Tag Archives: people

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

Sunday Morning, El Rastro

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Sunday Morning, El Rastro,Madrid
“Sunday Morning, El Rastro” — Dense crowds at Madrid’s Sundary morning El Rastro street market.

El Rastro is the huge open air street market in Madrid’s barrio de Embajadores. It is held every Sunday morning and has been for many decades. I read that there can be up to 3500 vendor stalls! They spread across many streets in the area, and you can find almost every imaginable item for sale. At its peak, the streets are jam-packed with shoppers and sight-seers — so much so that it can be difficult to move.

When we visited we knew there was a “street market,” but we had no idea of what a big deal it is. We walked from where we were staying, and we first arrived at some stands in a small square and thought, “That’s it?” We saw more stalls across the street, and when we went to investigate we saw that they extended off into the distance. We plunged in and walked through a good portion of it.

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.

Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email
Articles | Sales | Sierra Nevada Fall Color | Contact Info

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

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: New York City, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Central Park, Trees, Snow

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Photo of Central Park, Trees, Snow — Manhattan
“Central Park, Trees, Snow” — Tall trees silhouetted against a backdrop of Manhattan buildings on a snowy day in Central Park.

I seem to attract “interesting” weather when I visit New York City. Part of this may be my predilection for visiting in August when, as any New Yorker knows, the weather is atrocious. (There’s a reason that August is a traditional vacation month for residents of the city.) For years we also tended to visit over the holiday break, when the weather can be very cold, at least by California standards. I made this photograph during our recent December visit.

I have been told by people who live there that snow isn’t that common until after the New Year. But we had a morning of light snow just before Christmas. To be honest, it was a treat for us, and we went for a couple of long walks in Central Park to enjoy the wintry scene. The photograph looks through a grove of winter-dormant trees towards the tall buildings of Manhattan.

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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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.

Blog | About | Instagram | Flickr | Facebook | Threads | BlueSky | Email

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

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