Sometimes, a particular light is accompanied by a mood you associate with a city or place. Speaking for myself, that is undoubtedly true with Lisbon, Portugal. At dusk, the earthy tones of the city turn into warm yellow and orange colors. There is no better place to enjoy the sunset, though: at the river Tejo’s banks with a view of Belém on one side and the glorious bridge of the 25 de Abril on the other, watching sailing boats disappear into the Atlantic Ocean.
In 2018, I was fortunate enough to travel to the Adriatic Sea (shortened: Adria) several times, both privately and professionally. A large part of the eastern coast of the sea belongs to the State of Croatia. A country that used to be an insider tip for travelers for many years. Today, millions of people from around the world visit Croatia. Many of them go to Dubrovnik, famous for being the real-life version of Kings Landing. But still, there are many hidden beaches and islands in Croatia where you can find time for yourself. Get sure to stay until the break of dawn so you can see the sun descending into the Adriatic Sea.
Every year or two I have the chance to visit magnificent London. Some pictures are following from my visit in March 2016.
The Palace of Rundāle is situated in southern Latvia. Far apart from any larger settlement, it is a beautiful baroque building surrounded by nature. Rundāle was erected in 1768 and planned by the renowned Italian architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli, who mainly worked for the Russian Zars before and was also responsible for the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg and the Catherine Palace in Tsarskoye Selo. In Soviet times, the palace was used as a school; today, it is refurbished and houses a museum. Part of the historic site is also a beautiful English garden on the rear of the building.
The island of São Miguel is part of the Azores archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean. In contrast to other islands situated west of Europe, like Madeira or the Canary Islands, the Azores are not tropical but look much more like Ireland. Cows and green grass everywhere! I had a chance to visit this beautiful piece of land back in early April and already posted some pictures in June. But there are more of them on my drive; some of them show off the beauty of the island quite well – so I thought I would give all of us (well, all of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere) a break from grim winter and put these on the internet. I wish you all a good Sylvester party and a happy New Year! See you again in January.
Last summer I had the privilege to spend some weeks in Latvia again. The country is situated in the center of the Baltics in Northeastern Europe. The population is concentrated mainly in the capital, Riga, and in other larger cities, while the countryside still maintains a lot of charm and beauty which is already gone elsewhere in Europe. Some impressions.
Michael Hoffman Photography 
