Hello again everyone,
now where does the time go? I find it difficult to believe that we are into April already. It is time for an update, telling you a little bit about what I have been up to. After more than seven years, I felt that I was well overdue to make a trip back to Europe to visit family as well as friends and also to take the opportunity to take a few side trips here and there.
A lonely tree...
Now for those of you that haven’t been to Europe before, it might be hard to imagine how small everything really is compared to North America. Picture for a moment the province of British Columbia with a population of a little over 4 million. Now imagine a country that could fit into the province of British Columbia almost three times. This country is Germany, which by the way has a population of over 82 million!
While getting to know my girlfriend Steffi’s homeland of Austria, we explored lots of interesting areas between Salzburg and Vienna. The weather had been fairly grey for a few days and when it finally cleared we took the opportunity to ride a gondola up to the top of Untersberg, just outside of Salzburg.
A restaurant in the mountains of Austria outside of Salzburg.
A frozen window serves as a reminder of the weather from the past few days.
Four.
After Austria, we hopped on a train and at speeds of over 200 km/h traveled right up to northern Germany. The infrastructure of the public transportation system throughout Europe is quite remarkable. Together with my sister and her boyfriend we toured a small town on Sylt, a little island in the North Sea.
Ocean surf on Sylt in the North Sea.
Gold and Silver.
Once Steffi departed back home for work, I spent a few weeks with my mom and friends in my hometown close to Hannover in northern Germany.
The core of Hannover built during the medieval times.
Modern architecture in Hannover.
An array of colours within an alley.
Using a little imagination while having a campfire BBQ with friends, I noticed this little butterfly.
The butterfly effect.
I also spent quite a bit of time in the Deister, a small forest where I grew up as a child. With its beech and oak trees, it is a very different forest to what we can find here in western Canada. Unfortunately I didn’t get to see the forest in its lush green colors and instead had to deal with the drizzle and grey overcast skies, which are so typical for northern Germany during January and February. However, I was still able to get a few interesting shots from time to time.
The path less travelled...
Rays of light.
Together with a friend from Canada, I also went on a 24 hour power-trip to Berlin. The time was insufficient to absorb it all in detail, however, we were able to get a brief glimpse of what the city has to offer in terms of its history. All throughout the city one can find old sections of the Berlin Wall, which separated East from West Germany before it was opened in 1989.
Sections of the Berlin Wall.
Towards the end of my trip in Europe, Steffi and I hopped in the car and drove down to Venice for 3 days. We toured the city, took a ton of photos and explored a little of the surrounding countryside of Italy. It was a perfect time of the year to go and wander the alleys of Venice with the weather being warm already yet early enough to beat the tourist tsunami of the summer.
Traffic in Venice.
A black and white image I thought would best bring out the feeling this city offers. There are no cars within the city limits and everything is done by boat.
Sleeping or not?
I like the way this fisherman’s companion was snoozing on the deck of the boat, soaking up the warmth of the sun.
The red vase.
All throughout Europe one can find countless numbers of old churches. I find it astounding to see the architecture in these buildings, given the means the people had back then to erect these structures. The lighting inside was perfect in the above image to make that red vase really stand out.
The inside of an old church.
The lighting was also very pleasing inside this old church, whose construction was completed in 579! Think your house is old?
Still waters in the canals of Venice.
The many boats moored in the labyrinth of canals throughout Venice offer many good opportunities to a photographer.
Backlit wings.
I particularly like the way the light illuminated the wings from behind, creating a very calm setting within an image full of motion.
I hope that you have enjoyed reading about and looking at these photos from my trip to Europe.
By the way, if you like icecream as much as I do, treat yourself to some real Italian icecream at least once in your life. It is absolutely amazing!
Cheers. Florian