Skip to content

A Journey to Albania

Albania is situated in Southeastern Europe, just north of Greece. Due to its long periods of isolation and its status as the poorest country in Europe, it is not well known, and until recently, just a few travelers came to visit. This is changing in the last few years. More and more backpackers come and discover the beauty of this hidden pearl in the Balkans. At the coastline, more and more hotels are being built, and the infrastructure is growing. There are even talks of reactivating the railway, which was put out of use in the last decades. Albania is a multireligious country, you will find beautiful old mosques in the Ottoman style (picture 1), as well as orthodox churches and catholic monasteries (pictures 4, 8). The people of different faiths live together in peace, and no matter which cultural building you enter, you will receive the Albanian way – warmly and with a smile.

test

IMG_6824 IMG_6851 IMG_6125 IMG_6355 IMG_6215 IMG_5648IMG_6705IMG_6354

The City of Thousand Windows: Berati

Berati is situated in southern Albania and is well known for its history and architecture. Founded in the 9th century, it has always been a hotspot for different religions; up until today, Christians and Muslims live peacefully in the town. Though famous, Berati is mainly for its stone buildings, situated close to each other on a hillside facing the river Ishull. Visually striking are the large windows on these houses, so Berati also got the name “The City of Thousand Windows.”

test

IMG_6634IMG_6610 (1)IMG_5887IMG_6511IMG_6624IMG_6540 (1)IMG_6648IMG_6563

Discovering Coimbra

Coimbra is a city situated in the center of Portugal, halfway between Porto and Lisboa. For many centuries, it was the sole University town of the country and hence renowned as a cultural and scientific center of Portugal. Being home to 140k inhabitants, Coimbra today is undoubtedly larger than the college campus it once was. While wandering the narrow streets and discovering the beautiful architecture, Coimbra never feels like a big city preserving the urban image like it was seen by the many generations of students who lived and studied here. Take a look for yourself.

test

IMG_8035

IMG_8072

IMG_8167

IMG_7839

IMG_8054

IMG_8210

IMG_7947

IMG_8081

IMG_8074

Lisbon in Focus

When people ask me about the craft of photography – and by no means do I want to claim to be an expert – they usually first ask about my gear. I get it; the gear is essential. Of course you want to have a DSLR to get a good quality shot and have a lens with a wide spectrum to catch it all. Post-processing is part of it, too, as are some lighting improvements and tone adjustments. But that’s not what it is really about. You can get good equipment nowadays for less and less money, and that’s cool because it allows more and more people to express themselves creatively. But what I like about photography is getting to look closely, finding interesting subjects, and uncovering the hidden things in daily street life. Basically, photography – or the kind of photography I like – is focusing, finding beauty in common things, and following their geometry. The gear helps, but the work is done by the eyes. The result is joy and maybe some exciting shots (among many many hundreds).

test

IMG_1630 KopieIMG_3963jIMG_1756 (1)IMG_2753 KopieIMG_2436 IMG_1910IMG_1861 Kopie IMG_2792