There is something unique about the urban life in many of the Western European cities. The activity and urban life I witnessed during my few brief jaunts to different cities left me longing for such a similar hub of activity. And I wondered what it was that created that feeling.
I realized that it really centered around exploring the old-towns in the country, replete with timber-frame housing dating back centuries, listening alternately to the harsh clanging of church bells and the melodious sounds of the choir, the vibrant street-music and colorful shops, and sipping on refreshing tipples in biergartens and wineries.
While not every place I visited had the entire gamut of experiences, most did. And Colmar, pictured here, came pretty close. And I was often torn between being a photographer documenting the scene, and enjoying the moment.
Colmar
Alsace, France
Nostalgia on the Wine Route
Sunlight had yet to reach the narrow deserted alleys of Eguisheim in the early morning. But the pastel-colored timber-framed houses dating to the middle ages still glowed brightly. This early in the spring season, the houses looked bare without the baskets of petunias adding vibrancy to these inner streets. And yet, it was a pleasure to walk around and find this oft-painted location in this beautiful village along the Alsace Wine Route
Eguisheim
Alsace, France
Stretching the Stars
The pandemic does strange things to ones mind. I have spent many a dull moment cooped up indoors thinking what my past self was up to a year ago.
And this time, last year, I was up in the mountains of the French Alps, hiking a portion of the Tour du Mont Blanc, a famous hiking circuit that circumnavigates Mont Blanc on the border of France and Italy. Hiking up and down rugged mountain passes through glacial valleys and lush green meadows, and never far away from the jingle of a rustic cowbell, the trip will take a special place in my heart.
On this one rain-free night, I snuck out of the Rifugio to catch a catch a glimpse of a moonlit valley, with mellow clouds streaking above a windswept landscape of the Valley of Glaciers
Bourg St Mourice
France
The Paths We Follow
If the path be beautiful, let us not ask where it leads...
- Anatole France
For me, nothing excites me more than packing on a backpack and camera gear, and taking my first step on a path that leads into the mountains. Around every corner is a new surprise, a new sensation, and a new vista. And in the mountains of the French Alps, every turn brought about a new scenery, whether it be snow-capped peaks trailing into the horizon, the bountiful growth of colorful wildflowers or the sound of the cheerful cowbells of the local herd.
And on glorious mountain days like this, I cared not where the path took me, but where I currently was.
Tour du Mont Blanc
Europe
Swirls of the night
After a long rainy day, it was a pleasant surprise to see moonlight glazing over the glaciated peaks of the French Alps. And at this remote refugio deep in the heart of the alps, I thought I had found the perfect location to capture the swirls of foggy peaks. But what I didn't expect, and grew tired of, was the incessant barking of a guard dog from a nearby farm. And for the next hour, nary did a minute pass without interruption, leaving me wondering when I was going to get bitten by a guard dog in the middle of the Alps.
Tour du Mont Blanc
France
Fragility
It is a tragedy that has befallen this mighty building.
The Notre Dame captured my heart the very moment I saw pictures of it while looking at the Paris guidebooks. And when I visited this impressive piece of history 10 years ago, I couldn't contain my excitement.
Even from afar, the Notre Dame Cathedral is an imposing structure: two tall towers rising 70m above the mass of low-rise buildings that dominate the center of Paris, behind which the lie the cross of the 73m long nave and 46m wide transept, each rising 4 stories, and supported by the massive bulwarks of the flying buttresses. Even the spindly spire that collapsed was large from up-close.
It took 100 years to build, and it stood through 800 years of tumultuous history, through both the World Wars. And yet, even such a mighty structure can be fragile. I do hope they rebuild it to its former glory.
Paris
France
Blue Hour in Colmar
The aptly named Little Venice in Colmar, was full of surprising delights. Turning around one corner, I found a small garden replete with a period fountain adorned with a statue, crumbling walls covered in vine, and a timber-frame house standing gallantly. Around another street, and I found rows of beautiful historical houses and structures carefully nurtured, a testament to the city council. If those timber-frame houses could speak, they would narrate oodles of tales from its long storied history.
They might have been residences, shops and tanneries during their glory years, but now they have been converted to souvenir shops, cafes, and restaurants, serving the throngs of tourists exploring the heart of the Wine Route. As the sun sets and the light disappears, the tourist crowd dwindles, leaving behind fairly empty streets devoid of the energy and activity of the day. And while this may be forlorn, it is just perfect for photography, especially during the blue hour.
Colmar
Alsace, France