Tag Archives: holiday

Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Germany, Photographs: Travel

Island, Pegnitz River

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Island, Pegnitz River, Nürnberg
“Island, Pegnitz River” — Bridges cross the Pegnitz River to an island, Nürnberg, Germany.

We visited Nürnberg, Germany this past December, picking the dates because that is when one of the biggest and best-known German Christmas markets takes place. Vendor booths are everywhere in the old center of the city, and crowds of people fill the streets, drinking gluhwein and buying food, trinkets and gifts from the vendors. It can get quite crowded but it is a lot of fun!

The area in the photograph was outside of the main market action. Here several bridges cross the Pegnitz River, and there is even a small island. We began to use the route through here on our walks between the central market and our hotel, and we enjoyed passing through this peaceful and quiet area.

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.

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Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Night, Photographs: Spain, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Mercado de Navidad, Plaza Mayor

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Mercado de Navidad, Plaza Mayor, Madrid.
“Mercado de Navidad, Plaza Mayor” — Crowds at the Christmas market at Plaza Mayor, Madrid.

One of the great things about travel is that you get to enjoy being naive. No, really. When you go to new places, it is completely normal to not understand everything you see, every tradition, every experience, every norm. It happens in different ways, both major and minor. It happened on this late 2024 trip to parts of Germany, France, and Spain. We knew that we would visit German Christmas markets, but they we learned that Germany has no monopoly on these seasonal events, and they are popular everywhere.

The market in Madrid’s Plaza Mayor was one of the larger ones we encountered in that city. We intended to mostly avoid this tourist magnet, but we ended up there for several reasons after all. First, it seemed to us that we were seeing a lot of Spanish people there — not just international tourists. Second, it was quite impressive to see the place decked out in holiday lights.

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

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Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Night, Photographs: Spain, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Holiday Lights, Mercado de San Miguel

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Holiday Lights, Mercado de San Miguel
“Holiday Lights, Mercado de San Miguel” — Night photograph of Madrid’s Mercado de San Miguel with holiday lights.

Yes, the Mercado de San Miguel is a tourist hub, and yes it is right next door to another hub, the Plaza Mayor. While you probably don’t want to spend your entire time in Madrid at such places, this mercado is kind of fun and has a lot to offer. Our favorite vendor sells vermut and skewered treats built around fascinating variations on the traditional gilda. If you go, embrace the crowdedness and enjoy the food.

On this evening we passed by a bit later — we were not there to eat, but instead were on a walk to some other locations. Surprisingly the crowds had diminished a bit, and we were able to enjoy the holiday decorations on the building as we walked along.

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

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Photographs: Europe, Photographs: France, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Christmas Market, Montpellier, France

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Christmas market in Montpellier, France
“Christmas Market, Montpellier, France” — Throngs of people crowd the Christmas Market at Montpellier, France.

Today’s photo is a bit photo-journalistic, but sometimes that is appropriate for travel. We ended up at this Christmas market in Montpellier, France almost by accident. We knew there was a market, but we were not sure where it was located. We went on one of our morning “random walks,” heading toward the high point of the old section of the city, where we found a pond where an ancient aqueduct terminates. The market filled a large hilltop square between that and the upper end of the city’s main street.

We knew about German Christmas markets, and one of our goals during the first weeks of our trips was to visit them. We were less aware that these markets are actually all over Europe — we saw them in France and Spain during our trip. While the German markets seem to be best known, the other markets follow the same general theme — rows of booths selling food, drink, warm clothing items, Christmas decorations, and much more to throngs of holiday visitors.

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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