Beans, Baguettes, & Boulogne

I told my Uncle Andy that Riga had a look unique from any other European city I’ve visited. When asked to elaborate, I was puzzled for a response. If photos don’t explain, I assuredly will never be able.

Although I may be abstemious to a fault in paying entrance fees, scrutinizing the façade, with its rigid turrets and sky-skimming diagonals, of the Chateau de Vincennes (a mere hour’s but-sit on the metro) suit me juuuuhs fine.

Dazzled by the sleek modernity of the Oslo Opera House? Scaling the roof of this cleverly pedestrian-friendly structure, you are next hit with a vista of the verdant Norwegian fjord in its unbottled luminosity. Consider that the place offers free bathrooms in a city that obdurately shuns the concept, and you are practically tethered. 

The Museum of Contemporary Art houses a profusion of pulchritude, both inside and out. 

Upon notice of a behemoth sculpture of parallel color in La Défense, this Californian was forcibly reminded of the slightly less highfalutin’ Sacramento version.

Encircling the Petit Palais garden, this corridor lavished in aureate garlands of vernal bloom simultaneously haunts and inspires.

Interior markedly contrasts exterior at Église Saint-Sulpice.