Tag Archives: walkway

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

Alfama Steps

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Alfama Steps
“Alfama Steps” — Cobblestone steps wind between buildings in the Alfama, Lisbon.

We wandered quite a bit during our May visit to Lisbon this year. (This was part of a 6-week trip that took us to Portugal, Spain, Belgium, and New York City.) When I write “wandered,” I mean this quite literally — we frequently head out with only the vaguest idea of what we’ll explore. In this case, we knew we were headed to the Alfama district, but beyond that we would wing it.

The Alfama is full of narrow, twisty, and often steep streets — just the sort of place to wander slowly. Roughly speaking we first crossed a section of the lower reaches of the district, and then we turned and began climbing. Along the way, we took many detours. If a side street looked interesting we went that way. I made this photograph in a quiet, out of the way area, where steps led uphill between the closely-spaced buildings.

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

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

Arch, Stairs, and Plants

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Arch, Stairs, and Plants — Trogir, Croatia
“Arch, Stairs, and Plants” — Plants line stairs leading to a doorway above an arch, Trogir, Croatia.

Trogir is an intense and fascinating place. The historic old town is on an island that sits in a narrow passage between the Croatian mainland and a much larger island. It was quite crowded during the days and evenings when we visited, not only with those of us who drove (or walked) in but also those who anchored their boats right next the town.

It seems like the whole place is built of stone. The sidewalks/streets are cobblestone, walls are made of stone, and it is by far the most common construction material for buildings. I made this photograph on one of the occasions where we were able to escape the crowds (hint: go in the very early morning) and photograph with fewer distractions.

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

2 responses to “Arch, Stairs, and Plants”

  1. Jan Avatar
    Jan

    Nice memories!!

    Reply
    1. G Dan Mitchell Avatar
      G Dan Mitchell

      For sure!

      Dan

      Reply

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Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Night, Photographs: Spain, Photographs: Travel, Photographs: Unclassified

A Narrow Passage.

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A narrow walkway at night, Zaragoza, Spain.
“A Narrow Passage.” — A narrow walkway at night, Zaragoza, Spain

One of our pleasures when we travel is just plain wandering. While we do hit some of the “must see” sites, we also just go out and walk, sometimes without any specific goal. We think this is one of the best ways to get a feel for a city — to plunge in and go where the locals are, even if lack of language skills and cultural familiarity may us feel a bit awkward. That is more or less how I ended up in this spot.

This is an interesting street (walkway? passage?) in Zaragoza. It is very narrow, rivaling some of the remarkably narrow passageways in Venice. It was almost deserted — a few people passed by before I made the photograph. But that wasn’t because it was late — it was because it was too early! In Zaragoza the restaurant and bars that line this walkway open late, well after our familiar American dinner hour. A bit later these shuttered businesses would open and people would populate the scene.

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” from Heyday Books, is available directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Photographs: Architecture, Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Italy, Photographs: Travel

Buildings and Walkway, Orvieto

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Buildings and Walkway, Orvieto
“Buildings and Walkway, Orvieto” — Old buildings and a walkway in Orvieto, Italy

I have previously described our approach to travel, but this is an example of how it can pay off. While we have no objection to them, we don’t take “tours.” Instead we head out on our own, and we love to walk in the places we visit, often with no particular goal in mind. In truth, we sometimes do miss some famous sites and sights, but we also see lots of things that aren’t on the tour agendas. Ending up at this quiet spot in Orvieto is an example of how this works.

Orvieto is an Italian “hill town,” situated on the top of a large plateau surrounding by very steep slopes and even cliffs in some places. It is on the day trip itinerary for visitors from Rome, but we stayed there a ew days. That meant that we weren’t under pressure to dash around and see things. (It also meant we enjoyed fewer crowds in the morning and evening.) One afternoon we arrived at this spot on one of our walks and we were almost the only people there. A small garden and walkway led to an overlook that provided a panoramic view of the country below the town.

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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