Playing with my new Macro Lens
Author Archives: Arklahoma Muse Photography
All the Pictures I have not Taken…
St. Nicholas Village on the Rudolfplatz
As my departure date from this wonderland that is Belgium draws closer, seasons come and go, and holidays pass by, I start to obsess and worry about getting that shot I’ve been thinking about for 3 years, to capture that scene before the chance is lost, and then to mourn missed photo opportunities because life got in the way and I didn’t make it out to (insert location here). Part of me is filled with guilt that I haven’t been a more intrepid photographer, often preferring to stay inside on a cold morning with my coffee and slippers instead of heading out into the weather all bundled up in search of that money shot. But on a recent jaunt to the Cologne Christmas markets with my daughter, I found a little perspective and a reason to put the camera (and the guilt) down for a moment.
Early at the AlterMarkt
Ice Rink at the Alter Markt
“Mom, leave your camera home.” I have heard this more than once. It’s a statement that fills me with confusion and leaves me conflicted. Why would I leave my camera home? This is what I do, what I hope to do more of in the future! When my daughter, “M,” and I got to Cologne on the morning of the 23rd, we found the market stalls were not yet open (it was late enough that we were actually starting to question whether they would open at all!). I expressed disappointment at the lost photo opportunities. M’s response? “Good, now you can focus on just spending time with me.” Eh? I love spending time with M. I cherish our outings, and of course I am always stopping to take shots while we are out and about.
Bike Parking at Neumarkt.
The Angel Market at Neumarkt
Cheese seller at the Angel Market at Neumarkt.
St. Aposteln
“Mom when you are taking pictures, when you are in ‘the zone,’ you are here, but not here. I don’t know how many times I am talking to you only to realize that you have stopped to take a picture and are no longer listening to me.” This sort of hit me like a brick. I know I do tend to exist in my own little bubble, but I don’t think I realized just how much I tune everything out around me. And I definitely didn’t realize how much it affected my family. I stopped in my tracks – my heart breaking a little – my desires for a fun weekend outing with my baby and getting those last shots of a German Christmas market doing instantaneous battle in my head.
My eyes teared up a little, I apologized for being so absent, and admitted that I would not be able to abstain completely from my addiction during our day in Cologne. M just laughed, rolled her eyes, and said “I know mom.” I promised not to get completely wrapped up in photography, and to focus more on the mother/daughter bonding part. I’m not sure I was successful, but we did have a pretty good time browsing through the holiday markets, braving the creepy waiter at the Hard Rock, shopping in the amazing stores in Cologne, and talking each other out of buying that flamingo onesie that would be used solely to torture her older sister.
Cologne Cathedral. One of the shots sacrificed so as not to irritate the youngster. Someday I hope to go back, at the right time of day, and get this cathedral from the proper distance (preferably without scaffolding on some part of the towers).
Cologne Cathedral and train station as seen from in front of our hotel – BEST location!
Cathedral market
At the end of the day, we spent a lot of time being silly, shared a great deal about our hopes and dreams for the future, and did an incredible amount of people-watching (our favorite being 3 guys at Douglas -a Sephora-type store – trying to buy presents for their girlfriends. They looked so scared!). It also helped me to understand that not all experiences need to be documented. Sometimes it is enough that they are enjoyed.
Oh! And I got a couple of decent shots! I see it as a win-win. Hopefully M does too!
The Central Tree in the Cathedral market
Canopy of Light
Blown Glass
Harbor Market
Harbor Market
Harbor Market as seen after having a hot chocolate with Bailey’s (they were out of Peppermint Schnapps).
Cologne Cathedral at Night
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Morning at the Butte de Lion
Today’s accomplishment:
Morning in the Fields of Waterloo.
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I had 3 very specific photographic goals yesterday. I accomplished zero. I did manage to capture a few gems though, so the day wasn’t a total waste!
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Fun with Castles
Did you know there are more castles (sometimes referred to as chateaus) per square mile in Belgium than in any other place in the world? For anyone who has ventured even a little out into the Belgian countryside, this is no surprise!
Castle Gravensteen
Some castles are now museums and public domains. Others have been converted into event venues and are only open to the general public during certain times of year. And some are still privately owned and inhabited, and may or may not offer tours.
95. Chateau de la Hulpe
Some castles have been rebuilt and recreated, such as Castle Gravensteen in Ghent, or Beersel Castle just off of the ring road around Brussels. Some have fallen into ruin, never to regain their former glory and a lucky few have found saviors working (and providing funding) to revive them.
79. Beersel Castle
And then there are those that have been maintained and cared for over a multitude of generations, decades and in some cases, centuries. No matter your preference, there is most likely a castle or château that catches your fancy and stirs your imagination.
57. Bouillon Castle
Last year I was fortunate enough to visit quite a few around Belgium. I have merely scratched the surface in this area, but a very lovely surface it was!
In the fall, just before a majority of tourist destinations in Belgium go to sleep for the winter, I jumped at the chance to tour the Chateau d’Attre, located in the quaint little village I have driven through numerous times on my way to the commissary.
109. Chateau D’Attre
Castle Attre was built in 1752 on the foundation of a previous castle from the 15th century and is still privately owned and lived in. The castle and its grounds are only open to the public on Sundays from April to September, but they are willing to work with groups to provide tours on other days of the week when asked.
Private Altar
While the house and its interior is lovely and full of great details and curiosities, I fell in love with the grounds! My friend Sarah and I braved the drizzle to explore a bit and man are we so glad we did. She’s super patient with me as I spend lots of time photographing the fall foliage and on one such stop I happened to look behind us and noticed a cave opening. We looked at each other, asked “Do we dare?” and took off into the unknown (having seen a spot of light in the distance first!).
The Entrance
We emerged at the base of an amazing ruin! Having read absolutely nothing about the castle or the grounds, we weren’t sure what we had stumbled onto, but we knew it was cool. We spent the next hour (the rain had stopped – seriously people you gotta learn to soldier on. The rain is rarely constant here) climbing around this odd old building and having the time of our lives.
It turns out that the ruins were not ruins at all, but a feature that was built to look like old castle ruins in the 1800’s for the castles residents and their visitors. But, wait – that’s still pretty freaking old! Whatever its origins, it was still pretty cool and a setting for all kinds of fun and make-believe.
Next time on Arklahoma Muse I will take you to Gaasbeek Castle, located just off the ring road and close the Neuhaus Chocolate Factory!
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- Attre’s Front Garden
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- The Chalet?
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- A lake worthy of Ophelia
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- The light at the end of the tunnel
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- What is this?
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- Ruins Revealed
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- Another tunnel
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- Looking back
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- At the base of the “castle” with lots of moss covered “rubble” and tunnels
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- Stairs
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- Chateau Grounds
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- Backyard View
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- Fairy Tree
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- Visitors’ Info
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Winter Walk
So much blogging to catch up on! Here’s a little something to go on from our walk this afternoon.
There were tons of people out today soaking in the unexpected sunshine and Tervuren Park is a favorite outdoor destination for many living on this side of Brussels.
Winter Walk in Tervuren Park – featuring sunshine between two hail storms traveling in opposite directions!
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Christmas on Spring Street, Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
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Doel, Belgium – A Place That Time Has (Not Quite) Forgotten
Check out this post from my personal blog page! Travelling way off the beaten path…
So when last I left you, I promised a recap of this year’s trip to the Royal Gardens.
Um, yeah…
That didn’t happen.
A whole lot of other stuff did, some of which I might share with you if I get my blogging act together.
For now, here is a photo journey of my walk through (mostly) abandoned Doel, Belgium.
This 700 year old town along the Scheldt River has been scheduled for demolition many times in the 20th century, but protests from the residents and history buffs successfully saved it every time – until 1999.
Most of the residents were bought out by the Port of Antwerp, their houses and businesses scheduled for demolition, and abandoned.
25 Doel residents, however, said “Bite Me!” and have refused to budge. (I may be paraphrasing)
In 2007, a group called Doel 2020 started a campaign to turn the town into a haven…
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Hidden History
My friend Elizabeth buys the coolest books. And she likes to explore. This combination is very awesome for me.
Her latest find is “Secret Brussels.” So one day in October she invited me on a walk from our neighborhood to some hidden gems in the Sonian Forest and the commune of Auderghem.
The first part of the trek took us through the grounds of the Red Cloister, a place I know well and have been to many times. I have yet to really get great shots of this place. But my husband enjoys going there, so I will have more chances to succeed in the future.
We made our way from the Red Cloister, under the 411 highway towards our first “secret” destination – the Chateau/Prison de Trois Fontaines – or rather what is left of the estate. Today, only the lodge remains beyond the old gate (and modern fence). The more intrepid might have hopped the fence to check it out more closely, but I wasn’t feeling so brave that day! In its day the Chateau also served as a prison for those caught poaching in the forest or stealing firewood.
Our next destination was the far newer Chateau of Solitude. This chateau was built for the Princess Marie Ludmille Rose de Croy after becoming widowed, and was a place in the Sonian Forest near Auderghem that she could retreat to deal with her grief and commune with nature. Now it is home to an organization for sports.
A quick walk through the neighborhood, then ducking back under the 411 up the Chausee de Wavre brought more gems. A particularly interesting house we happened upon was the home of Belgian impressionist painter Auguste Oleffe. A dentist has set up shop in the house these days – the only indication that it was home to a painter a plaque upon the wall.
Further up the road, we mounted steps in search of two little streets that the book claimed to be picturesque. In earlier times the area was a rural village identified by the unflattering name of Loozenberg which translates to “Hill Lice.” Understandably the residents changed the village’s name to Bergoje – which basically refers to “houses on a hill.” The book’s author was correct and the streets (or at least the Rue de la Pente) did not disappoint. They are little more than alleyways, lined by old walls and quaint houses – some old, some newer.
On our way back towards home, we chose to continue our journey on the back roads. It’s amazing how much you can feel like you are miles from everything just a few streets in from the main thoroughfares here. We passed yet another chateau-turned-club before finding ourselves at the official entrance to the Val Duchess. I haven’t figured this place out yet, but you can see some amazing houses and buildings from the Boulevard de Souverain and I have been dying to get inside this fenced property and explore. That still hasn’t happened. Instead we continued on until we found a street that we were relatively sure took us in the direction of Elizabeth’s house. The road was a narrow alley (but car sized this time) and at the end I realized where we were and just how close to home we were.
The fact that the forest is just resplendent this autumn only added to a most enjoyable walk and treasure hunt.
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New!
New Photos on the Belgium page! Take a scroll through the images…
Some of you (who are fans of my Facebook page) may have noticed a new venture I have started. I have discovered a new venue to selling photography online, here:
http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/brandy-herren.html.
At the moment my Belgian stuff is only available directly through me, but pics from my previous travels are going up on the site little by little. Eventually, I will 1) upload more pictures to that site from New Zealand, Zambia, Mongolia, and the good ole US of A; and 2) get these same pictures uploaded here on my blog site. Keep checking back to see what’s new and keep on liking my stuff both here, and in my store. Or take a leap and buy a print! Or a tote bag…
Thanks to all who continue to support me and help to make my photographic dreams come true!
Namaste
Brandy
Arklahoma Muse Photography and Design 