My First "Sunset" in Lahti

I heard all about the white nights before I arrived in Finland, and it definitely lived up to the hype. My favorite part, ironically, is the sunsets. These photos were taken around 11:30pm during the first week of July, shortly after Midsummer (Juhannus). 

The beautiful colors last for hours since it takes so long for the sun to set and then it remains dusk before the sun rises again. Lahti has a lovely harbor on Lake Vesijärvi where the colors reflect across the lake. 

While I loved the hot summer nights back home in Virginia complete with lightning bugs, sparklers, stars, and the moon - I could not help but be jealous of all of the children in Finland that get to grow up with THIS.

Montreal

My brother recently moved to Montreal so I made a quick weekend trip to see him. I had never been to this city before and I was pleasantly surprised. It was much more français than I expected, so my horrible high school French got a little bit of practice deciphering signs. 

We walked up Parc du Mont-Royal for a beautiful view of the city below. 

We also spent a rainy day in old town and warmed up over some hot tea in a Chinese tea house. 

Wintergreen, Virginia

Wintergreen is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia in Nelson County. My extended family has had a cabin there since before I was born, and this look out nearby called "THE PLUNGE" is still my favorite spot in the world. 

The fresh mountain air, beautiful view and solitude that it offers is always the best cure to whatever ails me. 

I feel so lucky to have grown up in such a beautiful part of the country, and I'm glad I had the time to visit this spot before moving away.

Paying Homage to Composers: Cemeteries of Paris, Vienna & Venice

Père-Lachaise Cemetery (Paris, France)

My reason for visiting the Père-Lachaise Cemetery was to visit the "grandfathers of flute playing" from the Conservatoire de Paris. Since they are mostly only famous in the flute world, and I didn't bother to look their gravesites up ahead of time, I only found one: Philippe Gaubert. He is in a family tomb in the Père-Lachaise. 

Georges Enesco, though a violinist, wrote many French Conservatory flute pieces and I stumbled upon his grave on the way to finding Bizet. I was so excited with this surprise that I jumped up and down and several Parisians came by to see who I had found and looked very puzzled when they had no idea who this man was. 

The great opera composers Bizet and Rossini were honored with flowers...

& my piccolo even got to rest with Rossini for a moment. 

Isola di San Michele (Venice, Italy)

I visited Stravinsky's grave in the summer of 2012 when I was staying in Austria. Venice was a short weekend trip, and I am dying to go back. The Isola di San Michele is the most beautiful cemetery I have ever been to. There is something truly magical about it. I could have spent all day there. Stravinsky is buried between his wife, Vera, and his collaborator, Sergei Diaghilev. There were many flowers, pointe shoes and notes to the composer and to the founder of Ballets Russes.   

Zentralfriedhof (Vienna, Austria)

I visited the Zentralfriedhof in Vienna in the summer 2012 when I was staying nearby in Graz. Brahms, Beethoven and Schubert are all buried in the same circle with a monument to Mozart in the middle (since he was buried in an unmarked grave). 

Paris: Père-Lachaise Cemetery

Visiting the Père-Lachaise Cemetery was my favorite experience in Paris. It was beautiful and peaceful, and I even made a new friend - Monsieur Chat.  

Paris: Luxembourg Gardens

I had a stopover in Paris on the way back from Helsinki, so I only had about six hours to roam this famous city that I was visiting for the first time. A friend of mine told me that the Luxembourg Gardens were a must-see, and luckily they were just a 15 minute walk from my hotel, so it was the first place I headed off to.
It was a Sunday morning, so everyone in Paris that was out and about was enjoying their leisure time. There were lots of joggers and even several groups of people doing tai chi in the park. I found the boats in the fountain quite picturesque. I quickly realized that what fascinated me the most about Paris was the people rather than the scenery. These colorful little boats brightened up this dreary Sunday morning.

Lahti: Sibelius Hall

Lahti is a city about an hour north of Helsinki along the coast of lake Vesijärvi. I wish I had taken more photos when I was there, but I was quite preoccupied! This is the Sibelius Hall and home of the Lahti Symphony Orchestra. It is right on the water, which you can see through the glass atrium lobby. Lahti is the Finnish word for "bay."
I will call this city home starting in July! I cannot wait. It is the perfect size (population of about 100k), so it has everything you could ever need but is not too overwhelming.