Category Archives: Photographs: Portugal

Photographs: Europe, Photographs: People, Photographs: Portugal, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Ginginha Vendor

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Gingihha Vendor
“Gingihha Vendor” — A woman selling ginginha from her doorway in the Alfama, Lisbon.

One can never be sure things like ginginha are tourism constructs or actual traditions — or perhaps a bit of both. (Parallels include Portugal’s pastel de nata, San Francisco’s Sourdough bread, Belgium waffles, and more.) But I understand, both from reading about it and from seeing it, that gingihna is a traditional drink in many places in Portugal. It is a sweet, cherry liqueur that is often sold on the street, either in small shot glasses or in little chocolate cups that you simply eat when you are done. (Nice way to solve the litter problem!)

You can step up to small ginginha shops and buy one all over the place. But there also appears to be a less formal sales force operating from their front doorways. On our recent visit we saw several women set up this way to sell ginginha, including this woman sitting in her doorway in the Alfama district.

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

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Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Portugal, Photographs: Travel

Pena Palace

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Pena Palace
“Pena Palace” — The Pena Palace, on the summt of a mountain near Sintra, Portugal.

We missed the Pena Palace when we visited Lisbon a few years ago, so this time we made sure to set aside a day for the train ride to Sintra to see it. (It isn’t the only thing there — a remarkable “Moorish castle” is nearby.) The weather was… interesting. We had rain and wind and fog, to the point that it was difficult to be outside on the castle grounds. However, these conditions also made the scene more dramatic than it would have been on another pleasant, blue sky day.

Later I’ll share photographs made on the palace grounds. I made this one while traversing the old walls of the Moorish Castle. It also lies on a ridge, but a lower one than the palace. From there I had a dramatic view looking up to the summit of the ridge where the wildly colorful Pena Palace sits, complete with dark clouds moving past.

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

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Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Portugal, Photographs: Travel

Douro Vineyards

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Douro Vineyards
“Douro Vineyards” — Vineyard-covered hills of the Douro River Valley near Pinhão, Portugal.

A highlight of our recent trip to Europe was a weeklong walk in the vineyard country of Portugal’s Douro River Valley. We started and ended in Pinhão, spending our days walking the hilly paths and dirt roads of the surrounding beautiful area. The timing was perfect — it was generally cool (with a bit of rain) and the vineyards and hills were spectacularly green.

I made this photograph on our final hiking day, as we made the short descent to Pinhão from Casal de Loivos, with its stunning views of the Douro River. After a week of walking, it was quite something to finish with a short (less than four miles) downhill walk through the beautiful vineyards.

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

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Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Portugal, Photographs: Travel

Porto Sunset

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Porto Sunset
”Porto Sunset” — The sun sets behond the Douro River, Porto.

We recently returned from a month and a half of travel, and it is time to start sharing photographs! We spent weeks in Portugal, including a 7-day walk in the hills of the Douro River Valley, then visited several new (to us) places in Spain before heading to Belgium. We concluded with a short stay in New York City on our way back to California. This photograph comes from Porto, Portugal.

We were in Porto twice on this trip. After starting in Lisbon and then visiting Coimbra, we arrived in Porto for a one-night stay before heading up the Douro River to Pinhão to start our walk. After the walk we spent another four nights in Porto. Sunsets here can be spectacular. The coastal location helps, as does the river winding through the city, and there are lots of elevated locations from which to catch the view. The La Ribeira waterfront area is in the foreground.

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

2 responses to “Porto Sunset”

  1. Randy Schoener Avatar
    Randy Schoener

    Beautiful sunset. Well Captured!

    Reply
    1. G Dan Mitchell Avatar
      G Dan Mitchell

      Thanks, Randy! (It was a bit of a challenge doing this with my handheld “travel camera,” but I was able to anticipate how to make it work in post.)

      Reply

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