Our recent travels to the British Isles began (aside from a very brief stopover in London) with a lengthy visit to Skye and the northwest of Scotland. After that first adventure we returned to Inverness and took a train to Aberdeen for a few days. After more than a week in the wild open spaces of northwest Scotland, returning to this urban setting was quite a contrast!
Continue reading Netherkirkgate
Lisbon, Portugal is a city of hills. (It is sometimes called the “City of Seven Hills.”) Deepening upon which direction you go, even short walks can involve some significant climbs. There’s a reason for the Elevador de Santa Justa, the famous elevator structure, and for cable cars or funiculars. A positive result of all of this climbing is that there are some spectacular views.
Continue reading Alfama, Tagus River View
I have visited some remarkable cathedrals in Europe, and I obviously have seen stained glass windows. But I paid less attention to the light shining through them until we visited Sagrada Familia in Barcelona a few years ago. We entered late in the day as light streamed though that church’s remarkable windows, and the effect was simply astonishing. After that I began to notice similar, though subtler, effects in other big churches.
Continue reading Stained Glass Light
We spent almost a week in Chicago in late November. We went for a long walk inside “the loop” on this overcast day, first visiting the opera house (where we had tickets for a performance later on) and then following the river back to the east before looping toward our hotel. I’ve long been fascinated by comparisons between Chicago and Manhattan, and while I love Manhattan, Chicago comes out ahead in many ways. For one thing there is more space between buildings, providing more light and more ways to photograph them.
Why in the world, you might wonder, would we go to Chicago in November!? It tends to be cold and windy then — though still not as cold as a few weeks later. We originally had plans to meet up with other visitors to attend some concerts, visit museums, and enjoy meals. Unfortunately, their plans changed, but since we had tickets and reservations we decided to go anyway — and it turned out to be an enjoyable trip.
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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
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