Gardens in the city

I celebrated a friend's recent birthday wandering through the conservatory of flowers. Then we went to the botanical garden and found the perfect spot to lay out picnic blankets, food and wine. The best kind of days. 

Lomochrome purple and Ilford B&W FILM

Paris for artists

In the middle of a crowded shopping street there's a small storefront full of art. Inside there's 6 floors full of studios and galleries, a beautiful spiral staircase covered in murals winding up all the way to a huge skylight.

In the 90's the area was more empty, artists took over the abandoned building to live and work. They were set to be evicted but the mayor was sympathetic. The city bought the building in 2005, renovated it to meet code, and set up a program for permanent and rotating artists. I'm so happy I could see a space like this, especially as similar spaces in San Francisco that I love face eviction.

Ilford B&W FILM

West Ireland

I met my good friend in Dublin and left the city for the rural west coast. The highways turned into tiny roads bordered by ancient stone walls.

We stayed in a cottage in Kerry, full of spider webs, that looked out to a bay. Then north to the Burren national park. Rolling hills are crossed with limestone rock full of cracks that house unique species of plants. We went looking for the 22 species of orchid! We found a lot of beautiful tiny flowers and friendly cows.

The last few days we spend on the most beautiful stretch of coastline I've ever seen. The surrounding mountains and fog rolling through reminded me of California, but there was something really special about it.

The air is cold but the sea is warm, its the strangest feeling to walk through the shallow water!

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