Category Archives: Photographs: Europe

Leie River Waterfront, Ghent

Leie River Waterfront, Ghent
“Leie River Waterfront, Ghent” — Visitors on a walkway along the waterfront of the Leie River, Ghent.

Near the ned of our May-June travels we spent a week in Belgium, our first time visiting this country. Our final stop there was in Brussels, and one day we took the train from there to make a quick visit to Ghent. As is so often the case in such cities, Ghent has an inner “old town” section with lots of historic buildings, including a rather remarkable collection of churches and steeples.

I made this photograph from a bridge over the Leie River, from which there was a longer view of the curving waterway, the roadway and walk way that follow it, and some of the surrounding buildings. Not surprisingly in this part of Europe, it was another cloudy day.


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G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Old Venice Buildings

Old Venice Buildings
“Old Venice Buildings” — Several old and worn buildings along Calle Fonte in Venice.

Venice is a very busy place, full of tourists, especially during the high season — as you know if you have ever been there in the summer. We were reminded of this when we visited a few years ago near the end of ten weeks of travel in Southern Europe. We managed to find accommodations away from the most crowded areas, but there is no escaping the crowds entirely. But it helps to wander into out-of-the-way spots like this one.

We went out for a long walk on our last day in Venice. We decided to cover a lot of ground and to visit some of the crowded areas that we had avoided. While walking one of those very busy streets, lined with stalls selling things to tourists, we noticed a very narrow passage leading off to the side. Taking it brought us to this spot and to the banks of the grand canal.


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G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Street Market, Peja

Street Market, Peja
“Street Market, Peja” — Shoppers at the street market in the town of Peja, Kosovo.

The town of Peja (or Pec) is located in western Kosovo, just below the spectacular and rugged Accursed Mountains. During our visit a couple of years ago we were fortunate to have in our group a Kosovo native who is fluent in the local language and who knows where to take visitors. Without his help (and the hospitality of his family, who housed us during our visit) it would have been very difficult for us to see as much as we did.

One day we all headed to the town for a look around and, eventually, lunch at a local restaurant. (I became quite fond of various Kosova dishes during our visit.) Here we walked up a main street where people were congregating and vendors were selling everything from clothing to the usual faux high-end watches and so forth.


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G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

Forest and Fog at the Pena Palace

Forest and Fog at the Pena Palace
“Forest and Fog at the Pena Palace” — Thick fog engulfs the forest surrounding the Pena Palace near Lisbon, Portugal.

The morning weather was not promising when we took the train from Lisbon, to visit the Pena Palace in the mountains above Sintra. By the time we arrived at the entrance to the palace grounds we we under cloudy skies and soon engulfed by low clouds and fog. I made this photograph as we walked through the forest near the palace.

At first I think we may have been a bit disappointed by this weather — and challenged to keep dry and warm! But as the day wore on my attitude changed. While a warm and sunny day might have felt pleasant, this challenging weather produced a lot more visual drama and mystery.


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G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.