Alley Way

Monte Carlo, Monaco

Sometimes when you visit a place that you have heard a lot about, you get this image in your head of what it would be like to visit there. Often times, it turns out to be a bit different from your preconceived notion. That sort of happened to me when I visited Monte Carlo, Monaco. Everything I ever heard about it was that it was the playground of the rich and that opulence was everywhere you looked. You know what I mean -- shiny new buildings, streets and yachts. Yes, there is money to be seen throughout the city (the streets are not lined in gold) but what was unexpected was the old time feel of some of the alley ways and the architecture there.

As we walked around town, what impressed me the most were not the riches to be seen but rather the alleys like the one in this image. I felt like I was transported somewhere to a different time and the architecture was far from opulent. Quite the contrast of what I expected to like the most.

The Other Side

Portland Head Light, Portland, Maine

Today we revisit the Portland Head Light located outside of Portland, Maine on Cape Elizabeth. Arguably the signature lighthouse of Maine, it is often seen from the vantage point of this earlier post. The lighthouse is surrounded by a huge park and the parking lots are located on this side. What many people don't realize is that there is a trail that leads away from the lighthouse along the cliff. It is from the "other side" that I went to after taking the first series of shots. As you can see, the view of the lighthouse is very different but no less beautiful. Just goes to prove to look at a subject from all angles.

Sailing Into the Fire

Bay of Kotor, Montenegro

Great finish to the Super Bowl game last night after a relatively boring first three quarters. Congratulations to all of the Giant fans out there although being a Eagles fan and living in New England, their win was a little painful for me. Anyway, a quick post and run today. This shot was taken from a cruise ship after leaving the port of Kotor in the country of Montenegro. As we sailed though the winding entrance from the Bay of Kotor to the Mediterranean Sea, the sky was a brilliant color reminiscent of a blazing fire. An awesome sunset.

Straw Protection

Roatan, Honduras

New England's winters can usually take a toll on people living there. Not being a "snow" person, I like to get away from the cold and ice and head south to the warm climate of the Caribbean. This past winter was no exception and we took a cruise out of Fort Lauderdale to visit the Western Caribbean for the first time. One of the destinations of the cruise was Roatán, Honduras. Roatán is an island located near the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the largest barrier reef in the Caribbean Sea (second largest in the world after the Great Barrier Reef). We opted to take a tour of the island which took us to various parts of the island including a beautiful resort on the north end. We stayed at the resort for about an hour and I was fascinated with the straw umbrellas that protected visitors and residents from the rain and sun. I thought the textures in the umbrella would make an excellent subject.

Spiritual

Spirit Island, Jaspar National Park, Alberta, Canada

Every visit to Jaspar National Park in the Canadian Rockies should include a trip to Spirit Island. In this earlier post, I described the rainy conditions as we approached the boat house on Maligne Lake. The boat trip to Spirit Island takes about 45 minutes and circles the small island from the right. The boat leaves its riders off at a dock on the lake's shore allowing passengers to disembark and walk a short trail to get this iconic view of Spirit Island. The lake is famed for the color of it's water with it's surrounding mountains and the view of Spirit Island is one of the most photographed in the world. It is truly a spiritual experience for those who have visited and the island is aptly named.

Early Morning Line-Up

Grand Canal, Venice, Italy

When thinking of Venice, the first things that come to mind are canals and gondolas. The ultimate appeal to romantics visiting Venice is a gondola ride with a singing gondolier showing you his beautiful city. Gondolas became the main way to get around the islands of Venice when horses were outlawed on the streets around the 14th century. At one point in time, there were over 10,000 gondolas in Venice. Today only about 500 gondolas remain and they are used primarily for tourists. It is easy to find gondoliers hawking a ride through the many canals. Gondola rides are not cheap, although the rates are officially set. The rides are about 40 minutes long and if you negotiate a better rate, the length of the ride will be reduced accordingly.

This image of gondolas was taken early in the morning before the crowds descended on St Mark's Square. It is one of the few times during our visit that you could find them unattended without crowds milling about.

Autumn Mirror

Lake Waramaug State Park, Kent, Connecticut

Living in Connecticut, it is easy to take advantage of the fall foliage. I don't have to worry about the peak time to go as I just look out the window to see if it is time. One of my favorite places to shoot is Lake Waramaug State Park which is not far from my house. The park is usually pretty deserted on fall weekdays, which allows me to set up the tripod without any distractions. Only a portion of the lake front is accessible to the public but a road goes around the full length of the lake. While there is no easy place to park outside of the park, if you are willing to walk, there are great vantage points from the road. This image was shot from one of those vantage points and shows the far side of the lake which is also private land. The colors of the hills contrasted nicely with the blue skies and the water was relatively still. Just another great fall day in New England.

Disappearing Bridge

Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California

If I had to pick one city in the US that I would like to visit, it would be San Francisco (sorry San Diego, you come in second). It probably stems back to my first time there years ago when I visited an old friend who had moved there from Philadelphia. I stayed with him at his place for a week and we walked all over the city. My best memory of it was a Sunday morning when we took the ferry to Sausolito to have brunch. I enjoyed it so much that I try to take the ferry there every time I visit San Fran. This visit was no exception. It was late morning when my wife and son boarded the ferry and headed across the bay. As we passed Alcatraz, the fog began to roll in. For anyone who hasn't experienced this, it is a sight to behold. I snapped a few photos before the Golden Gate Bridge disappeared.

Monumental

Artist Point, Monument Valley, Utah/Arizona Border

A quick post and run today. This is another image from the archives that takes us back to Monument Valley and the famous view from Artist Point. It is a spectacular setting and is aptly named. The butte seen in this image is the East Mitten Butte and it is tremendously large, dwarfing the houses that can be seen along the road. You can truly understand why so many westerns and commercials were shot in the valley. It is one of my most favorite places to visit and I am looking forward to retrace my footsteps there in May. Have a great weekend, everyone.

Rainy Day on the Thames

London, England

There are so many sights to see in London that you can get overwhelmed what to do next. We wanted to take a ride on the London Eye but the line was hours long. As much as we wanted to ride it, we weren't willing to stand in line so long. Instead, we spied boat tours to Greenwich at Westminster Pier and decided to take the trip. Our trip down the Thames to Greenwich was quite nice although a bit windy. The cruise takes you on a journey through London, passing through Tower Bridge, Canary Wharf and London's Docklands, finally arriving at Greenwich, from where time all around the world is measured. After spending a few hours in Greenwich, we headed back to London. Unfortunately, the weather worsened and we started the return trip though a constant rain. As we came around a bend in the river, we came upon this scene of the famous Gherkin Building and I was able to get a decent shot of it.

Ice Cave

Lamplugh Glacier, Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska

Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska is a World Heritage Site with 3.3 million acres of spectacular sights and wildlife, including 11 glaciers of which 8 can be seen from the bay. It is a very remote and rugged park as there are no roads that lead to it. The only way to get to Glacier Bay is by either boat or plane. There is only one lodge within the park (Glacier Bay Lodge) and there are no campsites. Campers can stay in the park in almost any area that they want. This past July, we spent almost a full day cruising the bay, taking in it's glaciers. One of the coolest things we saw was this ice cave in the Lamplugh Glacier. The cave was huge, towering about 30 feet at it's highest point, and we had just missed some kayakers that left the cave moments before. The most interesting thing about the cave was that it was temporary. The National Park Forest Ranger told us that it didn't exist several weeks prior to our arrival and that it would likely collapse in the near future.

Venice Rooftops

Scala Contarini del Bovolo seen from Campanile di San Marco, Venice, Italy

When one thinks of Venice, the first thing that comes to mind are it's canals and rightfully so. But there is some wonderful architecture in Venice that is pretty amazing too. One of the hidden gems that we had read about in Rick Steve's excellent guide book was Scala Contarini del Bovolo. It is a unique structure with it's external spiral staircase and arches. We would not have found it without Rick's directions as it is located in a less-traveled side-street near the Campo Manin, near the Rialto. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit there. The next day, we went up into the St Mark's Campanile (bell tower) to take a look at Venice's rooftops. Much to my surprise, I was able to spot the Scala Contarini del Bovolo contrasted against the red roofs.

Cliff Walk Golden Hour

Newport, Rhode Island

Newport, Rhode Island is a great place to visit and has something for everyone. Whether you want to tour the famous mansions, shop, sail, or visit the International Tennis Hall of Fame, it is a must visit destination. For photographers, it is a great place to shoot, especially on it's famous Cliff Walk. Cliff Walk is a 3.5 mile public access walkway that lies on Newport's eastern shore, in between the Newport mansions and the bay. In 1975, the walk was designated as a National Recreation Trail, making it the first in New England. About two-thirds of the walk is in easy walking condition. The balance is a little more challenging but not too strenuous.

This particular October morning was crisp and clear and the colors were spectacular. This composition is from the more rugged end of the walk.

Beach Dreams

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Just a quick post and run today. The weather in New England has been quite cold this past week so when I came across this shot that I took last year in Fort Lauderdale, I started thinking about how nice it would be at the beach. The good news is that I will be headed to Florida in a few weeks and hope to get warm.

Nature's Courthouse

Park Avenue Trail, Arches National Park, Utah

This the second image that I have reprocessed on my recently found archives or as Jimi Jones named them, “Lost Treasure of Len” (my wife is still chuckling about that). This image is from a trip I took with my son where we hiked for two weeks in Utah. This particular trail is the Park Avenue Trail in Arches National Park. It is a one-mile relatively flat trail that traverses the bottom of a canyon where some of the park’s well-known monoliths can be seen such as the Three Gossips, Courthouse Towers, the Organ and the Tower of Babel. This particular structure is the Courthouse Towers. Most visitors to the park stop at the Park Avenue Viewpoint, take a few snapshots, and return to their cars without really exploring this trail. They really miss a spectacular walk that is quite memorable. Once on the trail, it opens up to a wide dry wash, filled with a number of shallow sandstone basins and potholes carved out by erosion.

New York Escape

Carnegie Hall, Manhattan, New York

Today we visit New York City's Carnegie Hall which is one of the last large buildings in New York built entirely of masonry, without a steel frame. Originally built in 1891, the exterior of the Hall was updated around 1900 with several marquees being added to the front entrance. A few years later, city building codes required the addition of the fire escape in this image. The fire escape spans the entire Seventh Avenue façade. When I was composing the shot of the Hall, I was taken by the late afternoon sun hitting the fire escape and decided to change my composition to that of the fire escape rather than the the whole facade.

Crowfoot Glow

Crowfoot Glacier, Icefields Parkway, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada

The Icefields Parkway is one of the longest and most beautiful scenic drives that I have ever been on. The parkway traverses the Continental Divide in the Canadian Rockies and connects Banff National Park and Jasper National Park. The Icefields Parkway is 140 miles long and named for ice field and glaciers that are visible from the parkway. One of the glaciers that can be seen from the parkway is the Crowfoot Glacier pictured in this image. The Crowfoot Glacier's runoff is the main source of water for Bow Lake that can be seen between the parkway and the glacier. The glacier has retreated and has lost an entire "foot" so it no longer resembles the shape for which it was originally named. Even with its missing part, it is still magnificent and provides a breathtaking view especially when seen in the glow of sunrise.

Ready to Ride?

Pudding Hill Road, Lyndonville Vermont

Hope everyone had a great weekend. Just a quick post and run today. This is a fall Vermont scene highlighting these three horses looking for a place to run. Either that or trying to figure out why the 20 or so photographers are taking their pictures.

I Like That Old Time Rock and Roll

Route 66 Restaurant, Bar Harbor, Maine

Today we revisit the Route 66 Restaurant in Bar Harbor, Maine. As I explained in this earlier post, the owner of the restaurant was nice enough to allow 20 photographers to photograph the place. As I looked around the place, I was immediately attracted to this old time jukebox, namely the "Seeburg Selectric Symphonola Jukebox". The JP Seeburg and Company was a family-owned business founded by Justus Sjöberg of Gothenburg, Sweden. In the late 1940s, Seeburg manufactured its popular and distinctive "trashcan-shaped" series of jukeboxes.

When I spied this jukebox, I could only imagine the fascination people had when the first jukebox was introduced. It must have seemed to them a new and exciting invention. It's interesting to contrast the jukebox with today's iPod and iPhone. Wonder what they would say now.

Domes, Domes, Everywhere

The Vatican, Vatican City

Any visit to Rome must include spending time in Vatican City and especially the Vatican Museums. The museums are among the greatest museums in the world and they display centuries of works that include some of the most renowned sculptures and masterpieces of Renaissance art. The lines to get into can oftentimes go on for blocks that take several hours to navigate. When we visited, we had arranged for a special tour and were able to bypass the line. Once inside the museum, the crowds were everywhere. It was very difficult to move and take photos but if you were patient, you could get off a few unobstructed shots.

What was really amazing was the number of galleries (there are 54), each of which had quite a number of sculptures, tapestries, paintings and murals. The Sistine Chapel is the last museum and the only way to see it is to proceed through the other 53 galleries. Talk about a sensory overload!

Every time I looked up, there seemed to be a mural or dome above me. I'm not sure what the name of this dome was, but it sure is beautiful.