England is a prosperous country when it comes to history and traditions. There are old mansions and ruins scattered all through the nation, surrounded very often by beautiful nature and accompanied by lovely gardens. Amiable is South England, which consists of exciting and sometimes even weird-looking coastlines. Get yourself a nice cup of tea, find a place with a great view, and enjoy yourself!
Wandering through the many labyrinth-like streets of Rome is like walking through history itself. At every corner, there is a church or monument of significance. But what makes Rome are the people and their culture. The Romans enjoy themselves and their lifestyle, which consists of spending time with friends and having a good wine and dinner. Don’t dare to leave Rome without trying some local cuisine! And there is more than just Pizza (although it is delicious over here, to be fair).
I was lucky to come around quite a bit in Europe’s most southwestern country, but a spot blank on my map of Portugal was to the East of Lisboa. The ancient city of Évora was founded by the Romans before Christ. On the day of my visit in early May, the opportunities for exciting shots were great, as a storm came with heavy clouds. However, the sun was still there, refusing to obey and shining on the beautiful buildings of Évora, making for a great and gloomy atmosphere.
Although I traveled to Portugal extensively, curiously, I had never been to the Algarve, the southern coast of the country, before. I must admit I had my prejudices. It seemed to me that this part of the country was reserved for the sun-seeking mass tourist. Northern Portugal seemed much more mysterious and exciting to me. It was the road less traveled. But boy – was I missing out! The Algarve, with its white architecture glowing in the sunlight, seems like a natural extension of the Portugal I know. Sure, there are tourists at this time of the year (beginning of May), but there are not more than in Lisboa. Give it a try!
About a year ago, I published a series about famous Viennese communal apartment blocks called “Gemeindebau.” I photographed the “Rabenhof”, i.e., raven court, in the 3rd district the last time. Today, I want to introduce one of the most famous “Gemeindebauten,” the Karl-Marx-Hof in the north of Vienna, named after the father of communism himself. The large building complex was constructed in the 1930s when Vienna was known as a red city due to the leftwing government in the town hall. The Karl-Marx-Hof was designed and built by a student of the famous Austrian architect Otto Wagner, Karl Ehn, and stretches over a length of more than 1 km. Along the way, there are four tramway stations. The building has a kindergarten, parks, and community centers. In the short civil war in 1934, many socialists barricaded themselves in the sizeable fortress-like building and fought against the right-wing troops. Luckily, there were no deaths. Today, life is relatively quiet here, and the Karl-Marx-Hof is a peaceful fortress of the working class.
Spring is a particular time in the Netherlands. It is the season of the tulips, and the whole country seems to be in bloom. I always wanted to do a biking trip in Holland around this time of the year and I finally managed to do it in April of 2017. It all started where it always starts – in the awesome city of Amsterdam, right strictly at the time when the place was waking up from its winter sleep.
Michael Hoffman Photography 