Tag Archives: old

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

Porto Street, Night

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Porto Street, Night
Two men walk down a narrow Porto street at night.

Porto Street, Night. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Two men walk down a narrow Porto street at night.

Porto is a fascinating and complex city and there is a lot to see there. But I think that we found the Ribeira District to be the most interesting part. This is the area of narrow, winding streets on the steep hillside above the Duoro River. It is, of course, popular with tourists, especially right above the shoreline of the river. But a short walk from the most busy areas, especially at the right hour of the day, and the crowds can diminish and the ambiance of the district takes over.

We walk a lot when we visit cities, and on this day we made a big loop that took us up this narrow, cobblestone street. We passed through at what seems like an ideal time in terms of light — it was dark enough that the artificial light illuminated and colored the scene, but there was still a bit of ambient light to reveal details outside the light and produce blue-tinted shadows.

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

Santo Spirito Toilet

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Santo Spirito Toilet
Two Florence doorways, one leading to the “Santo Spirito Toilet.”

Santo Spirito Toilet. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Two Florence doorways, one leading to the “Santo Spirito Toilet.”

To arrive in this area of Florence you could cross the Ponte Vecchio (or other convenient bridge across the Arno) and walk a few more blocks. It is still a busy area, but the further you get from the Arno the more the tourist traffic diminishes. It was certainly not gone in this spot, but it was not the crowded scene that you encounter north of the Arno in the old part of the city. We were exploring a small square when I noticed the strange and seemingly-unfortunate name of the doorway on the right…

I think the the area is known by the “Santo spirito” name because of a nearby church. Logically I can understand how that name ended up being applied to other features in the area. But “Santo Spirito Toilet?!” Since people here likely know that they are in the Santo Spirito are, perhaps it would have been sufficient to erect a sign that just said “toilet?” Ah, well, who am I to say?

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 to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Mono Lake Basin, Photographs: People, Photographs: Portugal, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Busker, Lisbon

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Busker, Lisbon
A street musician stands in front of a wall near the St. George Castle, Lisbon.

Busker, Lisbon. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A street musician stands in front of a wall near the St. George Castle, Lisbon.

As I have mentioned, we like to walk when visiting cities, and we did a lot of that when we were in Lisbon this summer. Like many European (and the centers of some American) cities, the place is really quite walkable, though we did deal with some hot temperatures… and, of course, the famous hills of this city. The hills figured in this photograph and some others I made on this morning. We decided to go to the area of the St. George Castle. (We did not go in the castle grounds — we explored nearby instead.) We walked… and we bypassed the tempting options to get driven up the hill. This was a lot more work, but we also saw a lot more than we would have if we let someone carry us up there!

We wandered various narrow streets in the upper areas of the hill where the castle is located. At one point I came upon this solo busker, setting up to perform in a place that seemed unlikely to see all that many tourists. It was kind of out of the way, against a wall where a road more or less ended — and, if I recall correctly, we were about the only people around. I slipped a few euros into his basket and make a few photographs, including this one.

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 to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

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

Balconies, Ribeira

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Balconies, Ribeira
Complex patterns of balconies, doors, windows and walls in the Ribeira District, Porto.

Balconies, Ribeira. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Complex patterns of balconies, doors, windows and walls in the Ribeira District, Porto.

This little scene comes from the Ribeira District of Porto, Portugal. This very old area is on the steep slopes leading down to the banks of the Duoro River, which passes through the city and has long been a route for shipping. Because it is in this steep area and because it is very old, the narrow and twisting streets can be difficult to navigate… but also extremely intriguing, despite the number of tourists who flock to the area these days.

This vignette includes the balconies of some buildings that I first spotted at the end of a (rare!) straight section of a narrow walkway. (I have another photograph showing that perspective.) The scene is full of little details, and it is illuminated by the soft, reflected light that manages to make it to the bottom of this urban canyon — something that reminded me a bit of photographing in the red rock canyons of Utah.

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.

Blog | About | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.