Funny thing: the more I chase gear, the more I realize that some of my favorite images come from the days I carried almost nothing — just the Canon 6D and that unassuming EF 40mm f/2.8 pancake, the lens that looks more like a camera cap than actual glass. And somehow, that simplicity fits perfectly with Vitoria-Gasteiz, this calm and self-assured Basque capital where everything … [Read more...] about Why I love this shot: Plaza de la Virgen Blanca, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Basque Country
El Cid, Burgos, Spain — The Sword, the Legend, and a Memory
There’s something quietly cinematic about standing in front of this monument in Burgos, watching the bronze horse rear with such conviction that you almost expect its hooves to clang against cobblestone. The sky here was gray when I stood before it — that soft northern Spanish gray that doesn’t apologize for existing — and in a strange, almost childish way, it fit the mood. … [Read more...] about El Cid, Burgos, Spain — The Sword, the Legend, and a Memory
Avenida dos Aliados, Porto — Where Power, Identity, and Reinvention Meet
There’s a reason this square feels different the moment you stand in it, even if you don’t immediately know why. The building in the center of the photo — that tall clocktower washed in late-day firelight — is the Porto City Hall. And the place surrounding it isn’t just any square: it’s Avenida dos Aliados, literally “Avenue of the Allies,” named after the alliance between … [Read more...] about Avenida dos Aliados, Porto — Where Power, Identity, and Reinvention Meet
Porto, Proof of Life, and Why Tourism Marketing Has Been Doing It Wrong
There’s a moment in travel that almost always goes unnoticed: the instant when people stop walking and begin gathering — as if pulled by gravity rather than curiosity. In Porto, that moment happens again and again in the square in front of the Sé Cathedral, where a strange, twisted stone column rises like a fossilized corkscrew against the soft Portuguese sky. Before anyone … [Read more...] about Porto, Proof of Life, and Why Tourism Marketing Has Been Doing It Wrong
Porto, Panoramic and Alive
There’s a moment, when you first look across this panorama, where the city doesn’t feel like a destination but a theatre stage caught mid-performance. The Douro River below glints with a strange calm confidence, and the ribbed metal arc of the Dom Luís I Bridge cuts across the frame like a deliberate underline: yes, this place was engineered to impress. The riverfront houses … [Read more...] about Porto, Panoramic and Alive
Portugal’s Tourism Boom Isn’t Slowing Down
Tourism statistics usually arrive as cold numbers on a screen, but Portugal’s latest record — more than €23.5 billion in tourism revenue so far this year, with over €3.2 billion generated in September alone — is easier to feel when anchored to a real scene. Imagine standing in Porto as daylight thins into the soft blue of early evening, the kind of light that makes stone appear … [Read more...] about Portugal’s Tourism Boom Isn’t Slowing Down
November in Tel Aviv
There’s a strangely effortless charm to November in Tel Aviv, and this photo captures it better than any brochure ever could. The sand looks warm enough to sink into, pale and slightly grainy, with soft shadows from the midday sun. A small group of women sits close to the shoreline, relaxed and unhurried, like they have nowhere else to be. Their swimsuits, towels, and a woven … [Read more...] about November in Tel Aviv
Two Weeks by Flixbus: A Slow, Wandering Loop Through Central Europe
There’s a certain intimacy to traveling by bus — you’re closer to the ground, closer to the landscape changing outside the window, and somehow more connected to the places you're passing rather than just appearing in them by train or plane. This route traces a gentle clockwise arc: Vienna → Bratislava → Brno → Prague → Budapest → Vienna again. Each step is short enough that … [Read more...] about Two Weeks by Flixbus: A Slow, Wandering Loop Through Central Europe
Beer Pilgrimage: Eastern Europe, Breweries, and the Quiet Art of Fermentation
There’s a kind of poetic honesty in this scene — rows of cold stainless-steel fermentation tanks pressed against an exposed brick wall, the light bouncing off them in dull silver reflections. The pipes curve like veins, gauges stare like watchful eyes, and the glass barrier separating viewer from machinery feels almost ceremonial, like approaching an altar. It smells industrial … [Read more...] about Beer Pilgrimage: Eastern Europe, Breweries, and the Quiet Art of Fermentation
Vienna Has Lost Its Crown
The mood felt a little different that night, though the tourists probably didn’t notice. In the image, St. Stephen’s Cathedral rises sharply into the deep blue of early night, its patterned roof catching whatever light is left. The Gothic stone façade looks almost stern, like a ruler aware its title has slipped. The crowd in front of the cathedral moves with that typical mix of … [Read more...] about Vienna Has Lost Its Crown