Here’s some random photos from around San Felipe during race week. No particular order…
Mar 142012
Photo: Olomouc town hall and main square at dusk
Olomouc is my favourite city in the Czech Republic and one of my favourites in Europe overall. It’s located in Moravia, in the eastern part of the country and easily reached by train (3 hours) or bus from Prague. Olomouc is a lively student town with no shortage of cobblestone roads, narrow alleys, historic monuments and churches, atmospheric teahouses for rainy afternoons, and a large variety of pubs to keep you out until all too late – there are 25,000 students among a city population of 100,000, meaning there’s always some place to go. And where else can you go have a drink in an old Soviet TU-104 airplane that sits in a parking lot near the supermarket. The restaurants are tasty and cheap with a good selection to choose from, and there’s no shortage of cafes either. Even a budget traveler can eat like a king with little need to worry about those tourist traps found elsewhere. Olomouc is basically a mini Prague, minus the kitsch and hoards of tourists. The main square even has one of those astronomical clock things on the side of the town hall.
I’m not really sure why Olomouc hasn’t become more of a travel destination than it is, especially for backpackers. For example, there’s only one hostel here (Poet’s Corner – A super cool place and one of my favourite hostels) compared to how many dozens in Prague or even in Cesky Krumlov. Olomouc is pretty much halfway between Krakow and Prague. Though maybe that’s where the problem lies; people just pass by on their way from one hotspot to the next. But maybe that is also good, as it keeps Olomouc a ‘real’ city and not some circus attraction that the other cities have unfortunately become. And for me, it’s a good thing. I look forward to my next visit.
Photo: Holy Trinity column – UNESCO historic monument
Photo: Street tram and cobblestone roads
Photo: View of the main square from the tower at St. Moritz church
Photo: Church towers fill the horizon, view from the tower at St. Moritz church
Photo: Interior of St. Mary of the Snow church
Photo: Enjoying the unique setting of a Soviet TU-104 airplane and bad 80′s dance music.
Photo: Fires of the Ewige Anbetung light festival above Pottenstein, Franconia, Germany. Jan 6, 2009
As the light of a cold January day fades into night a thousand fires are lit, illuminating the hillsides surrounding the town of Pottenstein. The fires are part of the Catholic celebration of the Ewige Anbetung (Eternal Adoration) which occurs in Pottenstein on the 6th of January every year. The light and fire festival attracts thousands of visitors who line the hillsides and fill the streets, braving the cold and watching a display that can only described as spectacular. To see the Lichterfest in person would be a memorable moment of any winter holiday in Germany.
Photo: Burg Pottenstein and fires of Ewige Anbetung Lichterfest, Pottenstein, Franconia, Germany. Jan 6, 2009
When:
Thursday, January 6th 2011
The festival begins around 5pm as the sky gets dark. Be sure to arrive early to find parking. The fires will burn for a couple hours into the night.
Where:
Pottenstein is located in wonderful countryside of the Franconian Switzerland (Fränkische Schweiz) region of Upper Franconia (Oberfranken), Northern Bavaria. By car, Pottenstein is approximately 1 hour north of Nuremberg or 30 minutes south of Bayreuth; 10 km west from the A9 autobahn. Postcode 91278.
There are also several other light festivals of the Ewige Anbetung celebrated elsewhere in the Fränkische Schweiz region in the weeks preceding the festival in Pottenstein. CLICK HERE for more information and dates (in German)
Oct 022010
Nidaros Cathedral, Trondheim, Norway.
I had 1.5 days to wander around Trondheim at the end of my Norway trip back in August. Luckily I had some nice sunny weather as I wandered around the streets.
Jun 072010
I was over in Italy working on a project for a couple weeks back in May. For the most part I was based in Bologna, where unseasonably bad weather brought rain and gloom nearly every day. Luckily I was working inside most the time, so it wasn’t too bad, but it meant that any free time I had wasn’t very conductive for photography.
I did have some free time and ended up on the Italian Riviera for a few days, where the weather was a bit more cooperative.
Scenic little harbor in the town of Portofino, at the end of the road on a tiny peninsula. The town is a little north of the more popular Cinque Terre region, so it is much less crowded while still pretty nice.
Camogli, another nice little town.
Harbor and hillside houses in Camogli.
Italy – Images by Cody Duncan
May 092010
I feared Stockholm, as I did all ‘big’ cities back then. It was the summer of 2001 and my buddy Joe and I were on a 2 1/2 month trip though Scandinavia. We had good plan, yes we did. Arrive at Arlanda airport, put our backpacks on and walk out into the forest, heading north for several weeks. Visit a couple rune stones, drink from rivers and lakes, make a nice little camp fire each night and visit a town or village once every week or so to resupply on food.
Ha! Our backpacks were so heavy that we could hardly even walk. After wandering around for 45 or so minutes we discovered that one simply couldn’t ‘walk into the forest’ from the airport, or at least not without more bushwhacking than we had a desire for after some 30+ hours of no sleep. So the decision came, Stockholm or Uppsala. “Well, Uppsala is fairly small. We can go there then walk out into the forest and find a place to crash for the night, better than being stuck in some giant city with no idea where to go.” So we thought to ourselves. 45 minutes later we were getting off the bus somewhere in the middle of Uppsala around 10:00 at night. Hmm, Lost again. Luckily, my asking a woman on the street for directions in my 5 words of Swedish led to her letting us stay at her place for the night.
“We’ll probably go to Mora next.” I said.
“What? No, you don’t want to go to Mora!” Camilla replied.
“Why not?” I asked.
“Well, there is nothing there. It is just a boring town, nothing to see.” She replied. “Why don’t you go to Jämtland. There are nice mountains and lots of hiking. Quite popular among Swedes.”
So the summer started. We headed generally north through Sweden and into Norway. We ended up in some real shitholes of towns as well as some cool places. Mostly we traveled by pure dumb luck of two 20 year olds, not having a guidebook or anything for help.
By the end of July we ended up in Göteborg, a city down on the south west coast of Sweden. By this time we felt like veteran travelers. We knew that you had to get on the correct ‘wagon’ when taking the train, otherwise if you just sat in a seat with your number on it, someone else might show up looking to sit there at the next stop. We could hop on the city trams like a local and navigate the streets with only minor episodes of getting lost. We could catch ferries out to cool little islands, being the only non Swedes around. My Swedish had improved to 10 words and I actually knew how to say ‘Hemköp‘ correctly. Life under the long summer days was good. So the decision was finally made, Stockholm.
Now, to cut a long story shot, I loved Stockholm and ended up spending nearly two weeks there all in all. Normally, and even to this day, I’m not much of a fan of cities. But Stockholm, well, It is such a cool place that I can’t help but like it. I spent endless days just wandering among the narrow streets of Gamla Stan or out on the wilds of Djurgarden. Afternoons sitting in Cafe’s or eating ice cream with new friends on warm summer evenings. I guess it’s good that I put of Stockholm until the end of the trip, otherwise I may have just been lazy and sat there for 2 months…
I finally returned again in October 2009, the streets still familiar in my mind like I was just there the month before. The crisp autumn days and colors turned the city into a near magical place. As much as I liked the summer, I now think autumn is the time to visit.
Oct 252009
Gamla Stan (old town), Stockholm. Cobble stone streets, narrow winding alleyways, brightly colored buildings, tourists, and street cafes; the old town of Stockholm fits the ideal of a classic European city and is a wonderful place to wander around, day or night.
Mar 182009
I was walking to the bakery this morning and I got the feeling that something wasn’t right. Took me a minute to figure it out, that the sun was shining and even a few birds were singing. Spent the past weekend down in Regensburg, but the camera never made it out of the backpack. On Friday I will be “flying into winter” for a few days, more when I get back.
Picture: Auerbach Rathaus (city hall).
Jan 052009
