Well, hello there!

(Sotheby's Institute of Art)

Hi there friends. It has been forever since I have posted but as most of you know I've been country hopping for the past 6 weeks. 4 weeks were spent at the Sotheby's Institute of Art in London taking their Decorative Arts History: Baroque to Postmodernism class. The whole experience so far exceeded my expectations I can't recommend it highly enough. I've returned with such a solid background and exceedingly further developed knowledge of the applied arts that I know it will forever benefit me in my design career. While I was in London I took two side trips; one to Edinburgh and one to Paris. Upon the completion of my course my mom and I traveled for 9 days to Amsterdam and Prague. Whew. It was a lot but I've seen and experienced things that I will never forget. I promise I won't bore you with endless travel photos, but here are some highlights...

The Victoria and Albert Museum (pictured above) is where we spent the majority of our time. They have such an impressive and comprehensive collection of decorative art including furniture, ceramics, glass, textiles and silver that it truly enhanced our learning potential. Being able to see objects first hand after learning about them in a lecture was an invaluable opportunity.

The images above are a little sampling of some of our class field trips. Hampton Court Palace, Marble Hill and Brighton Pavilion respectively. 

The Portobello Market on Portobello Road is pictured above. We went on a Saturday and it was so crowded it was hard to really sift through the antique shops and stands, so instead I focused on the food. It was an eclectic combination of produce, flowers, multicultural foods, spices and baked goods.

Now on to Edinburgh...

The Edinburgh Castle which sits ominously on the steep cliff overlooking all of Edinburgh.

Adorable homes.

View of the city from the Castle.

Amsterdam...

A bit of a lean.

I just couldn't get enough of the canals. Amsterdam is such a progressive city in so many ways, but especially in terms of design. 17th and 18th century canals houses line the waterways and are preserved by the city. Most of the interiors are designed with really clean, modern lines. The idea of honoring the past and living very much in the present is one that I find utterly charming and really inspiring. 

The Flower Market

And of course...some windmills. Originally used to pump water (a task taken over by tiny, mechanized pumps) most windmills have been removed from the landscape. 

And finally, Prague...

View of the Charles Bridge and river.

Beautiful details.

Prague Castle

Lot's of Gothic architecture.

All in all it was a really amazing experience. I saw a lot of beautiful things and made some new friends along the way. I've only been home for two days, so I'm still recovering and adjusting to the time zone, but I plan on being back to blogging more consistently soon. Cheers!