Revisiting Lisboa Pt. II
This is the second series about my revisit of the capital of Portugal, Lisboa in October 2017. You’ll find the introduction right here.
Revisiting Lisboa Pt. I
During a winter a few years ago, I had the privilege of living in Lisboa (Lisbon), Portugal. Working a full-time job, I had the weekends off to discover the city, trying to capture the colors and the spirit of Lisboa on camera. I published the results on this website between late 2014 and early 2015. You’ll find a collection of the series right here. My piece about Azulejos, the traditional craft of manufacturing ceramic tiles, is still one of the most clicked articles on this website.
So two months ago, I got to return to the beautiful capital of Portugal again for a few days, and I fell in love again. As I used to do, I took my camera bag. I roamed freely around the city again, revisiting parts of the town I already knew and discovering new places like the Convento di Carmo, an abandoned church I hadn’t been to before. Of course, you never take the same shot twice; there is always a new angle, perspective, and, in this case, a new camera and lenses.
It felt like a direct continuation of what I had done a few years before like I would never have been away. Also, the weather was perfect for photography in these last days of Iberian summer. I’ve spent some time curating the new shots and making them into a couple of new series, which I will release little by little during the following months.
Discovering Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the largest and most important town of the Alsace region in France, situated at the river Rhein close to Germany. Historically, the region as the town itself was contested between these two major European powers, and both cultures are visible in the urban landscape up until today. Large parts of the old town consist of bourgeois houses with timber framing, which is also characteristic of the neighbouring Schwarzwald region in Germany (pictures 1, 5, 7). On the other hand, other parts of the town, like the Gothic churches and neoclassic museums (photos 3, 4), recall similar buildings in Paris. Strasbourg is a lovely town and indeed an exciting melange of European cultures.
Perspectives on Warsaw
Warsaw may not be a beautiful city in the traditional sense of the word, but it is an exciting and vibrant place. Built from the ashes in the 1950s, it was constructed with communist ideals and new technological developments in mind. The streets are broad and make for a lot of traffic, while residential buildings rise in the sky surrounded by a surprising amount of green. Since the 90s, Warsaw has been the undisputed capital of capitalism in Poland, so many new skyscrapers have been built since then. Nowadays, the communist and capitalist structures form an interesting, although at times contradictory, symphony.
Travelling Istria
Today, mostly part of Croatia, the Istrian peninsula was known for its beauty and fertility in ancient times. Traveling around, you’ll discover Venetian architecture, green landscapes, and deep blue beaches. It is the Mediterranean through and through, with friendly people and good food. It is a place worth to learn.
Perspectives on Japan
Traveling through Japan, one notices specific reoccurring shapes and symmetries mirrored in nature. Some are more obvious, like the traditional roof shapes (pictures 1,2,3), which resemble the country’s most famous mountain, Fuji-san, and others are hidden and must be found by the foreign visitor. While the Japanese prefer solid lines and square patterns over round ones, the curated gardens often feature soft and oval shapes, creating a relaxing and pleasant atmosphere (pictures 4,5,6).
Michael Hoffman Photography 