Fairytale castles and grand views in Bavaria

architecture, Landscapes, Photography, Travel

Above: Neuschwanstein Castle, in Bavaria, southern Germany, sits on a hill high above farmland, lakes and small villages.

Neuschwanstein was the castle of “Mad” King Ludvig II, a reclusive Bavarian King. It’s not an ancient castle like many situated throughout Europe. Construction began in 1869, and Ludvig never saw it’s completion, he died a suspicious death one day after being disposed of the throne. Immediately after the castle was opened to the public for tours, and can now accommodate 6,000 people a day.

The castle has played a role in everything from Disney movies to a storage house and retreat for Nazi SS. It sits on a dramatic hill, overlooking Ludvig’s father’s castle, sprawling farms and bodies of water. Fussen, Bavaria, is the closest town.

A hill behind the castle offers the most dramatic views.

Houses situated along a vibrant green river in the town of Fussen, Bavaria.

Hohenschwangau Castle, the castle Ludwig was raised, he always desired to build a bigger one for himself.

A fellow photographer offers some scale and perspective,.

A swimmer far below on the border of sun and shade.

On the move – more road trip iPhone

architecture, Iphone, Photography, Travel, Weekly Photo Post

I’ve been posting photos from a recent road trip, which fits perfectly with the weekly photo challenge, “on the move.” This iteration is going to travel a large distance, between Vancouver, BC and the Oregon coast.

All the pictures show movement somehow – often other people in their daily routine dotted throughout pictures.

So here’s round three of iPhone pictures. I also find my iPhone is very handy while on the move – small, very quick to access camera and also very quick to share. Soon I’ll be back to my posts about Europe.

Church backdropped by skyscrapers in downtown Vancouver, Canada.

Truck towing a truck with a truck on the bed. Not pictured: a truck towing all three.

Rotating bridge on what I believe to be the Columbia River.

Taking the brewery tour of one of my favorite brands, Deschuettes Brewery.

Florence Beach, Oregon coast.

Climbing sand dunes on the Oregon Coast

Icy and windblown conditions on Mt. Bachelor, Oregon.

Amazing Whistler and Blackcomb

Landscapes, Photography, Sports, Travel

Stunning scenery, helicopter-like views and spectacular snowboarding on sometimes treacherous terrain are just a few of the experiences I was fortunate enough to have in Whistler, British Columbia. Whistler and Blackcomb are two mountains in the town of Whistler, where the 2010 Winter Olympics were held. It is one of the premier skiing destinations in the world, with good reason.

Thanks to the Peak 2 Peak Gondola, which features the worlds longest unsupported span, almost two miles, and the worlds tallest lift at 1,427 feet, Whistler and Blackcomb are the worlds largest continuous lift system. The amount of accessible terrain is insane.

Snowboarding in Whistler is an experience I will never forget, and hope to have again soon.

Note: These were all shot with my iPhone, I have GoPro media I hope to edit soon, but realistically may not.

Looking towards Whistler Mountain at the start of the more than 2-mile long Peak 2 Peak.

Hard living in a spectacular condo après-ski.

The gondola’s shadow sits in majestic scenery, a group a skiers barely visible.

Skiing and strange trees on Whistler.

Sun illuminates snow blowing off a cornice.

Roughly 1,400 feet in the air on the Peak 2 Peak Gondola.The only comparable view would be from a helicopter.

Shredding the backside of Blackcomb.

iPhone roadtrip: Fairbanks to Whistler

Black & White, Iphone, Landscapes, Photography, Travel, Wildlife

I recently returned home from a road trip through Canada, south through Washington, Oregon and California, then north through Nevada, Utah, Montanan, Washington and Canada again.

Because of the quickness both in taking and sharing pictures I really embraced my camera phone on this trip. This is the first of likely a half-dozen posts chronicling the road trip from my iPhone.

All these were featured on my Instagram account, follow me @rwoodpix to see what other adventures I embark on this summer.

The first leg of the trip was roughly 2000 miles, from Fairbanks, Alaska, to Whistler, British Columbia, to do some snowboarding. This first post features shots from the road.

Caribou cross the road near the Canadian border.

Leaving Tox, Alaska, on the morning of March 7, 2014.

Entering Canada

Liard River Hotsprings is a mandatory stop along the Alaska-Canada Highway in winter or summer.

Bison are common along the ALCAN,. The one center left moved minimally, so it was alive when we passed.

Blow out along the John Heart Highway.

Pretty light along the ALCAN.

Munich Streets

Photography, Street, Travel

Above: The Marienplatz, “Mary’s Square” in english, in central Munich. Pedestrains gather with New Town Hall in the background.

München is the capitol of the German state of Bavaria, and the third largest city in Germany. The southeastern city carriers old-world charm with churches and town squares while melding touches of modern style.

Bavaria as a whole holds everything from beautiful, culture rich villages, to the Nazis first concentration camp, to lovely landscapes. I will explore them all in future posts.

Todays post will feature some street shots from Munich.

A half-second exposure expresses commotion at Munich main station.

Party goer with a pineapple.

Theatiner Church in the baroque style.

Circles and squares.

Newspaper reading at a cafe.

Street lights reflected after rain, Munich, Aug. 3, 2013.

Travelers at Munich main station.

Sunflower Fields Forever

Landscapes, Photography, Travel

I rarely talk about picture specifications. But on this occasion, through some stroke of luck, a difficult image turned out.

These sprawling sunflower fields were shot from the window of a moving train, somewhere in Switzerland. Camera settings were ISO 3200, 1/800 of a second at f 4.0.

Even though the picture isn’t fully sharp, it would have been nearly impossible to get a better result. I could have slowed my shutter speed to get a smaller aperture, giving more sharpness, but with motion I think a fast shutter speed is more important. ISO 3200 is already pretty high, so I don’t think much would be gained by going to 6400 and getting more noise.

A good image captures a feeling, and to me this represents a very fleeting moment of extraordinary beauty.

Schaffhuasen, Switzerland

architecture, Photography, Travel

Above: The Rhine River bisects the town of Schaffhausen, in northern Switzerland.

Been a long time since my last post, was on a road trip I will soon be posting photos of. But back to blogging!

Schaffhausen is a small town, about 35,000 people, bisected by the river Rhine in Northern Switzerland. A circular 16th century fortification called the Munot is one of the main attractions in town and offers great Switzerland cityscapes.

Spent one night in Schaffhausen before heading to Germany. I (re)learned a valuable lesson at the train station: know when the camera is on manual or automatic focus. Needles to say the picture is 100 percent not in focus, and will not be shown.

On a hot day the shade and cold, damp stone of the Munot provided fantastic relief. Skylights lit chambers inside, outside sprawling roofs showcased Switzerland architecture.

A family pauses beneath a skylight inside one of the Munot’s chambers.

Switzerland architecture in in the town of Schaffhausen.

A watch repairman in Switzerland.

A walk through Teufen, Switzerland

architecture, Landscapes, Photography, Street, Travel

Above: Rolling hills occupied with farm houses and fields weave toward the Swiss Alps, July 24, 2013.

On the northern edge of the Swiss Alps, Teufen is one of many small villages situated along a rail line and parallel two-lane highway. Quaint sights were common while walking the main road. Farms, fields, flowers and felines, mountains, meteorological stations, clouds and signs all spoke of Switzerland.

Directly off the train a colorful sign post and Lambrecht Polymeter, a hygrometer-thermometer instrument that can measure humidity, dew-point temperature, saturation temperature and partial pressure of water vapor.

Click on any image to view in carousel.

Moderately confusing direction sign at Teufen train station.

Lambrecht’s polymeter station 1

Lambrecht’s polymeter station 2

A short walk was abound with great sights.

A hayfield begins in this backyard, construction cranes visible in the distance.

Swiss facade with flowers and feline.

Luminous and contrasted clouds.

Train to St. Galen

Landscapes, Photography, Portraits, Travel

Above: Beautiful vineyards and lake landscape shot through a train window in Switzerland. When photographing from any moving object a fast shutter speed is the number one factor to a good image. This was shot at 1/800 of a second, f 5.6, ISO 400.

After taking the cable car to the top of Europe on the Aiguille du Midi it was time to change countries. A brief trip through Switzerland was next on the list.

In my post Train Station Stretch I talked about the pleasures of riding on trains. Fantastic, constantly changing scenery and a intimate view of locals living day-to-day often made getting from A to B very enjoyable. This train was en route to St. Galen, northern Switzerland.

A good time to catch up on the news of the day is the evening train.

The grand scale becomes evident after noticing the small sailboat near shore.

Preparing for the evening.

Rapid Ascent 2 – Aiguille du Midi

Landscapes, Photography, Travel

Above: Steep, craggy peaks dwarf a steady stream of climbers en route to Mont Blanc base camp. Sun flares intensify an already dramatic scene. July 23, 2013.

My last post – Rapid Ascent 1 – took us to 7,800 feet. It was the first of two gondola rides, and the second climbs to 12,605 feet without a single support tower. The trip started early, at 6:30 a.m., and the line of mountaineers meant waiting for the third car. The views and sunrise proved well worth the wait.

The Aiguille du Midi – meaning “Needle of the Middle” – is the perfect start for someone trying to summit Mont Blanc, taking climbers to within 1000 meters of the 4,810 meter summit. Mont Blanc, translated into “White Mountain,” is the highest peak in Europe.

There are multiple viewing platforms embedded in rock to challenge one’s vertigo. Cross a seemingly precarious steel-grate bridge, walk through a carved out mountain, and take an elevator to the highest point – “ohs,” and “ahs,” can be heard as people take pictures and peer over guard rails. Eye-filling views of Mont Blanc the incredible Alps make this a truly unique experience.