, I'd be interested to see what photos of their own other people would pick for the same cities. I've found that most of the time the main tourist attractions that may draw you to a certain place are not what define it for you by the end. For example, the Eiffel Tower was beautiful, but when I think of Paris it's not what comes to mind first. Because of this, the photographs I chose were not always the best ones taken on the trip, but rather the ones that summarize it best (for me). Regardless, I hope you enjoy them!


Amsterdam:

When I think of Amsterdam, I think bikes. Without a doubt. You run a much higher risk of getting hit by a bike than a car! The beautiful canals and quaint buildings (like the triangular roofed one here) also readily come to mind.

Berlin:

I've heard that if you're not as lame as Rachel and I, you're likely to enjoy a really cool underground music and bar scene in Berlin. However, without the knowledge or german to navigate it, Rachel and I stuck with what we do best - obsess over history. Luckily Berlin was chock full of it! The picture on the left is the "CV" of the Berlin Wall (graffiti was everywhere in Berlin - another thing that comes to mind - although this was done on East Side Gallery, meant for public art murals), and the photo on the right is the Holocaust Monument.

Prague:

What stays with me most about Prague is how beautiful and colorful almost every single building I saw was (hence the photo on the left), from the average apartment building to the castle. Just walking around the city was a pleasure. A close second was the Lennon Wall (right photo) and the amber jewelry I drooled over the whole time.

Munich:

When I think of Munich I think of beer gardens (left), the barren Octoberfest grounds (not so festive in June...) with the statue of Bavaria (right), and an ugly mustard colored church with the most beautiful pure white interior I've seen (not sure if it's a famous church or not). The church didn't make the 2 photo cut, but it was amazing. I also think of the story I learned about the White Rose, an anti-Nazi resistance group, but I have no photos of that.

Dachau:

Dachau is not an easy place to summarize in any amount of words or photographs, but these are two from the extremely well led tour we attended. The photograph on the right is a sculpture poignantly done by a former prisoner. 

Fussen:

The Neuschwanstein Castle is what brought us to Fussen and it's what I still think of now; it's beautiful (almost as beautiful as the surrounding Alps)! After visiting so many cities, it was great to unwind in a mountain town (right photo).

Paris:

Admittedly, it was not easy choosing only two photos from Paris. It is a huge city with tons of amazing things to see and visit. However, what I remember most about Paris is walking around Montmarte (left photo) - especially the huge flea market we stumbled upon one day - and the graves in the cemetery (right photo). The graves were really beautiful and moving. Call it creepy, but it was one of my favorite parts. That and drinking coffee and eating chocolate!

Normandy:

Being huge history dorks, it seemed like a no-brainer for us to shell out about the equivalent of $100 for a tour of the Normandy beaches. To this day, I think it's still some of the best money I've ever spent (and I'm sure Rachel agrees). The tour was unreal. Although I could spend hours spewing out interesting things I saw and learned there, what I remember as the most moving and shocking parts were the bomb craters left all over the beach cliffs (left) and the American cemetery (right).

Barcelona:

Not surprisingly, when I think of Barcelona, I think of the architect Gaudi. Although I loved Parque Guell, it was the sculpture looking chimneys of Casa Batlló (right photo) that stood out to me most. I also loved La Sagrada Familia, especially the intricacy and originality of the doors (left photo); I've never seen anything like it!  

London:

Cliche as it may be, I do still think of the red telephone booths when I think of London (right photo). All the bright colored doors and patterned staircases (left photo) also stuck in my mind.