Tag Archives: water

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

Rainy Evening, Montpellier

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Rainy Evening, Montpellier
“Rainy Evening, Montpellier” — A rainy night street scene in Montpellier, France.

After we left Germany during our late-autumn and early-winter visit to Europe last year we headed to France, eventually ending up in Montpellier, a city in the South of France. While we like returning to places we have previously visited — we always see things we missed the first time — we make a point of going to new places, often those we had not thought of visiting before. Montpellier fit the bill, as it had not been on our radar at all, and we knew little about it.

We were there for just three nights, so I can’t claim that we fully “know” the place, but we liked what we saw a lot. We were in the older central part of town, staying in a small hotel a block from the central square, the Place de la Comédie. It was raining when we arrived, but that didn’t stop us (or thousands of locals!) from heading out for the evening.

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.

G Dan Mitchell: Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email


All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Spain, Photographs: Travel

Sunset Crowd, Florence

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Sunset Crowd, Florence
“Sunset Crowd, Florence” — People gather on steps at the Piazzale Michangelo to watch the sunset over Florence, Italy.

When traveling there is a fine balance between following the crowd to the iconic, popular sites and sights or striking off on your own to find more obscure things. We kind of like doing the latter, and we often spend a lot of time doing what might look like aimless wandering. But that wandering often gets us to interesting places that might be a bit more obscure. However, sometimes joining the crowd is the right choice, and this was one of those times.

We had been to Florence before and knew about the nightly trek up the hill to the Piazale Michelangelo to watch the sun set over the city. But we had never gone there. This evening seemed like the right time, so we headed up the hill, soon becoming part of a crowd with the same idea — perhaps despite some misgivings we continued and then arrived to find hundreds of people already there. These steps were filled with visitors, and some fellow began to do an impromptu comedy act at the base of the steps. Drinks and snacks were available from vendor carts. Before long everyone began to sing along with a solo street musician at the top of the steps. It was one of the most wonderful, magical moments we’ve had while traveling… and one that only happened because this time we joined the crowd.

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.

G Dan Mitchell: Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email


All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Germany, Photographs: Travel

Henkersteg, Pegnitz River

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Henkersteg, Pegnitz River, Nürnberg
“Henkersteg, Pegnitz River” — A covered bridge spans the Pegnitz River, Nürnberg, Germany

Walking around in Nürnberg on a day that began with slowly dissipating fog, I saw this scene as we crossed a bridge over the Pegnitz River. There is still a bit of the fog in the sky above the buildings, an old covered bridge crosses the water, and the buildings, bridge, and a few trees are reflected in the smooth surface of the river.

Often when photographing in a location like this I sometimes cannot determine the name of the subject or I photograph quickly and move on without checking. That was the case here, and it was only later that I used maps to locate the bridge and found out that it is called the “Henkersteg.” I understand that this roughy translates to “hangman’s bridge.” Additional reading suggests that it got the name because long ago the town hangman lived in a tower near one end of the bridge.

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.

G Dan Mitchell: Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email


All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Europe, Photographs: Germany, Photographs: Travel

Island, Pegnitz River

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Island, Pegnitz River, Nürnberg
“Island, Pegnitz River” — Bridges cross the Pegnitz River to an island, Nürnberg, Germany.

We visited Nürnberg, Germany this past December, picking the dates because that is when one of the biggest and best-known German Christmas markets takes place. Vendor booths are everywhere in the old center of the city, and crowds of people fill the streets, drinking gluhwein and buying food, trinkets and gifts from the vendors. It can get quite crowded but it is a lot of fun!

The area in the photograph was outside of the main market action. Here several bridges cross the Pegnitz River, and there is even a small island. We began to use the route through here on our walks between the central market and our hotel, and we enjoyed passing through this peaceful and quiet area.

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.

G Dan Mitchell: Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email


All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.