vacation

It is so easy to ignore the floor and ceilings of spaces, but during my visit to The Hermitage (in St. Petersburg) I couldn’t help but notice how much attention had been placed on these two things. The impact that a floor or ceiling can have, is incredible.

Pictures all by Things That Sparkle

How beautiful are all of these patterns? The geometric patterns and detail in the wood inlay floors had me tripping over my own feet. As for the ceiling, the gilded and colorful panels were distracting they were so beautiful. There just is not enough attention paid to these details in new architecture. Yes some of the gold might be a bit tacky now, but those floors? They would be incredible anywhere.

Thank you all for your sweet words on The Everygirl feature. You all really know how to make a girl smile. And those pants… maybe one of my favorite pieces of clothing. From The Edit of course.

And now a recap of my European vacation last week! Fair warning, there’s a lot of pictures.

Copenhagen

The first stop was Copenhagen to visit my sister. She’s been living there since January and it was so much fun seeing where she’s been! Copenhagen is a really special city. So much charm, so warm and friendly. And best of it all, it feels cozy and welcoming everywhere you go.

The beautiful Nimb Hotel. Seriously, I could have moved in on the spot.

This is their ballroom. Can you imagine a wedding in here? Incredible.

The Nyhavn area of the city. Absolutely beautiful. We went on a boat tour through all of the canals in the city.

And then there was this mess. I found this store through Look Linger Love a day before I left. My sister scouted, found the store and when we showed up they were closed, and we were leaving the next morning. I took this picture through a locked window. So so sad! So many gorgeous goodies.

The outside of our hotel overlooked the Tivoli Gardens and had such beautiful, unusual architecture!

St. Petersburg

Next we traveled to Russia, somewhere I wasn’t sure I would ever go! The first stop was the Church of Spilled Blood and then off to the Hermitage. We had less than 48 hours so we had to make the most of it.

Apparently people didn’t like this church initially, they thought it was silly and Disney-like. Can you imagine?? It’s stunning!

On the frozen river at sunset.

And then The Hermitage, the part of our trip I was most excited for. And it turns out, it was for good reason. Love the green exterior, with white trim and gold detail. Doesn’t even seem real.

The interiors were equally as incredible as the pieces of art in the museum. Can you imagine this was once a private residence?

This was the queen’s private quarters at one point.

Prague

Prague was the last leg of our trip. I had heard incredible things about this city, but I had no idea how spectacular it would be. I walked around in awe with every step.

This spectacular Baroque library was a private room at a monastery. As walked through, there was only one other family inside. I looked up and realized it was one of my very good friends who has been living in Spain. I had no idea she would be there. It was a crazy experience!!!

Beautiful dusk over the Charles Bridge

A private community in Castle Town. On the other side of the wall (that is 500 years old) is a private park. Amazing.

Overlooking the city of Prague from above.

We didn’t have great weather in any of the cities we visited, but hey, its March, we didn’t expect anything different. It was a really incredible week regardless. If anyone ever needs recommendations for any of these cities, just let me know! We tried some amazing restaurants, stayed at beautiful hotels and had incredible tour guides.

PS I apologize for my photography skills. It is a blogger skill I am really lacking. I would’ve instagrammed all of them to make them prettier but then anyone who follows me would not have enjoyed today’s post! Sort of a problem.

PPS If you made it to the bottom of this, congrats! Now make sure to go check out my engagement pictures at Studio Swoon!

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