Ribe is regarded as one of the oldest towns in Denmark. A vital church was built here by the missionary Ansgar of Bremen in the 9th century, probably the first church in Scandinavia altogether. By then, the town was already well known as a port town and for its sophisticated craftsmen. Nowadays, Ribe is of middle size, but the church is still one of Denmark’s finest examples of sacral architecture, and the inner town is lively and colorful.
At the latitude of 71° 10′ 21″ in Norway, there is an island called Magerøya, a seemingly barren land with no trees and harsh weather conditions. The island’s most northern tip consists of a heavy rock reaching into the Arctic Sea, widely known as North Cape, the most northern part of Europe. I had the chance to visit this place a couple of times before, but I saw it as most visitors experience the North Cape: Heavy fog, strong winds, and slim chances to see the midnight sun. In July 2019, though, this changed for me, and I was finally able to visit our home star on a blanket slate of a clear blue sky in the middle of the night.
The phenomenon occurs during the white nights in summer when the sun is not setting down; around midnight, it reaches its lowest point on the horizon but still shines brightly. It looks almost like a sunset, just that the sun is never setting behind the horizon and is getting up again. There is no darkness in these unique and somewhat spiritual nights, and this barren land seems alive like no other place. You see all the birds feeding on the waters, which are still rich in fish and sea animals. And there are reindeer grasses everywhere on the island, eating their beloved reindeer veil, which grows everywhere on Magerøya and is like candy for these animals.
The islands of Great Britain and Ireland are crammed with historical monuments from different time periods, reaching from pre-antiquity (Stonehenge) to the modern era (Shard in London). Many exciting sights though were built in medieval and early modern times (St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, Ireland, picture 1 and Culzean Castle, Scotland, pictures 3, 5, and 7) or in the time of industrialization (Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol, England, picture 2, Menai Bridge, Wales, picture 4 and Britannia Bridge, Wales, picture 6). Some impressions.
Memories from a Journey to the Island. Shot in Chester, Bath, Salisbury and Bristol in July of 2019.
The cathedrals of Salisbury and Winchester are masterpieces of Gothic architecture in England. Usually, I don’t mix styles within one series of photographs, though for this one, I decided otherwise because some of these shots need the contrast and clarity of black and white while others demand color and light. As these buildings themselves offer stark contrasts to the modern world they are situated in today, so do these pictures with one another, highlighting different perspectives of this beautiful architecture.
England is famous for its garden culture. The English garden was created in the 18th century in contrast to the French garden, which is very structured with symmetrical ways and central points. Hence, it is a metaphor for the French absolutism of its time, with the Sun king being in the center of power, all possible ways departing from him. The English system was more nuanced and unclear; there are more secret passageways in the Gardens, an aura of mystery and uncertainty sometimes, and the structures are not so transparent and open to exploration. But of course, the English garden, like its French cousin, is everything but natural; it is thoroughly human-made. One example is the Garden of Arundel on the grounds of the castle, which has the same name in Southern England. The temperate weather in this part of the UK allows for beautiful gardens with surprising diversity, consisting of local flowers and more exotic ones.
Michael Hoffman Photography 