Tag Archives: portugal

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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Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Portugal, Photographs: Structures and Objects, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Urban/Street

Cargas Gate

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Cargas Gate
A red metal gate with ivy and a chain lock, Porto.

Cargas Gate. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A red metal gate with ivy and a chain lock, Porto.

When we travel and visit new cities we have an approach that might seem disorganized to some people. While we usually do have a short list of “must see” things, we don’t usually join tours and we have a lot of unscheduled time. We use that time to… just wander, get lost, follow hunches. There are some downsides to this, of course, but the upside is that we find a lot of obscure and smaller things that can get lost in a rush to “see all of the important things.”

This photograph might serve as an example. I really doubt that there is a tour guide anywhere that says, “Be sure to visit the gate inscribed with the word ‘cargas.’!” Heck, I’m not even sure that I could find it again if you set me down in Porto… and the lovely ivy leaves probably would not look the same anyway. We happened to pass this subject while out on a more or less random walk through areas of Porto in the Centro Historic and Ribeira districts.

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.

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

Buildings, Porto

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Buildings, Porto
Distressed buildings in Porto, Portugal.

Buildings, Porto. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Distressed buildings in Porto, Portugal.

Based on our three-day visit, Porto is a fascinating city. I’m no expert on Portugal, but it is my understanding that the country was one of the least wealthy in Europe and that it was sort of neglected — but more recently it has become quite a popular destination. The attractions are many: fascinating food, sunny shoreline, port (!), general friendliness to English-speakers. We spent time here in Porto and then in Lisbon, and they have so far been among our favorite destinations on this trip.

While Porto has plenty of modern, sophisticated stuff… it is also still full of old, run-down-looking neighborhoods with buildings suggesting better days in the past. (And, from what I hear, now there is a lot of redevelopment of these older areas, which brings its own controversies.) The building in this photograph must have once been quite nice, but today it looks like its best days are behind it — yet, look at that characteristic tile work and more and this building seems like it could be part of the Porto revitalization.

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.

Scroll down to leave a comment or question. (Click this post’s title first if you are viewing on the home page.)

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