Tag Archives: travel

Boardwalk, Morning

Boardwalk, Morning
“Boardwalk, Morning” — The winding boardwalk at Salt Creek in morning light, Death Valley.

We arrived at Salt Creek before sunrise, planning to walk down to the end of the boardwalk and photograph some further areas at dawn. It used to be that you could continue on from there and investigate other interesting terrain, but there is now no obvious way off the boardwalk, likely because the park service is trying to protect those areas. So we photographed from the boardwalk as the sun came up.

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Windows and Yellow Wall, Pena Palace

Windows and Yellow Wall, Pena Palace
“Windows and Yellow Wall, Pena Palace” — Pena Palace windows and yellow walls on a rainy day, Portugal.

The Pena Palace sits on the summit of a ridge above the town of Sintra, a short train ride from Lisbon. From a distance the place seems unreal, given its location, its architecture, and its striking color scheme. Up close the weathering changes the effect a bit, but in a way that only seems to make the place a bit more mysterious.

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Detail, Pena Palace

Detail, Pena Palace
“Detail, Pena Palace” — A pattern of balls and pyramids, details of the Pena Palace, Portugal.

The Pena Palace sits on the top of a ridge above Sintra, Portugal, a short train ride from Lisbon. (You do have to get to the ridge from the train station, perhaps a story for another time.) It is a remarkable structure that appears like something from a fantasy, especially in the foggy and rainy conditions while we were there. The palace and its turrets and towers are painted in brilliant colors.

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Largo do Peneireiro

Largo do Peneireiro
“Largo do Peneireiro” — Colorful streamers above narrow streets in the Alfama District, Lisbon.

This is a little street scene in Lisbon’s Alfama neighborhood. The area rises from the river’s edge toward the hill of the St. George Castle. This was the original center of Lisbon before it expanded, and it later was the home of less wealthy citizens of the city. Its age (it escaped destruction in the 18th-century earthquake that destroyed much of Lisbon ) means that the area retains the original narrow and twisting streets.

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