Tag Archives: cobbles

Eguisheim, Alsace

“Eguisheim, Alsace” — A narrow street in the town of Eguisheim, Alsace, France.

Eguisheim is a medieval French village in Alsace, a region that has a deep German history as well. The village is definitely quaint, with timber-framed construction preserving its medieval roots with buildings that lean in sometimes-alarming ways and which are painted in striking colors. The village is laid out in concentric circles of narrow, curving streets.

We visited during out late-November stay in the nearby Alsatian village of Riquewihr. We drove over from where we were staying in Germany and spent three days enjoying the food and wine of this region and visiting a number of small villages and towns. Eguisheim was the destination of one of those day trips. We spent half of a day wandering its narrow street, stopping in to small shops, paying too much for a few souvenirs, and grabbing lunch before heading on.


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” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Cobblestones in Rain, York

Cobblestones in Rain, York
“Cobblestones in Rain, York” — Rain-slicked cobblestones in York, England.

The weather was rather varied during our brief early June stay in York, England. As I share photographs from the visit, you’ll see some made in lovely sun and others, like this, in more challenging weather. We were out for a wander on this day and clouds eventually turned to rain as we walked near the Yorkminster Church. As the light rain started — and before we decided to beat a retreat to a nearby restaurant for shelter and lunch — I paused to make this photograph of a cobbled street.

Photographs of particular places can suggest them to varying degrees. Clearly a photograph of a specific, iconic feature ties the image to the location with precision. Other photographs may work more subtly, perhaps capturing something of the mood of the place without shouting its name. And others may not be location-specific at all — like this one, which features a small scene that you could probably find on a rainy day in many places.


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” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Deserted Street, Orvieto

Deserted Street, Orvieto
“Deserted Street, Orvieto” — A narrow, deserted street in the Italian hill town of Orvieto.

It can be a challenge to photograph these narrow streets without people in a popular town such as Orvieto. One strategy is to photograph late in the day and even into the evening, but sometimes an even more promising approach is to go out very early. Most of the tourists aren’t out then, instead sleeping in before a leisurely breakfast in the morning or sitting in a restaurant in the evening. The difference is even greater in Orvieto, where many of the visitors only come for the day, heading back to their “home base” for the evening.

All of the streets here are narrow, but this is an even narrower side street. Unlike the familiar American grid street layout, there the narrow passageways curve and twist and take off in surprising directions. Several things in this photograph intrigue me. First, essentially everything you see is stone masonry, from the cobbled path to the walls and arches. Second, I suspect that these arches serve multiple purposes — both as passageways and to brace the facing 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” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Piaggio Ape, Wall, Alley

Piaggio Ape, Wall, Alley
“Piaggio Ape, Wall, Alley” — A Piaggio Ape utility vehicle parked against a wall in an alley, Orvieto.

We spent several days in the hill town of Orvieto, Italy last summer. We understand that many visitors arrive on day trips from Rome, but we were ready for a few days in a smaller, quieter place after visiting bigger cities like Milan and Florence. One of the fun things about staying overnight in the “day trip” cities is that they become much quieter in the evening and early morning after most visitors depart! We were out on a random walk, exploring the fringes of the town, when I saw this scene.

Working on the photograph sent me off into a world I did not know about. I had seen these little three-wheeled utility vehicles elsewhere in Italy — they are very practical on these narrow streets — but I didn’t know what to call them. A quick search turned up the name “Piaggio Ape,” where “Ape” refers to “bee.” Further reading led to the history of the things. As I understand it they essentially began as Vespa scooters with three wheels, and were then adapted into small trucks and vans.


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” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Links: Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Info.

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