Tag Archives: travel

Photographs: Belgium, Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Travel

Leie River Waterfront, Ghent

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Leie River Waterfront, Ghent
“Leie River Waterfront, Ghent” — Visitors on a walkway along the waterfront of the Leie River, Ghent.

Near the ned of our May-June travels we spent a week in Belgium, our first time visiting this country. Our final stop there was in Brussels, and one day we took the train from there to make a quick visit to Ghent. As is so often the case in such cities, Ghent has an inner “old town” section with lots of historic buildings, including a rather remarkable collection of churches and steeples.

I made this photograph from a bridge over the Leie River, from which there was a longer view of the curving waterway, the roadway and walk way that follow it, and some of the surrounding buildings. Not surprisingly in this part of Europe, it was another cloudy day.

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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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

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

Old Venice Buildings

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Old Venice Buildings
“Old Venice Buildings” — Several old and worn buildings along Calle Fonte in Venice.

Venice is a very busy place, full of tourists, especially during the high season — as you know if you have ever been there in the summer. We were reminded of this when we visited a few years ago near the end of ten weeks of travel in Southern Europe. We managed to find accommodations away from the most crowded areas, but there is no escaping the crowds entirely. But it helps to wander into out-of-the-way spots like this one.

We went out for a long walk on our last day in Venice. We decided to cover a lot of ground and to visit some of the crowded areas that we had avoided. While walking one of those very busy streets, lined with stalls selling things to tourists, we noticed a very narrow passage leading off to the side. Taking it brought us to this spot and to the banks of the grand canal.

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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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

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

Street Market, Peja

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Street Market, Peja
“Street Market, Peja” — Shoppers at the street market in the town of Peja, Kosovo.

The town of Peja (or Pec) is located in western Kosovo, just below the spectacular and rugged Accursed Mountains. During our visit a couple of years ago we were fortunate to have in our group a Kosovo native who is fluent in the local language and who knows where to take visitors. Without his help (and the hospitality of his family, who housed us during our visit) it would have been very difficult for us to see as much as we did.

One day we all headed to the town for a look around and, eventually, lunch at a local restaurant. (I became quite fond of various Kosova dishes during our visit.) Here we walked up a main street where people were congregating and vendors were selling everything from clothing to the usual faux high-end watches and so forth.

Leave a comment or question using the form. (If you are reading this on the home page, click the article title to see the full article and the comment form.

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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.

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

At the Manneken PIs

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At the Manneken PIs
“At the Manneken PIs” — Tourists taking pictures at the Manneken Pis in Brussels, Belgium.

Some “tourist attractions” are darned near inexplicable. Manneken Pis is one of them. Located at a nondescript corner in a relatively nondescript area of Brussels, it is a fountain with a tiny (61cm tall) statue of a small boy urinating. Indeed, the idea that such a thing exists is mildly interesting. But the actual site is a pretty big nothingburger in my ever-humble opinion.

So, you might wonder, where is the fountain in this photograph referring to it? It is out of the frame to the right. I was completely uninterested in photographing the peeing kid myself. However, the people who came to look and photograph themselves in front of it were fascinating. Some stood back and shot images of it — and I’m trying to imagine them getting back home and wondering why they did. Others lined themselves up to take selfies with the urinating youngster in the background, thus managing, I suppose, to prove that they were actually there. Standing next to a 61cm statue. Of a pissing boy. Or something. ;-)

Leave a comment or question using the form. (If you are reading this on the home page, click the article title to see the full article and the comment form.

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” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others.