recently i visited london, england and yes i did take a lot of photos of typical tourist attractions but i got a chance to visit leake tunnel, an old abandoned subway underground tunnel where graffiti & spraypaint is legally allowed ... each time you go it will look different as layers and layers of spraypaint covers the art from yesterday ... this was also called the banksy tunnel named after the now famous spraypaint artist ... the following photography and others can be found on my etsy photography store

the white house.  the smithsonian.  the kennedy centre.  the capitol building.  lincoln memorial.  those are all must-sees when you visit washington, d.c. ... we saw all of those and more at the end of last year but my favourite was taking a stroll through georgetown, a town full of cafes and shops in old historical buildings ... although a lot of the stores are well-known chains and franchises but if i close my eyes i can almost imagine that once upon a time they were all quaint little shops with old country charm and hand-made goodies ... 

we started the morning with breakfast at "le pain quotidien", an international chain that was founded in brussels which literally means "the daily bread" ... the breakfast was delicious, healthy and cozy ... we ate on a distressed wooden table as long as the length of the room, sharing it with other breakfast goers ... in addition to the fabulous food, it was the little touches that made it so memorable ... the lady that sat across from us ordered a cup of hot chocolate ... a steaming hot bowl of fresh milk was served alongside a little jug of warm melted chocolate ... mmmmm

georgetown was founded in the 1751 and predates the establishment of the district of columbia by more than a century ... situated along the potomac river in northwest washington, dc., it is home to georgetown university and the "old stone house" - the oldest building in d.c. ... you will recognize the names of many current and past residents of georgetown (many of whom are politicians) ... when we walked by john f. kennedy & jackie kennedy's old house, i got this sense that i was surrounded by history and memories ... 

i have to admit i'm not a huge shopper or a designer labels kinda gal ... the photographs and family videos i take are my souvenirs ... and with the exception of this trip, i tend to buy art books or prints ... however, i had a great time window shopping in georgetown ... not only were the buildings and facades beautiful on the outside but there were many beautifully arranged window displays and stores ... to top it off, we found every excuse to sit down for a cup of coffee and indulge in ice cream  

founded in 1927 by louis eidelson, a russian immigrant, the trenton china pottery company sold restaurant equipment and supplies on the corner of 2nd and arch in old city philadelphia for decades and has been family operated for generations ...

the company has since moved to a new location on memphis street and now operates under their new name, trenton china restaurant equipment & food service supplies ...

last month we visited philadelphia and stumbled across this building during one of our walks ...  i fell in love with it at first sight ...  maybe it was the faded advertisement or the pink, orange and red paints or maybe the old style fire escape ladders ...  i was so fascinated by the story of the building that when i got home, i researched its history ...  i imagine that this now empty brick building must have once been a proud bustling hot spot for restaurant owners and homeowners shopping for the latest kitchen gadgets ....  

after a beautiful and relaxing vacation, i am back at it ... the worst part of going away is not the travelling ... not the packing ... not the cranky kids ... not the security checks at the airport ... not the few added pounds ... not even the jetlag ... it's catching up on all the things you left behind when you come home ... the emails at work ... the bills ... the empty fridge ... and knowing that today is the furthest day from your next vacation ... at least summer is around the corner (yes ... positive thoughts ... glass half full ... lol)

on a brighter and more exciting note ... i took tons ... and i mean tons of photos ... i haven't even begun to sort through most of them ... but here are a few i've picked out of bicycles and mopeds ...

friedensreich hundertwasser was an austrian artist and best known for his contemporary paintings and architectural designs ... when we got the opportunity to visit vienna a few years ago,  i dragged my husband around town to see some of his buildings ... here are some of the photos i took of his amazing work ....

the hundertwasserhaus (above) was the first project given to him where he was able to experiment with his design ideas ... as he was not a professional architect, he partnered up with josef krawina to bring his ideas to life ... one of the many concepts he had was that of the "window rights" of the tenant of an apartment ... such that each owner should have the right to decorate the outer facade surrounding their windows ... the hundertwasserhaus was opened in 1986 ... 

opened in 1991, the kunst haus wien (aka museum hundertwasser) is the museum that houses 2 floors of a collection of work (drawings, paintings, architectural designs and models) by hundertwasser ... it also contains work 

i'm hoping to see many more of his buildings in the near future ... here are just some on my wish list ....