Apart from being a crossing point for many touristic paths, Praça 5 de Outubro is a lively place with many local restaurants and bars. The beach across the street in Cascais, makes a perfect place to spend an entire day, just enjoying the sun.
The centre of Porto is a fabulous place for a photographer to be. In comparison with other cities in Portugal, whereby architecture is marked by baroque, the architecture of Porto is rather monumental and dominated by granite constructions.
We were very lucky to see the Monument to the Discoveries following its renovation, which was accomplished a few years ago. This shot was taken during a winter sunrise; when the sun was rising just behind the monument, softly enlightening the limestone statues. You could almost imagine the Portuguese discoverers, setting sails early in the morning and leaving the safe Lisbon shores to explore the new lands.
Milano Duomo is the 5th largest Cathedral in the world and among this list of five – it is the oldest Cathedral. The day before I took this photo, we were enjoying some “Spritz” with a friend in a rooftop bar. From there, we had a view of the top of the Cathedral. From a bird’s eye view, you can see the many sculptures that are decorating the Duomo Towers.
We almost passed the square of Carlos Alberto in Porto without realising. We changed our course and slowly walk in and around the Praça de Carlos Alberto. The brilliance of the colors and cheerful atmosphere of this find, set us in the perfect mood for further sightseeing of Porto but there was more of this square to be seen.
The Monument to the Discoveries in Lisbon was built to honor Portuguese discoveries. It is located on Tagus river in Belem from where sailors would depart for new geographical discoveries. On the statue, there are 34 sculptures of sailors with the largest figure on top – the sculpture of Henry the Navigator.
The upper section of the ensemble displayed the personification of freedom. The female statue figuratively looks over 2 EOKA fighters who are opening the gates of a prison, as shown. I was deeply impressed at how much detail the postures had been designed and at how much the relief of independence was constructed on their faces. In a moment of reflection, you could almost “breath in” the atmosphere of joy and freedom.
I could not leave the Plaza de España without taking this photograph. The fountain at the feet of the sculptures was enlightened in gold which strongly contrasted the late evening along with the black night sky in Madrid. This contrast of colours and significance behind the postures creates a unique impression of what impacted the worldwide literature of the art of Cervantes.
This monument was built in the middle of Plaza de España, in the centre of Madrid on one side of the Gran Via. During the day and in the early evening, this area was crowded with tourists. In the late evening though, more locals would be passing by, so the square would be considerably quiet – perfect for shooting photos and viewing the Statue of Cervantes at a closer distance.
The wishing well is officially the biggest monument in Copenhagen and tells a story about the country’s mythology with its sculptures. The Fountain shows a scene, in which the Aesir Damsel Gefion cuts a trench in between the Island of Zealand and Sweden with her plow, which is led by her three sons who had been turned into bulls. She cuts Zealand off the mainland forever and created the biggest Island in Denmark.