Tag Archives: rooftops

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

Porto Rooftops

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Porto Rooftops
“Porto Rooftops” — The view across the rooftops of Porto toward the Duoro River.

During our summer 2023 visit, Portugal we stayed in lodgings not far from Porto’s Ribiera district, whose waterfront is visible at the far upper right of the picture. Because we like to walk a lot in such towns, we spent most of our time on that side of the Duoro River, the main waterway flowing through Porto and shortly after to the sea. But on this evening we had business across the river as we began our walk.

We walked to the east and then crossed one of the eye-catching bridges, the Ponte Luis I. This is mainly a rail bridge, but there are walkways for pedestrians. As the bridge reaches the far bank, the river-side hills rise quickly to meet it. I paused here to photograph over the tops of the characteristic red roofs toward the Duoro as it continues downstream toward the ocean.

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

Orvieto Rooftops

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Orvieto Rooftops
Stone and tile buildings of Orvieto, Italy.

Orvieto Rooftops. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Stone and tile buildings of Orvieto, Italy.

Our 2023 European travels took us mostly (with only a few day’s worth of exceptions) to the southern part of the continent. We spent a lot of time in Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Croatia… and also visited Kosovo and briefly passed through places including Austria, Hungary, Serbia, and Montenegro. Along the way we did visit some of the very popular places, those that are predictably crowded during the summer tourist season. But we also managed to spend time in some slightly less-visited places, among them a couple of smaller towns in Italy.

One of these was the “hilltop town” of Orvieto in Umbria. It would not be accurate to suggest that this is a place without tourists. In fact, it is a very popular destination for daytime visits from other nearby locations. But we stayed there for a couple of nights and saw a different aspect of the place. In the mornings and after day-trippers depart in the late afternoon it is much quieter and far less crowded. In fact, it turned out to be one of our favorite places of the entire trip.

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: Architecture, Photographs: Spain, Photographs: Travel

Rooftops of Cordoba

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Rooftops of Cordoba
Rooftops of Cordoba, Spain, photographed from the tower at the mosque-cathedral.

Rooftops of Cordoba. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Rooftops of Cordoba, Spain, photographed from the tower at the mosque-cathedral.

One of our main reasons for visiting Cordoba, Spain was to visit the famous mosque-cathedral. It is a spectacular site, and I recommend a visit. (I also recommend not going when the weather is like that we encountered — something like 111 degrees!) The mosque portion is astounding. If I recall correctly, at one point it was up to a size that could handle 40,000 worshippers! It stands in sharp visual contrast to the cathedral that was later constructed in the center of the mosque — a light and air structure that towers above.

We began our visit with the climb to the top of the tower along the perimeter of the grounds. Fortunately, we went somewhat early on this hot day, before the temperature really rose. The view from the tower is spectacular. It obviously overlooks the mosque-cathedral grounds, but it also reveals wider views of the city and its surroundings. This photograph looks down and away from the mosque-cathedral, into an area of residences and streets lined by businesses. One striking impression of this city is from the buildings which are predominantly white instead of colors often found elsewhere.

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: New York City, Photographs: Urban/Street

Snow, Ridgewood

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Snow, Ridgewood
A snowy morning in the Ridgewood area of Queens, New York

Snow, Ridgewood. © Copyright 2017 G Dan Mitchell – all rights reserved.

A snowy morning in the Ridgewood area of Queens, New York

For years, at least since our sons started moving there, we have visited New York City. People who know the place will likely note that we must be nuts for scheduling most visit for near the end of December or, wait for it, in August. (If you have been to New York City in August, you understand how unwise it is to go there once that time of year, and how crazy it is to voluntarily repeat the original blunder. ;-) Truth be told, while August still isn’t impressing us as a wonderful time to go, we actually do like going during the winter. The cold seems like a welcome change for these San Francisco Bay Area Californians, and there is quite a lot to see there at this time of year.

However, we usually miss out on snow, the one factor that would really make it feel like the winter we don’t experience at home. We have been snowed on there during our end-of-year visits, but typically no more than a trace, if that. I’m told that real snow is likely to arrive a few weeks later. This year we got our wish, as it were. We had a full week of terribly cold conditions, and on our last day there it finally did snow — not a lot, but enough. I made this photograph as we left an elevated subway (I know, oxymoron!) in the Ridgewood area, where we were able to look out over the urban environment and see snow-topped roofs fading into the distance.

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 and Amazon.
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