“Stone Building, Loch Stack” — An old stone building on the shore of Loch Stack in the Scottish highlands.
As we neared the end of our weeklong visit to Skye and the north coast of Scotland we spent a couple of nights at the old lodge at Altnaharra. My understanding is that decades ago this was a place where people from cities came to stay and to fish. It is a sprawling building, with large common rooms downstairs, a dining room, a small bar, and many guest rooms. At one time it was reportedly a luxurious place, at least by the rural standards of its isolated location. (To be honest, today it is a shadow of that historic lodge, but it still carries a resonance of that earlier time.)
“Two Trees, Stone Wall” — Two old trees stand in front of a stone wall, Isle of Skye, Scotland.
While on the Isle of Skye this past May we stayed at an out-of-the-way lodge a few miles out on a gravel single track road along Loch Snizort Beag. We may have thought that we were at the ends of the earth when we first turned off the main road onto that track, but we came to appreciate the isolation, the views… and the sheep. They filled the pastures along the road and occasionally entered the roadway itself.
“Stairway, Santo Amaro Chapel” — A stairway leads to a door at the Santo Amaro Chapel, Lisbon
Thisq is another photograph from Lisbon’s Santo Amaro Chapel, a very old structure near the waterfront and almost beneath the April 25 Bridge (“Ponte 25 de Abril“). That is the one that looks very similar to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. After passing beneath the bridge’s north end, we walked a little further west, then climbed steps to this location. It is one of the better viewpoints of the bridge, with a wide plaza open to that view.
“Stained Glass Light” — Beams of colorful light from stained glass windows on the stone floor of the Eglise de Notre-Dame Des Victoire, Brussels.
First impressions on entering old European churches like the Eglise de Notre-Dame Des Victoire in Belgium focus on the architecture, the scale, and the quietness of these places. If you have some time to wander — and you should take that time if you visit them — smaller details start to emerge. Stained glass windows originally provoked me to look up at them, but later I learned to look down at the light they cast.
The first time I understood the projected light was during a late-afternoon visit to the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. The low angle of early evening light sent colorful beams of light everywhere. The effect at this smaller Brussels church was not quite as broadly spectacula, but its beauty still caught my attention.
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Photographer and visual opportunist. Daily photos since 2005, plus articles, reviews, news, and ideas.
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