Sisters in a remote village in the Midwestern region of Nepal. #nepal #sisters #travelgram

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Iceland part II

A few more insights and pictures into the Icelandic culture:

-The Icelanders are very particular about their horses.  There is only one breed on the island and Icelandic law prevents horses from being imported into the country and exported animals are not allowed to return.  With manes this long it gives them human-like characteristics.

-There are churches scattered all over Iceland and they are usually all about the same size.  You can see below that they are small and oftentimes have the same red and white color scheme. 

-There is one major road that circles the entire country and it's Route 1 which is also called the Ring Road.  It's 830 miles and many tourists rent a car and drive around the entire country.  If you are going to do this, it's suggested to spend about two weeks to really be able to take in the sights.

-The iceberg lagoon known as Jökulsárlón is an amazing sight to see.  When you arrive you see this entire lagoon filled with floating icebergs.  They are a result of the ice falling off of the glacier on the north end of the lagoon.  It's really amazing to watch these icebergs float by and at first they seem very serene just floating there and all of the sudden you will see one flip upside down and the underside of the iceberg is really bright blue because of the ice being so cold.  As it's exposed to the elements it starts to shift color and becomes more clear or white and then they float off to sea.  I took a boat ride in the lagoon and they pulled a piece of ice out of the water and it was crystal clear.  The tour guide broke it into pieces and we ate it.

Icelandic horses

Brunnholl church

The ring road

Icebergs at Jökulsárlón

Sólfar (Sun Voyager) sculpture in the harbor in Reykjavik

 Most of my blog posts are personal photos that give you some insight to my travels.  I make my living by being an advertising, magazine, architectural, and corporate photographer in Indianapolis, IN.

Holiday Prints

Looking for unique ideas for holiday gifts?  Want to find something different without having to set foot in a shopping mall?   I have an extensive library of images from all over Europe as well as downtown Indianapolis landmarks that would make great gifts this holiday season.  I can do small 8"x10" prints that are easy to frame or create beautiful canvas gallery wraps as large as 40"x60".   

For an even more personal approach, we offer printing and stretching services of your own images.  Surprise someone with their photos stretched on canvas!  Price lists for original artwork or printing and stretching services can be found here.  Please contact me for any print orders.  Links to Indianapolis and Europe images are below. 

Original wall art makes the perfect gift!       

Italy images now hanging at the Conrad Indianapolis

I've got a new show that just went up at the Conrad Indianapolis.  It's an all-Italy show with 12 canvas prints and they're all for sale.  I can print just about any size imaginable if you don't see the size you want.  The images are located in the hallway off of Tastings.  To see more of my travel work visit www.europefineartphotos.com

Grand' Place- Brussels, Belgium

Belgium had eluded me from all of my previous Europe trips, but not this time.  Having seen photos of Brussels' Grand' Place in books, I was anxious to witness it in person.  It did not disappoint.  From the moment you enter the square you realize the grandeur of this place (hmmm....why do you think they call it Grand' Place?).  The Flemish Baroque architecture is so ornate and full of charm and character that you quickly understand why it's one of Europe's finest historic squares.  Most of the facades you see were guildhouses built by different trade guilds.  Some of them have icons above the doors that represent the original building that occupied the site.  The one you see in this photo has a wheel barrow above the door and it represents the tallow (candle) merchants. 

Vienna, Austria

Vienna is a fantastic city.  Whether you want to visit a restaurant like Brezel-Gwölb that claims to have invented the pretzel, eat world-famous Sachertorte cake at the Sacher Café, visit the 700 year old St. Stephen's Cathedral, learn the history of the Lipizzaner Horses or tour the Schönbrunn Palace, there is plenty to see and do.  It's a bustling, clean city that is very inviting and easy to get around by tram, buses, subway or your feet.  If you have an interest in buying photos from my travels in Europe you can find them here http://www.europefineartphotos.com

Let's go to Switzerland

Gruyéres, Switzerland

Gruyéres, SwitzerlandRiiiiicolaaaaa!  Yes, Ricola, the cough drop herbal remedy. That's what most people think when they see these guys with their alphorns.  Heck, I didn't even know what they were called until I went to Switzerland.  They were used for communication between villages in the alps.  Sometimes for people, sometimes for cattle. This is one of only two times I've ever seen them being used.  This is in the tiny town of Gruyéres.  This region in the alps is known for it's cheese and chocolate.  I ended up going on a tour of the cheese factory and it was very impressive.  The cows that they use for the milk roam the alps freely eating flowers, grass and herbs (some of the same herbs you find in Ricola).  This diet gives the cheese it's special flavor.  At the end of the tour they gave us 3 cheeses to try : each at a different stage of maturity.   It is definitely my favorite cheese.  Of course, every time I bite into a piece of it I remember the experience of being there.  I'm sure that plays into my love of this cheese.  At any rate, if you've never tried it, pick some up the next time you are in a good cheese shop. 
 

Ochsenbraterei tent at Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany

The annual Oktoberfest is going on in Munich, Germany as I type this and I'm really wanting to jump on a plane and take in the festivities.  This year marks the 200th anniversary of the event so you know there will be a big turnout.  If you ever have a chance to experience this event I highly recommend it.  It's the world's largest fair with upwards of 6 million people attending over a 16 day period.  This video is from the Ochsenbraterei tent where they serve Spaten beer.

Old Town Square, Prague, Czech Republic

I've been hearing for years how interesting the city of Prague is and how I need to visit.  Well, just a few weeks ago I had my first opportunity to visit Prague and I understand what everyone was talking about.  One of the big draws for me when traveling to Europe is to see and photograph all of the striking architecture.  It's architecture that has been standing for hundreds of years and has a sense of style, character, ornateness and history that you can only find in the older cities in Europe.  I went to the top of the Old Town Hall Tower to get this perspective on the square.  I rode the glass elevator to the top of the tower and once I was outside and looking down on the city I couldn't help but think that the inspiration for the scene from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory when Willy and Charlie go flying around the city in the Wonkavator came from experiencing this very thing.  The scene in the movie was actually filmed in Nördlingen, Germany but you would think you were in the movie when looking out from the top of the tower.

I make my living by doing advertising, commercial, magazine and fine art photography work while living in Indianapolis.

Spaten Tent at Oktoberfest, Munich, Germany

This was day one at Oktoberfest and it was fun to see how decorative they made each "tent".  We spent the majority of our time at this tent (Spaten).  There were no available seats inside (at 11 a.m.) so we found some seats outside.  The weather was perfect and so was the beer.  The rotisserie that you see on the outside above the entrance was even animatronic.  The Germans don't mess around when it comes to throwing a party.  I don't speak any other languages, but I always learn to say "Cheers" in whatever country I am in.  Prost!!!

Indianapolis Star article on my live/work space

View this gallery at The Indianapolis Star: HomeFinder: - John Bragg's warehouse home

Monterosso, Italy (Cinque Terre)

This seemed an appropriate post today to serve as a brief daydream.  In Indianapolis, it's currently 16 degrees outside, but it feels like 5 degrees.  And we are expecting 5 inches of snow.  So I thought I would post a photo from a warmer, sunnier day.  This is the "beach" in Monterosso, Italy.  I think Americans have a different idea of what to expect when they see the word "beach".  This beach primarily consisted of rocks.  No soft sand like we come to expect in the states.  But, I found the form, color, and repetition of the beach chairs and umbrellas to be interesting.  The lines and stripes tie into the comments from my last post.

Stein am Rhein, Switzerland

Just going through some of my images today and came across these photos from my time in Stein am Rhein, Switzerland.  I'm always impressed with the attention to detail in Europe when it comes to design, style, color and form.  They make almost everything with equal attention to both function and form.  Check out these shutters and the garage door.  Not just a simple paint job for this house.  The stripes add a really interesting design pattern to the facade.  And if you look really close you see a heart shape cut out of the shutter.  And you can see the hardware on the wall by the shutter designed to hold them in place.  Yes, these are actually functioning shutters.  Most of what we have in the states are screwed to the side of the house and don't serve a function.  I think I'll go eat some Gruyere cheese now.

Mürren, Switzerland

People often ask me what is my favorite country in Europe? I would have to say Switzerland. It's the most beautiful, quaint, clean, and friendly country I've visited. I enjoy the food and love the architecture for it's sense of style and warmth. It's an easy country to relax and take in the surroundings. To me it is heaven on earth. This is the hotel I stayed in recently. And the other photo is taken from our balcony on the 3rd floor. It was a huge wrap around balcony that works very nicely when you want to sit back and drink a beer and be awed. You can find some of my European photography for sale on both Etsy and Discovered Artists

Appenzell, Switzerland

So Appenzell is known for it's cheese. They have this very popular cheese called Appenzeller that pretty much smells like smelly feet. We walked by a cheese shop and could smell the cheese from outside. When you walked in the shop you were bombarded by the aroma. We had to buy some to truly experience Appenzell. I must say it was good cheese with a very strong flavor. But don't expect to make friends on the train if you bring on a bag of it.

Gimmelwald, Switzerland

This home has the most amazing view of the alps. Of course, coming from Indiana, any view of the Alps is amazing. I was hiking in Gimmelwald and came across it and ended up photographing the owners on the front porch.

Spaten tent at Oktoberfest

"Seven more beers please"

Hofbräuhaus, Munich, Germany

Any visit to Munich wouldn't be complete without a trip to Hofbräuhaus. You know, they really seem to like beer around here.........

In the Spaten tent at Oktoberfest. Munich, Germany

Everyone is your friend at Oktoberfest. These guys and girls invited us up on the table and they had the rockstar seats right in front of the band. These guys were German............I think. And you better bring your A-game in regards to drinking because the only size beer you can get is 1 liter.