Burlaki on the Hudson

In our years of living in London we took a fair amount of day trips to interesting locations in the South East region of England. There are at least a couple dozen places to see within an easy driving distance from London – and here is a handful of my favorites.

The first picture is a side view of the charming Hever Castle, along with a portion of its estate.
 

 
The castle itself is quite interesting, but we visited the place several times just for its grounds, complete with beautiful formal gardens and a quiet boating lake.

Next is a shot taken in the gardens of Sissinghurst Castle.
 

 
The gardens are the primary attraction themselves, combining orchestrated beauty with serene nature. The castle tower in the background serves as a magnificent elevated viewpoint.

Next is the view onto the English Channel from the ramparts of the Dover Castle.
 

 
Dover was one of our first day-trip destinations soon after settling in London. This shot perfectly captures for me the essence of the crisp November day on the coast.

Then, there is Windsor Castle.
 

 
It is not Versailles, but it is definitely in the exclusive company of the most impressive royal castles of the Old World.

And here is one of my most favorite places in England – banks of river Cam in Cambridge.
 

 
Cambridge is north of London and belongs to East Anglia – a different region from what is known as South East England. But its proximity to London made it accessible to us and we visited on several occasions. It joins Hever Castle as our most frequent day trip destinations around London and the two form perfect bookends to this brief photo-essay.

As much as I prefer to go and visit new places, returning back to something that I love would be a grand occasion. I wonder if I ever get the chance.

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Despite all of the attempts the tour-books made to convince me that there is plenty to do and see in Pisa beyond its singular top sight, it remains a one-location city for me after several visits. The fantastic Piazza del Duomo (also colloquially known as Piazza dei Miracoli), the home of the Cathedral, the Baptistery, and the famous Leaning Tower, is one place that I come back to again and again without bothering to see anything else in town.

Here is my favorite view onto the plaza, through the arched gateway in town walls, looking at the exquisite tower shyly peeking from behind the cathedral.
 

 
And here is a tower close-up.
 

 
The vastness of the square can be recognized in this view, a perspective from the top of the tower.
 

 
I have been up there twice. My general love of elevated viewpoints aside, making an extra effort in terms of advance ticket purchase and timed entry is very much worth it when it comes to the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Anyone who’s been to Pisa undoubtedly made a photograph of her or himself holding up the Leaning Tower lest it crashes to the ground there and then. Banal, I suppose. And yet strangely symbolic of experiencing the sight of the plaza and of the famous buildings. So, here is one of us making sure the tower keeps standing.
 

 
She’s done an excellent job, methinks. We might yet contribute to the tower’s upright state again this year.

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There are places that I visited in the past that associate in my memory with a very specific sight or feature.

Rothenburg-ob-der-Tauber is a picture-perfect medieval town in Bavaria that owns its remarkable state of preservation to a significant diplomatic effort in the late stages of the Second World War to spare it from a major assault. As I mentioned elsewhere in this series, my childhood was infused with fairly tales (and later, more serious literature) set in medieval Europe, and Rothenburg hits the bulls-eye for me in terms of making those fairy-tale backgrounds come to life.

The gold-plated signs adorning craftsmen boutiques around the city epitomize the feel of the small medieval town for me. When combined with an architectural masterpiece such as one of the city clocktowers, a craftsman’s sign is my perfect favorite sight of Rothenburg.
 

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We have spent a significant amount of time on the Costa Brava over the course of a couple of summers, and know the region quite well. It is also one of the most-photographed locations in our archives, giving me a pretty large selection to choose from for the purposes of this essay.

Here is my hands-down most favorite sight on all of Costa Brava.
 

 
It is the view towards the marina from our rented villa in the hills above the town of L’Estartit. I spent long hours on the villa balcony, aided by salchichón and local red wine, alternating reading with gazing onto the sea. (My family would likely be at the beach during that time, but I much prefer quiet repose to beach-going.)

Here is a closer view over town and marina towards the small group of islets called Illes Medes.
 

 
I have never actually ventured close to the islands myself, but the rest of the family took journeys around Illes Medes, and we have several excellent close-ups of the rocks. Here is one.
 

 
The towns along the coast and also several miles inland are full of typical local architecture and delights. We have a couple of favorites in always stunning and yet amazingly peaceful Pals, or sometimes overcrowded but lively Begur, but step into Peratallada or Ullastret or the historic part of Torroella de Montgri, among others, and you will be infused with the unique Catalan atmosphere. Here is a small selection of sights.
 

    
  

 
And why not, here is another perspective from the same spot as in the opening shot but at a different time of day.
 

 
I did say it was my hands-down favorite, didn’t I?

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A bit of a misnomer, the title of this post. While I certainly want to include another country in this series at this point, we have neither spent significant time in Ireland, nor photographed it enough, in order to properly designate destinations or sights as “favorite”.

Nonetheless, Glendalough Valley, within easy driving distance from Dublin, is remarkably scenic and serene, headlined by the medieval monastic site with a famous round tower. Below are a few of my favorite shots taken on our visit there.
 

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Many tour-books call San Gimignano “Manhattan of Tuscany”, on account of a dozen or so surviving medieval towers that form a veritable skyscraper cluster. The towers attract huge crowds of tourists to the town whose ancient core remains attractive and picturesque even when being overrun by sightseeing hordes.

Here is a view to the town from a distance.
 

 
There are two towers that stand pretty close to each other and, while they actually differ in size and would not be called remarkable on their own merit, from a number of angles they bear certain resemblance to an erstwhile New York City landmark.
 

 
Climbing the tallest of San Gimignano’s towers, Torre Grossa, is highly recommended, especially since it is not as taxing as tower climbs elsewhere. The views over the Tuscan countryside are amazing. Here is one prominently featuring the not-so-twin towers.
 

 
This line of houses on the main square, Piazza della Cisterna, is one of my favorite sights in town.
 

 
San Gimignano is small, and we visited enough times to be able to explore areas beyond standard tourist routes. On one quiet street, we found a row of doors guarded by sculpted heads. Here is a fragment.
 

 
And this is just so unmistakably “Tuscan hill-town” that I like this shot even though there is clearly nothing exceptional about it.
 

 
Tuscan towns are among the most-frequently-visited destinations in our travels. That form is set to continue this year.

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Unlike in Bruges, we only spent short time in Ghent, a half-day at the tail end of a weekend-long Belgium-centric getaway while living in England. The town certainly deserves more attention. While not as picturesque as Bruges overall, it does offer several superb attractions and more than a few locations worthy of a photograph.

My favorite sight of Ghent is unsurprisingly its central quay, Graslei.
 

 
There is something fairy-tale about this view. Maybe, it’s a vestige of my childhood. Having read a lot of Hans-Cristian Andersen tales when I was little, I always imagined European towns to look something like this, gabled houses and all.

As is my custom, I climbed to the top of Ghent’s Belfort to absorb views over town. The perspective onto St Bavo Cathedral is pretty impressive.
 

 
Another place to come back to eventually.

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I do not count Berlin among my favorite destinations. I am aware of its reputation of a happening and up-and-coming place, and there are certainly more than a handful of attractions worthy of a visit in the German capital, but on balance it fails to project sufficient draw for me. A completely subjective personal opinion, mind you.

One sight that I can call a favorite in Berlin is that of the Neptune Fountain, located in a cluster of landmarks around Schlossplatz, with the dome of the Berlin Cathedral in the background.
 

 
One of the symbols of Berlin, the Brandenburg Gate, also merits inclusion. During our visit in 2005, there was an exhibition commemorating 60 years since the end of the second World War that juxtaposed the ruins of 1945 Berlin landscape with its modern lines. Taken from not the most evocative angle, but still quite powerful.
 

 
Reichstag would be another inclusion, but I fail to locate a good picture in our archives. That might be my main reason to consider visiting Berlin again.

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Segovia – within an easy day-trip distance from Madrid – is one of those picturesque locations, where every turn around a corner brings you to a great photographic spot. It boasts a few major can’t-miss sights, but it is the often flamboyant house ornamentation on its narrow pedestrian streets that leaves the most lasting impression.

I will start with the iconic sight of Segovia – that of its aqueduct.
 

 
The 2,000-years-old masterpiece is one of the best-preserved artifacts of the Roman empire in all of Europe. The old town, with its jumble of roofs and colorful exteriors, starts right by the aqueduct.

Alcázar of Segovia frequently finds its way on the lists of the most striking castles in the world. It is without a doubt impressive.
 

 
I especially like the view over the old town from the high towers of the Alcázar.
 

 
And then, there are the streets and squares in the city core, lined or surrounded by buildings of mostly uniform height but far from uniform look. Here is a square off busy pedestrian Calle Juderia Vieja.
 

 
Walking up the same street, one can enjoy the sight of the exquisite domes of the Cathedral and its belltower, in the framing of stuccoed buildings.
 

 
Here are a couple more perspectives of the houses found on Segovia streets.
 

  

 
A gem of a city!

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Bath is an elegant city in south-west England, famous for its roman baths (hence, the name of the town) as well as for its Georgian architecture (dating from the 18th century, when England had a succession of kings named George, hence, the moniker). It has a fair share of attractions, impressive sights, and visual delights, from the Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, founded all the way back in 7th century and commonly known as Bath Abbey, to the Roman Baths built atop hot springs that were discovered nearly 3000 years ago, to the flowers of the Parade Gardens, to the semi-circular majesty of the Royal Crescent.
 

 
Since we combined a stay in Bath with a visit to Stonehenge, even though the latter is located quite some distance from the former, I am including a Stonehenge shot in this post. After all, I do not have much material for a separate “favorites of south-west England” entry, and Stonehenge is too wonderful a sight to be omitted from this series.
 

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If there was a town that I could fall in love with after a single short visit, Aix was it. I am naturally predisposed to historic places with centuries-old architecture, small, even intimate confines, and atmospheric quality. Aix-en-Provence is all that.

This one shot of a fountain and a cafè on a small square tucked away from motorized traffic perfectly explains what I like about Aix.
 

 
There are a few of those in the old part of the town.

Just as there are many streets such as the one below on the left, with street-side restaurants taking up most of the sidewalk. Remarkable edifices, such as the Clock Tower in the shot below on the right, obviously enhance the town’s appearance.
 

  

 
Too bad our visit to Aix had to be limited to only a few hours. The next one will be longer, I’m sure.

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It’s hard to avoid using Alhambra as a dominating topic when it comes to Granada. The magnificent palace and fortress complex is a must-see destination for any visitor to Granada. Not surprisingly, some of my most favorite sights of Granada are those found within the walls of Alhambra.

Starting with this view that only hints at architectural magnificence spread across bright and beautiful gardens.
 

 
This corner of Alhambra is called the Partal. The five-arched portico is probably the oldest standing part of the complex. Together with the reflective pool in front of it, it is a place to linger at.
 

 
Generalife, a private retreat of the Emir located some distance from the main palace is just as visually arresting as the core of Alhambra. The palace may be comparatively subdued in its glory, but the courtyards, the gardens, and the fragments of Moorish ornamentation are none the less magnificent.
 

    

 
Then, there are the vistas. Here is the view of the main Alhambra complex from the terraces of Generalife.
 

 
And adjusting your field of view to the right, you can see the white-washed Albaicin on the hill opposite Alhambra, and Sierra Nevada mountains in the background.
 

 
My opening statement notwithstanding, it would be unfair to shortchange the Old Town of Granada by focusing only on Alhambra and Generalife. There is plenty of historic architecture, fun narrow alleyways lined by [tourist-oriented] crafts shops, attractive squares and monuments. Here is one of the squares surrounding the Cathedral.
 

 
The next shot is not just a favorite sight but veritably a favorite photograph. It is the church of Santa Ana that stands in the corner of the vast square that is called Plaza Nueva in one half and Plaza Santa Ana in another. I am fond of this shot because it required minimal post-processing while coming out really sharp and dramatic.
 

 
The torrential downpour started just a few minutes after this shot was taken.

I’ll end this Granada essay with a nod to a can’t-miss activity. While churros con chocolate can be found all over Spain, the ones we had in Granada on several occasions are the best we ever had. On the main square of the Old Town, Bib-Rambla, there is an eponymous cafè to which we returned several times over the years solely for the purpose of ordering their churros. Here’s a shot of Becky enjoying the treat on one such occasion.
 

 
Great city, good times!

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It defies explanation, but on my half a dozen visits to Siena I never managed a good photographic shot of its famous main square, Piazza del Campo. I have plenty of shots taken on the square, but none that would relay the magnificence of its enclosed shell-shaped expanse. Inexcusable, really.

At least the main edifices located on the Piazza, the palace and the exquisite bell-tower, feature prominently in our photo archives.
 

 
Although it might entail a period of waiting in line, I highly recommend attempting to climb to the top of the tower. Even forgetting my natural inclination to explore the highest viewpoint at any locale, the rooftop views from Torre del Mangia are simply magnificent.
 

 
Siena’s Cathedral is among the most ornate and exuberant ones in Christendom. Here’s a fragment of its façade.
 

 
Despite being a significant tourist destination in its own right, Siena happens to be a living city, with plenty of regular life going on in the historic city center as a quiet contrast to the hustle and bustle of main tourist sights. Many a street view such as the one below can be found in various parts of the city core.
 

 
And, of course, after Il Palio is run, the winning contrada colors dominate major city arteries. These are the colors of Bruco (caterpillar). We happened to be in Siena right after its last victory in 2008.
 

 
A return visit to Siena (and Tuscany as a whole) is already planned for next year, soon after the Palio is held. I wonder which colors will greet us.

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We went to Cologne – or Köln, in German – for two short occasions, every time with a specific goal in mind. The first, an intraday stop on a big journey around Germany, was solely to explore the famed Cologne Cathedral, one of the most impressive Gothic churches in the world. The second consisted of a weekend of browsing Christmas markets that abound in the city.

It is no surprise then, that my favorite sight of the city combines the reasons for those two trips. Here is the view of the Cathedral towering above the market on the square if front of it.
 

 
Following significant destruction during the Second World War, the town has been rebuilt with a notable lack of impressive architecture. The Cathedral, however, is not the only architectural marvel in town. Cologne also boasts twelve Romanesque churches around Aldstadt, its Old Town area. They customarily provide winning background to perspectives along various streets, such as the one below, presided by the Church of St Aposteln.
 

 
Even in places that are not major destinations on their own, I can always find something fascinating. That’s what makes travel such a passion of mine.

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Azure skies, no less azure sea, sun-drenched waterfronts, sleek yachts – if this is what comes to your mind when you hear the words “French Riviera”, you are not alone. On our most recent stay on Côte d’Azur, we saw quite a lot of the same, as evidenced here.

The marina and waterfront of St-Tropez.
 

 
St-Maxime’s marina.
 

 
The lighthouse guarding the entrance to St-Tropez’s marina.
 

 
And then, there are plenty of delightful corners on the streets of these resort towns. For instance, this hat shop in St-Tropez is one of my most favorite shots anywhere. Can’t even explain why.
 

 
Aimlessly walking down the narrow streets, you will alternate between impressive, sometimes ostentatious, architectural pieces and quiet, colorful and quaint nooks. Most of the shots below were taken in St-Tropez, but also is St-Maxime and St-Raphael.
 

    

    

 
Hard to pick a favorite for someone who enjoys just walking around, looking for visual surprises.

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Like any homogeneous rural region elsewhere in the world, Cotswolds have their own unique charming features, from distinct architecture of quaint cottages to the wide expanse of sheep-dotted pastures. Our exploration of the area was nothing short of delightful.

Unfortunately, we brought a lemon of the camera with us to Cotswolds, and most of the shots taken on that trip came out well below par for publication. As a result, we have not a single passable shot of the fetching river that flows through the center of Bourton-on-the-Water; nor of the stately elegance of Broadway; nor of the tight medieval-like confines of Chipping Campden; nor of the relatively bustling “riverfront” in Stratford-upon-Avon; nor of any castles and gardens that we visited.

Several random shots did come out perfectly well (which tricked us into thinking that we were ourselves at fault for the bad ones, perpetuating our pain through Amsterdam), but it made my choice of “favorite sights” practically non-existent.

Here is one such sight – the view from the top of the Broadway Tower over the town of Broadway and the surrounding countryside. It does give you an idea of what the local landscape looks like.
 

 
And here is a pretty emblematic background of an open garden in the back of a small town, featuring two young ladies who are much older nowadays. This was taken in the garden of Snowshill Manor, a country mansion remarkable for the collection of curiosities – and seemingly everything else – that its former owner had gathered over his life.
 

 
Yet one more place in the world that awaits to be better photographed by us!

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Brugge – or Bruges, for those who prefer its French name to the Flemish one – is one of the prettiest cities in all of Europe. Small enough to be covered within a day by the majority of visitors, it manages to offer uncountable impressions of picture-perfect beauty.

My most favorite views of Brugge are those of its canals and canal-side buildings.
 

 
These bay windows coming right out to the canal are a fascinating feature all by themselves.
 

 
Northern European gabled architecture is lavishly presented on the vast expanse of the town’s main square, Markt.
 

 
Architectural delights can be found in different parts of the “old city”. The shots below are of the elevated passage above Blind Donkey Alley; of the corner of Burg, the second grand square in the city center; of the exquisite belfry tower that soars above Markt; and of houses lining one of the central thoroughfares.
 

  

  

 
Definitely one of my favorite places in Europe!

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Any visit to Cordoba will be first and foremost about the Mezquita, the enormous mosque-cum-cathedral that is one of the most accomplished monuments of Moorish architecture in the Western world. Its onyx, marble and granite columns crowned by double arches are a magnificent sight to behold.
 

 
Access to the mosque is through the Patio de los Naranjos, which, as the name suggests, is full of orange trees.
 

 
The belltower of Mezquita’s minaret is the dominating feature of the old quarter skyline.
 

 
The narrow passageways of the old Jewish Quarter that extends from Mezquita walls are an attraction in their own right. In fact, I do not believe there is a better preserved medieval Jewish Quarter anywhere else in Europe.
 

  

 
We never managed to be in Cordoba during its early-May “festival of courtyards”, when many houses open their gates to the passerby to come inside and enjoy the beautiful tiles, columns, arches, and decorative flowers found in their courtyards. You can catch glimpses of that beauty through the closed gates at other times, and we even snapped a few examples on our walks around the old quarter.
 

 
Cordoba is a fascinating trip to different times!

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With apologies to a couple of friends who made it their home in recent years, Zurich is nice, not more than that. It does not possess a wealth of monuments or significant architecture pieces, counting on being charming rather than impressive. Although I habitually put it on top of the list of European cities I would not mind relocating to (on the strength of both its location in the center of Western Europe and its significant job market in my particular field), I cannot convincingly designate a must-see spot in all of the city.

All of my favorite sights of Zurich are views of the riverbanks of Limmat, which separates the core of the city into roughly the “old town” and the “financial district”. Banks’ buildings may be stately and remarkable in their own fashion, but they are well hidden by the pretty houses and churches that line up the quays, so you probably would not be able to tell which side is which. Not that you need to.
 

 
The last picture is of the twin towers of Grossmünster, the dominating feature of Zurich’s skyline.
 

 
Climbing up one of the towers for a commanding view over the city, the lake and to the surrounding mountains is one thing I would recommend to any visitor to Zurich.

I don’t plan to go back to Zurich anytime very soon, but surprisingly, looking at the pictures, I feel a bit of a pull…

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The Valley of Loire, home to a few hundred castles, is a fascinating destination for a Western history and architecture buff, who I make pretenses to be. We’ve been to the area more than once, visited all major points of interest and a fair number of minor ones, and definitely marked a few of the castles as our favorites.

Our top favorite is Château de Chenonceau.
 

 
Frequently dubbed a “Castle of Ladies” on account of being associated with a number of important women in French history, it is an exquisite piece of architecture. With a long wooded alley leading up to it and majestic formal gardens fronting it, it is as fairy-tale-like castle as they come. It also spans a river – albeit a small one, called Cher.

Our second favorite is Azay-le-Rideau.
 

 
This castle is smaller, more intimate, maybe not as regally serene, but still awfully picturesque.

The largest of them all – and an obligatory stop on practically any castle-viewing itinerary – is Château de Chambord.
 

 
Built as an official royal residence in 16th century, it has several famous architectural details, among them the double-helix staircase rumored to have been designed by Leonardo da Vinci, and the elaborate masonry of its roof, with a fantastic assemblage of towers, cupolas, gables, lanterns, and chimneys. A few of the castle and roof details.
 

    

 
While the main attraction of Loire Valley is undoubtedly its castles, there are hundreds of quaint, charming, vivid and photogenic corners all over the area. Places where I feel inclined to linger and take in the serene beauty.
 

  
 
  

 
A significant portion of “lesser” castles (not châteaux, but rather domaines) exist nowadays as hotels. We stayed at a couple during our visits to the Valley. Here is a view of one of those, Hotel Domaine de la Tortinière, near Tours, which attempts to blend historic magnificence with modern facilities.
 

 
One other of our favorites is Château de Villandry. What it lacks in presentation from a castle standpoint, it compensates for with its incomparable gardens.
 

 
Those are just a few favorite castles. I am omitting Chaumont, Cheverny, Langeais, Blois, Amboise, Usse, and dozens of others, each with its own unique and fascinating features. Loire Valley is the land of the castles like no other.

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