Tag Archives: sidewalk

Coffee Building

Coffee Building
“Coffee Building” — An old, dilapidated building near the Borough Market, London.

Our London lodgings in June were near the end of Blackfriars Bridge, not far from the Tate Modern Museum, the New Globe Theatre, and plenty of other interesting stuff. We were perhaps a ten minute walk from Borough Market, another favorite of ours. So one morning we headed that way for morning coffee and a bit of photography — there’s a lot of interesting stuff to see in and around the Market. As we turned up a narrow street near our destination I saw this fascinating, dilapidated store front.

I was surprised that this quiet street was lined with closed businesses, considering its proximity to some pretty vibrant areas. I’m fascinated by buildings like this one, with their layers of structure and surfaces, some very old, some added over time, and others the result of decay — and I think of them as “street landscapes.” In case you wondered, following that arrow to find coffee would only lead to disappointment.


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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Shop Doorway

Shop Doorway
“Shop Doorway” — A tarp partially covers the doorway to a small shop, Lisbon.

Like big cities everywhere, Lisbon has a great variety of neighborhoods and ways of living. There are the popular squares and avenues, in some places lined with business and expensive stores. There are tourist-centric locations. And there are side streets that you might not see unless you walk and get a little ways from those other spots, perhaps on a walk from one of them to another. We headed down random streets between where we stayed and the waterfront area, and in doing so passed places like this shop.

Not that Lisbon or Portugal are the only cities where you see such things, but there are a lot of little shops here that have this sort of funky, improvised appearance. The elements of this one are striking, including the upturned basket holding open the tarp “door. Inside this shop you could buy wine, candy, and various other little items.


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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East Church of Inverness

East Church of Inverness
“East Church of Inverness” — Two pedestrians pass the facade of the East Church of Inverness with its striking purple doors.

We spent only a single night in Inverness on this trip, a decision I think we regret a bit. (One challenge with travel, of course, is there is never enough time to do everything.) The main focus of the first part of this trip was hiking the Great Glen Walk between Fort William and Inverness, so in our minds Inverness had become simply “the place where the walk ends” and not necessarily a place of interest on its own. In any case, we did get an afternoon and a morning to wander the town before we headed south, and this beautiful stone church with its striking doors was one “discovery.”

One other Inverness story: The Great Glen Way is pretty easy to follow and, on balance, relatively easy walking. There are hills and a few steep sections , but nothing like what we’ve experienced in the Sierra. The trail is well-marked. But on the final day we managed to get off-route at the very end. Rather than coming into Inverness on the Great Glen Way, we sort of ended up taking the… Great Wrong Way. It rained for the final few hours, and I think we were so focused on getting to our destination and out of the weather that we overlooked a critical trail sign at one point. We soon found ourselves wandering along a canal and through boat yards thinking, “This can’t be the trail!” it wasn’t, but we finally found a round-about route to central Inverness to finish the walk. Our reward? A pub was right across the street from the trail’s terminus!


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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Bar Tabacchi, Citta’ di Fiesole

Bar Tabacchi, Citta' di Fiesole
“Bar Tabacchi, Citta’ di Fiesole” — A the entrance to a small business at a bend in the road in Feisole, Italy.

Fiesole is a small town in the hills above Florence. It is apparently known for its elevated views of Florence and for its Etruscan and Roman amphitheater — which we did not visit. (From all appearances, it is a place for contemporary concerts and festivals.) We went because friends had suggested it, because of the prospects of the view, and because we like to occasionally get out of major cities, especially when we are there for a longer period of time, as was the case in Florence.

So we hopped on a bus near the Florence train station and were soon traveling through parts of Florence that do not look at all like the historic and popular center of the city. Before long the route ascended into the hills, becoming steep in places as we approached Fiesole. We spent a few hours wandering this quiet place and admiring the town and its broad vista over Florence.


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 | PostEmail

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

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