The fascinating thing about Lisbon is that it is a very old and a very modern city at the same time. Very few towns seem to be able to combine these two qualities as well as Lisbon does. Barcelona, on the other side of the Iberian peninsula, springs to my mind. The end product is a lively yet beautiful metropolis with much character. Also, there are cute yellow trams; everybody loves these trams.
Shot on a weekend end of February while roaming through the rain soaked streets of Porto in Northern Portugal. You’ll find Part I here.
I have been living in Lisbon since November, there are a couple more months to come. But inevitably, I will have to take my flight back as my stay here is limited. What will I miss? A beautiful city, that’s for sure. And the Portuguese winter. Of course, there are rainy days, but when the sun is out, the city shines, and the people smile (the last one is a cliche ;)). So, what I like to do is seize the day (off), focus on certain parts of the city, and take my time. The beautiful thing about staying in a city for a longer period of time is precisely the luxury of being able to do this kind of “salami tourism.” It allows me to discover hidden streets and uncover interesting artifacts of urbanity (like street art) of the well-traveled routes. Tough a post titled “Discovering Lisboa” has to start with a known and beloved view, I guess, so here we go:
Shot in July 2014.
This one continues the last entry, “The Churches of Georgia,” which I posted a few days ago. After leaving Georgia in the southern direction, the scenery changes quite suddenly. Georgia consists mainly of fertile lowlands and highlands rich in vegetation. Armenia, in contrast, is situated at a higher altitude, lying within a geologically high plateau, which is much older and much rocky than the hills in Georgia. These rocks shine red in many places, giving the landscape an astonishing look (see pictures three and six). Even the capital, Yerevan, seems to fit perfectly into the landscape, built primarily out of reddish stone gathered from the surrounding areas (pictures one and two). There is no denying Armenia is a beautiful place. But the most breathtaking feature is the view of something actually situated outside the country’s borders. The mountain of Ararat lies like a guardian upon the land, and the view of the snow-covered giant (5.137 m or 16,854 ft) is one of the most beautiful things you can see in your life (picture five). As the supposed landing sight of Noah’s ark, it is a spiritual place deeply embedded within the national soul of the Armenians. Today, the Ararat is situated in Turkey, making it an always visible reminder of the painful and complicated history of the western neighbor.
So, finally, here comes the last part of my photographic journey through Greece in September 2013. It all started in Athens, where we found a lively metropole thorn between an ancient and heroic past and a troubled but somewhat forward-looking present. Then, the road trip through the Peloponnese began, leading us through places of myths and nature. Later, we left mainland Greece and continued our road trip on the high sea, heading to the famous Cyclad islands. We experienced the young and open island of Mykonos and paid a short visit to the ancient Delos, but the highlight for me was Santorini. It is such a photogenic island it almost suspends any belief. And beyond being just photogenic, it is lovely. And the most beautiful thing about it is something I didn’t show you yet. The sunsets here are out of this world, as kitschy as they may sound. So I think that’s the way to end the series and say goodbye to Greece for now.. by showing you some of my favorite moments on Santorini at sunset.
Michael Hoffman Photography 