Tag Archives: city

La Ribeira at Dusk, Porto

La Ribeira at Dusk, Porto
“La Ribeira at Dusk, Porto” — The Douro River winds past the La Ribeira district of Porto at dusk, Portugal.

On this evening we had crossed the Douro River via the famous Dom Luis I bridge to join the throngs watching the sunset from its south side. People staked out viewing locations almost everywhere, though the Garden of the Moors area seemed to be the most popular — with musicians and food carts ad more. We took a different approach and climbed up to the Mosteiro da Serra do Pilar.

After sunset we started our walk back to the north side of the bridge and our lodgings along the edge of the Ribeira district. Dusk was arriving as we re-crossed the bridge, so I paused to photograph the scene — the lively waterfront area, the buildings rising up from the river, the water’s winding path toward the sea, and some evening clouds overhead.


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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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Alfama and Panteão Nacional

Alfama and Panteão Nacional
“Alfama and Panteão Nacional” — The dome of the Panteão Nacional rises above Alfama, Lisbon.

The Panteão Nacional is one of several sites along this ridge above the Alfama district of Lisbon. It and the others command a sweeping view of the city and the water, but they also form focal points for views of the area from elsewhere in the city. I photographed this view from the Portas do Sol viewpoint area.

As striking as the building and its dome are, the Alfama itself is really the show here, in my view. The colorful buildings with their red roofs are packed tightly together along narrow and curving streets.

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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Deserted Street, Porto

Deserted Street, Porto
“Deserted Street, Porto” — Nighttime on a deserted street in Porto.

On our sort-of-first-night in Porto in May we ended up at a little restaurant on this street. (I write “sort-of-first-night” since we had actually stopped for one night earlier on the trip, between Coimbra and our walk in the Douro hills.) We walked out of our hotel looking for a nearby place to eat that didn’t scream “tourist restaurant. We ended up at a little restaurant here, so unobtrusive that you might not even spot its entrance sign in the photo.

I made the photograph a few nights later as we headed back to our hotel from a long walk to the other side of the Douro River and back. We crossed back over the river after sunset, and our route took us past this side street again. This time I thought the night scene looked fascinating, so I paused and photographed down the deserted street.

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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Alfama Steps

Alfama Steps
“Alfama Steps” — Cobblestone steps wind between buildings in the Alfama, Lisbon.

We wandered quite a bit during our May visit to Lisbon this year. (This was part of a 6-week trip that took us to Portugal, Spain, Belgium, and New York City.) When I write “wandered,” I mean this quite literally — we frequently head out with only the vaguest idea of what we’ll explore. In this case, we knew we were headed to the Alfama district, but beyond that we would wing it.

The Alfama is full of narrow, twisty, and often steep streets — just the sort of place to wander slowly. Roughly speaking we first crossed a section of the lower reaches of the district, and then we turned and began climbing. Along the way, we took many detours. If a side street looked interesting we went that way. I made this photograph in a quiet, out of the way area, where steps led uphill between the closely-spaced buildings.

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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