Author: Ryan VanderVelden

Travel

A Rainy Day in Heidelberg

by Ryan VanderVelden2 Comments on A Rainy Day in Heidelberg
A Rainy Day in Heidelberg

“I saw Heidelberg on a perfectly clear morning, with a pleasant air both cool and invigorating. The city, just so, with the totality of its ambiance is, one might say, something ideal.”

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

I recently took a trip to Germany and France. First stop on my trip was Heidelberg, a quaint city located along the Neckar River in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. One of its most famous attractions is Heidelberger Schloss (Heidelberg Castle) that sits on the lower slope of the Königstuhl (King’s Chair) hill in the Odenwald mountains. The weather was cold and rainy and perfect.

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Travel

My Favorite Travel Memory

by Ryan VanderVeldenLeave a Comment on My Favorite Travel Memory

This summer I was asked to answer some questions about traveling for a luggage company. A few of my responses were selected for inclusion on their website. One of the responses that wasn’t selected was about my favorite travel memory. I chose to write about Paris. Paris was my first solo trip abroad and the memories I made there inspired me to start this blog. The photo I am using for my profile photo is the one my friend took of me after we walked around the Rodin museum. My goal with this blog has always been to inspire myself and to inspire anyone who reads it.

Here are some photos from Paris and my favorite travel memory.

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Books

The Vision of A Madman: Frankenstein; Or The Modern Prometheus

by Ryan VanderVeldenLeave a Comment on The Vision of A Madman: Frankenstein; Or The Modern Prometheus
The Vision of A Madman: Frankenstein; Or The Modern Prometheus

“…and if I see but one smile on your lips when we meet, occasioned by this or any other exertion of mine, I shall need no other happiness.”

Mary Shelley, Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus

Frankenstein; Or The Modern Prometheus is an epistolary novel written by Mary Shelley that focuses on the tumultuous, and ultimately tragic, relationship between Dr. Victor Frankenstein and the creature that he reanimated from the dead one night in a demonstration of awesome science. The Creature, as he is simply called, spends most of the novel in an existential fight with himself over the big questions that we all struggle with: who am I? And why was I put here?

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Design

Designing a House Series: The Landscape Design

by Ryan VanderVelden1 Comment on Designing a House Series: The Landscape Design

“[Those] who do not understand the science of scale, through which the geometric concept is fitted to the actual size of the landscape itself, cannot be regarded as landscape architects.”

Vincent Scully, Architecture: The Natural and the Manmade

In the previous essay in our series, we created a basic outline of the house. The focus was on the interior layout. With that finished, I would like to turn our focus to the exterior. Before we begin, let’s look at some examples of landscape design.

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Travel

An Architectural Icon: Pasadena City Hall

by Ryan VanderVeldenLeave a Comment on An Architectural Icon: Pasadena City Hall
An Architectural Icon: Pasadena City Hall

Pasadena City Hall is located in Pasadena, California and was constructed in 1927. It was designed by an architecture firm based out of San Francisco called Bakewell and Brown.

I took these pictures when I was in town for a work trip in July. I was waiting to go to the airport and it was a beautiful summer morning. Sometimes, the best mornings are spent sitting in front of a fountain listening to the sound of running water.

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Books

A Wonderful Mass of Life: War and Peace

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A Wonderful Mass of Life: War and Peace

“Mais que diable allait il faire dans cette galère?

(“But what the hell was he going to do in this mess?”)

Molière (Jean-Baptiste Poquelin)

“Every general and soldier felt his own insignificance, was conscious of being a grain of sand in that sea of men, and at the same time felt his own might, being conscious of himself as part of that great whole.”

Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace, page 301
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Travel

New York City in the Springtime

by Ryan VanderVelden2 Comments on New York City in the Springtime

“Heavenly clouds, eternal travelers”

Mikhail Lermontov

“All gardening is landscape painting”

Alexander Pope

Here is a photo series from New York City from April 2023. The flowers in Central Park were in full bloom and everything was fresh and green. It rained most of the weekend and the colors of the park and architecture were glowing with dazzling splendor. It was interesting to see the skyscrapers plunge headlong into the low-hanging clouds. My favorite seasons are spring and fall and I have now visited New York City in both.

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Design

Articulation in Architecture

by Ryan VanderVelden4 Comments on Articulation in Architecture

A building is comprised of a series of elements, such as doors, windows, and roofs. Some elements can be structural, like the exterior walls and roof, and some elements can be non-structural, like ornaments. The elements in a building meet at a junction called a joint. Articulation refers to the arrangement of these joints in the overall architectural design. A highly articulated building emphasizes each element and so each element is independent and distinct. The opposite is a fluid articulation. Here is the emphasis is on continuity and fusion. Both styles of articulation can be visually distinctive. I like when cities feature examples of multiple styles of articulation.

Here are some examples of some visually distinctive buildings.

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