Finding Europe in New York

As happy as I am to be living in the U.S., I will forever miss the beauty, culture, and history that surrounded me in Europe.

After a few days of skyscrapers and bright lights in NYC last spring (yes, it was forever ago..I'm behind), I convinced my mom and sister to travel with me back in time and across the pond.

In reality, we took an Uber along the Hudson River to Fort Tryon Park and the Met Cloisters.

I had never heard of this place until researching for this trip. The Cloisters are affiliated with the Metropolitan Museum of Art. They are home to 5,000 works of art and architecture from medieval Europe.

It is all thanks to good old John D. Rockefeller, who had the money and power to travel around abbeys in Europe and say "Yes, I’ll take it. Please dismantle, wrap it up, and ship to New York.”

Even the building itself is made up of bits and pieces from various French abbeys. I felt right at home! There are 4 cloisters inside (hence the name), brought over stone by stone from France.

I learned on a tour of the cathedral in Aix-en-Provence that cloisters were private gardens where medieval monks meditated and studied. I did not meditate here, but I did make it my private runway.

Not 100% private though. Note the sister photobomber.

Said sister photobomber may have mocked my enthusiasm for cloisters a little bit haha. For years, I have loved stepping into these places in Europe. It's a pretty sure bet that they are all peaceful and have beautiful symmetrical architecture.

I stand by my obsession.

Besides all of the lovely architecture, the museum had plenty of paintings, sculptures, tapestries, and stained glass.

This made me happy, don't ask questions.

Did you know that medieval art had a lot of unicorns? There was an entire room devoted to unicorn art.

Outside, there were nice views of the George Washington Bridge.

I thought my European-style sightseeing was over after finishing our tour of the Cloisters, but later that day we stumbled upon a pretty impressive cathedral.

Park across the street. 

St. John the Divine is an Episcopal church that was built in the late 1800s. Not bad for the new world! It made my ex-European heart so happy.