If you connect Switzerland with the Alpine scenery and the typical cold weather – this is the right connection, but it is not everywhere. There is a place named Lugano in Switzerland that is an Italian speaking Ticino region, where palm trees and a lot of flowers grows. The sun shines often, though, your experience there will include a lot more – a view of the Alps and enjoying a lot of Swiss chocolate.
The Ponte Vecchio “The Old Bridge” replaced the Roman Stone Bridge of Florence in 1345. Today it is impossible to be in Florence and not pass by it on foot, enjoying the marvellous jewellery shops that have situated on Ponte Vecchio for centuries. It is also one of the most interesting bridges that I have ever seen because of its construction and the history it carries.
You mainly see gondolas in one place on this Earth – Venice. There is more history and meaning in them that you would probably expect. And there are only a few hundred of them – you can only be a gondolier if you receive a license from the Venice’s guild.
The limestone cliffs of Menorca looked both majestic and peaceful during the morning hours of photography taking with folks from PhotoPills. It was difficult for me to imagine that the Cavalleria Coastline was once a witness of piracy and Roman invasion.
Azenhas do Mar during the sunset, reminded me of images, of such Italian villages as the Cinque Terre or Positano. Though it had a great advantage over it – the area wasn’t very touristic. The often-overlooked small town in the Sintra district, seemed to be undiscovered by photographers and tourists.
When I saw this limestone formation on the Menorca island, I immediately thought that this arch had to have been formed by human hand – this shape could be perfectly used as a guarded gate to an ancient port. In reality, Pont d’en Gil, as it is called in the native language, is a rock formation made fully by the forces of nature.
Belem Tower was built in the 16th century from limestone as part of a defense system on Tagus River and was a built as a ceremonial gate of Lisbon. This, however, is not the only reason why this tower is so famous and why it remains a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Belem Tower is a symbol of the Portuguese maritime travels during the Age of Discoveries.
Keizersgracht is the name of one of the main canals in the capital of The Netherlands and in my opinion, is one of the most picturesque places to view. The picturesque effect is likely due it being the widest canal, which is in the middle of three main canals crossing Amsterdam centre. Wandering around and observing the lights of the bridge turned on during the blue hour is amazing.
Montelbaanstoren is a tower in Amsterdam that sits alongside a canal named Oudeschans. This tower is over 500 years old and was built in 1516 as a part of the city walls and was originally a Watchtower; although this function was only given for 90 years. Montelbaanstoren is also famous, with due credit to a particular painter that you might be familiar with – Rembrandt. He used to reside in an area near the tower and was supposedly very keen on painting this structure.
The Neuruppin is also called Fontanestadt, from the name of Theodor Fontane who was born there. We had a very pleasant walk along the lake and the town, though the weather wasn’t perfect at all. This photo was taken just before a storm, which surprised us, and we were unfortunately soaked. I was pleased, however, as I was able to capture the impressive structure of the clouds before it started to rain.