From a global perspective, Svolvaer may be just a little town, but in regards to the Lofoten islands in Northern Norway, Svolvaer, with its 5.000 inhabitants, is truly a metropolis. The people of the region come here for shopping and for administrative duties. Moreover, it is a cute town with lovely parks and many colorful houses. Some impressions from a walk in July 2019.
Photographed in Vienna, Austria in October 2019.
The city of Wrocław is the historical capital town of Silesia. A prosperous land in the center of Europe close to Bohemia. The town changed its affiliation several times. Founded by a Czech duke in the 10th century, it became part of the first Polish state and a political center of the Kingdom. In April 1241, during the First Mongol invasion of Poland, the city was abandoned by the inhabitants and burned down for strategic reasons. Later, it was repopulated by German settlers and became part of the German region of Silesia. After the 2nd World War and the westward border shift, Wrocław became Polish again. The city always was open to different ethnicities and languages, though. It is one of the most visited places in Poland and welcoming to tourists worldwide.
Most of the visitors arriving in Spain visit the coasts and Madrid. Not as many people travel around the region of Castile. Being the historical heartland of the Spanish kingdom, though, the areas of Castile and Leon have a lot to offer. The town of Salamanca, for example, has the oldest university in Spain and is one of the oldest in the world (pictures 1, 3). Burgos was one of the first capitals of the kingdom and is still a pretty impressive town with a grandiose cathedral (pictures 2, 4). The city of Avila is pretty interesting because of its completely intact medieval city wall (last photo). All of these towns have beautiful churches and exquisite cuisine. Also, the region is compact; you do not travel more than two or three hours to the next larger city.
The city of Tarnów is situated in the south of Poland. Before WWI, this part of the country belonged to the Austro-Hungarian empire, so the town shares many architectural features with other places in the region, like a large square and pretty baroque houses.
The Promenade d’Anglais in the French city of Nice is one of the oldest urban beachfronts in the world. In English, the name translates to Promenade of the English because at the beginning of the early 1800s, primarily British noblemen and aristocrats came here to spend their winter vacations in the warmth of the Mediterranean. Later, the first hotels were built at the sea, and a walkway at the coast came into being. The pictures were shot in February 2019.
Michael Hoffman Photography 