Look Up in WonderSiena, Italy

OK, picture any one of a hundred movies where young-girl-meets-new-city. 
(Or substitute young girl for boy, woman, man, you.) 
He/she/you hits the streets for the first time, after dreaming of this moment for years and absolutely years!

You/she/he look up, burst into a brilliant smile and spins, giggling, round and round - watching the tall buildings whirl and spin like a merry-go-round. 
You do this because it's fun. 
You do this because your kid inside is over-the-moon thrilled and astounded and jump-up-and-down ecstatic to at long last be standing in a place you have dreamed of your. entire. life. 

This is a still shot from that movie.
Age Old, New Day Firenze, Italy

It was hot, hot, HOT. (100° F)
The sun hurt. 
The stones baked.
The tourists melted. 
And yet... under any conditions, this city never fails to awe. 
Time collapses here.
It Takes More Than GritSan Gimignano, Italy

True grit. 
Who thought that one up? 
Isn't that the stuff that gets into your shoe - the gunk they make all kinds of suds for so you can wash it off - the misplaced bit that lands in your salad at a high end restaurant and chips your tooth?
Why would having true of that be a good thing?
Perhaps some deep strength, a gallon (or more) of faith, a boatload of wisdom and discernment... and hey, focus is good - so's determination. Good words abound concerning the ability to withstand stuff. 
Grit, not so much. 
She always thought one's choice of words was interesting... and rather more important than most people realized.
Let Me Out, Lucca!Lucca, Italy

That title is exactly what I heard in my head when I pointed my NEX-7 at this textural wonder. I was surprised to learn that Lucca was way more ancient than I expected. It founded by the Etruscans, then later it became a Roman colony. By "later"... I mean in 180 BC!

Perhaps it was the clouds overhead and raining on-an-off weather along with the August humidity... but I felt a heaviness everywhere. Don't get me wrong... this is a beautiful city and the people were marvelous. It was just a vibe in the air that day. And this image personifies it for me.
Templeset Salt Lake City, UT

Sunset + Salt Lake City Temple = Templeset.
Monumental.

©Karen Hutton - Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0)
Etched in StoneSan Francisco City Hall
Brushing away the debris, she couldn't believe her eyes.
The detail that still existed in the finely chiseled piece was truly astounding.
Her history books had claimed that a few forward thinkers had somehow intuited that their "digital technology" (she thought that's what they called it) wasn't forever - and wanted to preserve some of their world for the futurians. 
So they had gone to work, carving images into stone using lasers... hoping it would last. Trying their best to reach through generational and dimensional bounds as if to shout out; "We were here!"... much as the ancient cave dwellers had done. In that moment she realized that the desire to connect was stronger than time itself. 

Her hand trembled a little as she realized what it held.
A perfectly rendered scene of the once-gloried San Francisco City Hall... as it looked one sunny day... 400+ years ago.

©Karen Hutton - Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0)
Monterey



©Karen Hutton - Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0)
San Jose Galactic Headquarters City Hall, San Jose, CA

They even had stormtroopers there that came out and did scary things like harrass photowalkers, ask provocative questions and take cell phone videos of our actions then threaten to put them on YouTube. 
Bad stormtroopers.



©Karen Hutton - Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0)
National Academy of Music and Dance, aka The Paris Opera House
Our first trip to Paris was a quick one. I had to go for voiceover work, I was lucky enough to bring my best travel companion husband along. He's a musician... I was once a dancer. 
So it was only fitting that we capture this spot as a fanciful nod to us both.

BTW, this is the same opera house from which The Phantom of the Opera story was created - that was also rebuilt by Napoleon III. Reason for the remodel; one evening, upon arriving with his wife for the premiere of a new singer, the royal procession was bombed by a group of dissenters. (some things never change) Over eighty people were killed, prompting Napoleon III to ask for an opera house with a covered side entrance where royalty could enter with discretion. The birth of Security Protocol 101.



©Karen Hutton - Creative Commons (CC BY-NC 3.0)

Look Up in Wonder

Siena, Italy

OK, picture any one of a hundred movies where young-girl-meets-new-city.
(Or substitute young girl for boy, woman, man, you.)
He/she/you hits the streets for the first time, after dreaming of this moment for years and absolutely years!

You/she/he look up, burst into a brilliant smile and spins, giggling, round and round - watching the tall buildings whirl and spin like a merry-go-round.
You do this because it's fun.
You do this because your kid inside is over-the-moon thrilled and astounded and jump-up-and-down ecstatic to at long last be standing in a place you have dreamed of your. entire. life.

This is a still shot from that movie.
Look Up in WonderSiena, Italy

OK, picture any one of a hundred movies where young-girl-meets-new-city. 
(Or substitute young girl for boy, woman, man, you.) 
He/she/you hits the streets for the first time, after dreaming of this moment for years and absolutely years!

You/she/he look up, burst into a brilliant smile and spins, giggling, round and round - watching the tall buildings whirl and spin like a merry-go-round. 
You do this because it's fun. 
You do this because your kid inside is over-the-moon thrilled and astounded and jump-up-and-down ecstatic to at long last be standing in a place you have dreamed of your. entire. life. 

This is a still shot from that movie.

Look Up in Wonder

Siena, Italy

OK, picture any one of a hundred movies where young-girl-meets-new-city.
(Or substitute young girl for boy, woman, man, you.)
He/she/you hits the streets for the first time, after dreaming of this moment for years and absolutely years!

You/she/he look up, burst into a brilliant smile and spins, giggling, round and round - watching the tall buildings whirl and spin like a merry-go-round.
You do this because it's fun.
You do this because your kid inside is over-the-moon thrilled and astounded and jump-up-and-down ecstatic to at long last be standing in a place you have dreamed of your. entire. life.

This is a still shot from that movie.
See photo in original gallery.