All photos in this post were taken on January 3rd, 2013, while walking around the Japanese city of Onomichi (尾道, Hiroshima Prefecture) with my analog camera and a roll of b&w film.

After arriving at JR Onomichi Station, the trip started with a cable-car ride up Mount Senkoji. Upon arrival, fellow travelers were soaking in the scenic beauty of the coastal landscape.

Descending from Mount Senkoji (which, peaking at around 140 meters, is actually more of a hill), a rocky pathway leads towards the main sight in this area, Senkoji Temple (千光寺).

The temple’s special location on the rocky surface of Mount Senkoji offers many atmospheric impressions, such as this area with stone statues, …

… or this corner with figures, on which pilgrims can write their wishes and prayers.

Beside the temple’s Bell Tower is an area with ema (wooden prayer plaques), behind which a lovely wide panorama over the city, and towards Onomishi Ohashi Bridge, is unfolding.

Walking further down Mount Senkoji, and leaving the premises of Senkoji Temple, one soon reaches the Pagoda of Tenneiji Temple (天寧寺), which has been towering over the adjacent small houses for many centuries.

Moving on, the pedestrian walkways become a bit more narrow …

… but always allow for a short rest to take in the ambience, and the view over the old town, …

… before continuing down the alleys and stairwells that lead all the way to street level.

From the premises of Myosenji Temple (妙宣寺), one can get a nice glimpse of the cable cars arriving at Mount Senkoji Ropeway Station.

Moving right along through some more atmospheric old streets, …

… we reach the flight of stairs at the bottom of Misode Tenmangu Shrine (御袖天満宮).

After climbing halfway up the stairs, a short look down …

… before finishing the climb, and taking a look at the main prayer hall.

Soon afterwards, it is time to leave Misode Tenmangu, …

… and walk back to Onomichi Station. Inside Hondori Shopping Street (本通り商店街), there are some shop fronts that seem to have preserved their old appearance as if in a time capsule.

This concludes the monochrome visit to Onomichi.

The history of Nanzenji dates back to the mid 13th century, when Emperor Kameyama built his retirement villa at the temple’s present location, and later converted it into a Zen temple. The oldest of the current buildings were built after the civil wars of the late Muromachi Period (1333-1573). Upon arrival at the temple’s premises, visitors will first come across Nanzenji’s massive Sanmon (三門) entrance gate (1628), which extends over the treetops. Behind the gate is the Hattō (法堂, Dharma Hall), a large lecture hall which cannot be entered by the public. Past the Hattō is the Hōjō (方丈), the former head priest’s residence and Nanzenji’s main hall, which is designated as one of Japan’s National Treasures.

Outside the Hōjō, visitors will come across a rather unusual sight: a large brick aqueduct that passes through the temple grounds. Built during the Meiji Period (1868-1912), the aqueduct is part of a canal system that was implemented to carry water and goods between Kyoto and Lake Biwa in neighboring Shiga Prefecture. There are always some interesting and photo-worthy things going on around here.

Nanzenin (南禅院) is one of Nanzenji’s subtemples that is open to visitors. It is located just behind the aqueduct, and includes a mausoleum of Emperor Kameyama, a temple hall and an attractive garden centered around a pond.

At the outskirts of the Nanzenji temple complex, Tenju-an (天授庵) is another small subtemple, dedicated to the Zen master who served Emperor Kameyama in his religious studies. Tenju-an has a main hall, gate and study which date back to the early 17th century. Tenju-an is noteworthy for its two gardens, a rock garden and a pond garden, which are particularly attractive during autumn when they are illuminated in the evenings (as I had shown in a previous post).

On a late afternoon arriving at the village of Mörbisch near Lake Neusiedl, there was a rather special light situation at the small yacht harbor:

The light seemed even a bit more dramatic at the nearby tour boat dock:

Every year from early April to mid-August, White Storks are nesting around Lake Neusiedl – the village of Rust boasts a particularly high number of rooftop nests, …

… as well as a number of stork-themed venues such as this gallery.

The birds also do stride outside their nests, but prefer to keep spots that will give them a good overview of things:

Rust is a pleasant small town with a leisurely atmosphere, featuring street cafés …

… and many restaurants, in which the staple drink is wine from the Lake Neusiedl region.

Burgenland’s provincial capital of Eisenstadt is a short distance from the lake. Its sights include the Esterházy Palace, which is frequently used as a Concert Hall.

Last but not least, the Lake Neusiedl area makes for a convenient base to do a trip to Vienna, the Austrian capital. One of Vienna’s most famous sights is St. Stephen’s Cathedral (‘Stephansdom’ in German), …

…, at the base of which there is the chance to embark on a horse-carriage ride (or, ‘Fiaker’, as they are called in Vienna dialect).

Other sights in Vienna’s Old Town include the Donner Fountain at Neuer Markt, …

… and St. Charles Church (‘Karlskirche’ in German).
]]> http://www.norbertwoehnl.com/en/feature/lake-neusiedl-vienna-austria/feed/ 2 http://www.norbertwoehnl.com/en/feature/bad-urach-germany/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=bad-urach-germany http://www.norbertwoehnl.com/en/feature/bad-urach-germany/#comments Sat, 26 May 2012 01:30:14 +0000 Norbert Woehnl http://www.norbertwoehnl.com/en/?p=5658 Bad Urach is a spa town located in Southwestern Germany, about 50km / 30 mi. south of Stuttgart. The earliest settlements in this area date back to the 11th century. Nowadays, Bad Urach attracts visitors with its thermal spa, and its pleasant town center featuring a late-medieval market square with a city hall and half-timbered houses that date from the 15th and 16th centuries.

Beautiful year-round, Iwakuni is particularly attractive during the cherry blossom season. This post presents a selection of 10 photos that I took there during that very time of the year.

(1) Bucharest

I was lucky to be shown around the center of Bucharest, Romania’s capital, by some photographer friends. The captions below the photos indicate the respective location/site names.

Inside the Biserica Sfantul Anton, built 1545-1554, considered Bucharest's oldest building

Fountain at Piața Unirii, one of the largest squares in central Bucharest

The Romanian Athenaeum (Ateneul Român), an ornate Concert Hall opened in 1888

Business at an Antique Shop in the Old Town

(2) Horezu Monastery

Horezu Monastery is located in the town of Horezu, Wallachia. Founded in 1690, it is famous for its architectural purity and balance, the richness of its sculptural detail, the treatment of its religious compositions, its votive portraits and its painted decorative works. The school of mural and icon painting established at the monastery in the 18th century was famous throughout the Balkan region. The monastery is one of seven places in Romania that have been inscribed by UNESCO on its list of World Heritage Sites.

(3) Berca Mud Volcanoes

The third very interesting place that I was able to see during my Romania visit was the Berca Mud Volcanoes, located in Buzău County, close to the Carpathian Mountains. Mud volcanoes are small volcano-shaped structures caused by the eruption of mud and natural gases, and are a few meters in height. Due to the salty environment, vegetation is scarce, resulting in the impression of a “lunar landscape”.

The park is especially popular with visitors during the autumn season, when leaves are changing color.

At a height of 110 meters and a width of 20 meters, Kamba Falls is the largest waterfall in Western Japan, and is designated as one of Japan’s “top 100 waterfalls”.

The falls are reached on an easy and scenic 15-minute walk, and delight visitors of all ages.

The park is also the habitat of some 200 wild monkeys, creating a lively diversion in the majestic natural setting.

The monkeys go about a variety of pastimes, such as contemplating in the creek, …

… or delivering impromptu speeches.

The monkeys are quite used to the presence of humans, and roam about without reservations.

More than 100,000 people visit the park every year. It is open year-round, except on New Year’s Day.

Bizen-yaki (備前焼) is a type of Japanese pottery most identifiable by its ironlike hardness, reddish brown color, absence of glaze, and markings resulting from wood-burning kiln firing. It is Japan’s oldest pottery making technique, introduced in the Heian period (794-1185). Because of the clay composition, Bizen wares are fired slowly over a long period of time. Firings take place only once or twice a year, requiring the wood fire to be kept burning for 10-14 days at a temperature of about 1,300°C.

Emerging from JR Imbe Station, dancers were just getting ready for their act.

An engaging group consisting of very young performers …

… and still-young performers  -

dressed in colorful costumes, and …

… showing a rather elaborate sequence of dance moves.

After that, it was time to look around the tents and stands, where local potters presented their works of Bizen pottery. A myriad of beautifully shaped and colored tea cups, sake bottles, beer mugs, dishes, vases and decorative items.

The level of interest in those pottery items appeared to be proportional to the visitors’ age,

but many a bargain was to be found upon a closer look.

Imbe is also home to a lovely small shrine, Amatsu Jinja (天津神社).

As one would expect at this location, the shrine features a unique set of decorative elements and ornate details made from Bizen-yaki.

On my way to the Piazza del Duomo in the city center, I passed through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, a beautiful mid-19th century double arcade that is home to elegant shops, galleries and restaurants, as well as some genuinely interesting characters.

Emerging from the Galleria, I saw the Duomo di Milano, the city’s Gothic cathedral, rise in front of me. It is the fourth-largest cathedral in the world, and the largest on Italian territory. First, I took a look inside the nave, which is a dazzling 45 meters high. Everything looked neat and polished, and it didn’t take long before I spotted one of the reasons for this.

The truly impressive part of the visit was to go up to the Duomo’s roof though. After waiting in line with other visitors,

I emerged amidst the famous “forest” of openwork pinnacles and spires, set upon delicate flying buttresses. It is a stunning and quite unique sight.

Elaborate detail is to be found in the figures and structures on the rooftop,

as well as some interesting reflections from the gently bending stained-glass windows.

Soon afterwards, I had to return to the business meeting. On the bright side though, there was an ongoing supply of sweets available in the meeting room