Favorite Photos of the Week from 2012
I browsed through JA’s weekly featured photos to pick 12 of my favorite travel images from 2012. You can download all of them as desktop backgrounds.
Photo of the Week – or POTW, as I call it – is the first feature I had in mind when starting Jetting Around. As much as I enjoy writing, I also love taking photos – often times at night and from towers or bridges. Since I don’t travel (or leave home) without my camera, I have plenty of opportunities to shoot cities and then share my finds with you.
Here is my selection of photos from the past 12 months, grouped into views from above and other favorites. I chose the images either because of the view or a travel moment they remind me of.
Are any of the cities on your 2013 travel list?
VIEWS FROM ABOVE
Paris - Looking down from the Eiffel Tower
Waiting in a long line to go up the Eiffel Tower was quickly forgotten once I got to see Paris from above. I stood there for several minutes, admiring the street layout – not symmetrical, yet harmonious.
Looking down from the Eiffel Tower
Seville - View from the Giralda Tower
I spent a lot of time on the street level in Seville’s historic neighborhood – enjoying afternoon siestas in local tabernas – but seeing the city from the top of the Giralda Tower was equally fun. Once I caught my breath after climbing it, that is…
View from the Giralda Tower in Seville
Barcelona – View from Park Güell
I wasn’t immediately smitten with Catalonia’s capital, but it started to change when I visited Park Güell. Designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí, this charming public space features stone and mosaic buildings, a spacious terrace, and lots of vegetation. The picture was taken from the terrace and features two buildings at the entrance to the park.
Panorama of Barcelona, stretching from Park Güell
San Francisco – Rooftops
Thanks to a friend and former San Francisco resident, who took me to the rooftop terrace of the San Francisco Art Institute, I was able to view the city from a new angle. One familiar structure was the spiky skyscraper on the left side. It’s the Transamerica Pyramid, San Francisco’s tallest building.
San Francisco rooftops
Chicago – The Skydeck
Walking over a city on a glass balcony suspended 1,543 ft/412 m above ground sounds like fun to me – and is less scary than I expected. You can experience it from the Skydeck on the 103rd floor of the Willis (Sears) tower in Chicago. The views are worth dealing with crowds and waiting in a long line for the elevator.
Chicago’s Skydeck Ledge on the 103rd floor of the Willis (Sears) Tower
OTHER FAVORITES
Paris - A café at Place des Vosges
My first solo trip to Paris was my third overall, and at that point I was quite familiar with the city and knew which places I wanted to revisit. One of them was the lovely Place des Vosges, a tree-lined square surrounded by red brick buildings with white stone detail. If I hadn’t already had coffee that day, I would have loved to stop at the cafe pictured here.
A café at Place des Vosges in Paris
London – Tower Bridge
With only two days in London, I wanted to make the most of my time there – see several major landmarks and somehow find time to explore beyond the city center. On the way to a birthday party at a traditional English pub, I walked by the River Thames to take pictures of the famed Tower Bridge. It was rainy and a bit cold, but luckily there was no fog. The bridge looked stunning that night.
Tower Bridge in London
San Diego - Boats in the San Diego Harbor
After visiting several big cities in California, a trip to San Diego was in order. When I arrived there, I was immediately taken with the San Diego Harbor, set against gentle hills north of downtown. The next day I took a boat tour of the harbor and enjoyed the views – and South California’s beautiful weather – from the water.
Boats in San Diego Harbor
Boulder – View of the Flatirons
My trip to Boulder – located 30 miles northwest of Denver, Colorado – was the first time I went hiking since my teenage years. It didn’t take long for me to recall what I used to love about it – views, exercise (I’ll take hiking over going to the gym any day), and fresh air. The Flatirons are a witness to the resolution I made that day – that I would hike more often.
Flatirons in Boulder, Colorado
Chicago – John Hancock Center
The wedge-shaped, dark steel John Hancock Center is one of my favorite buildings in Chicago. I can’t walk past it without looking up, just like the day I took this picture.
Looking up at the John Hancock Center in Chicago, the 4th tallest building in the city
Chicago – “The Bean”
One of the city’s most popular attractions – and one of the newer ones – is the bean-shaped Cloud Gate, a mirror-surfaced sculpture in Millennium Park. Since its completion in 2004, it’s been a draw for many visitors and locals, who can look at themselves and a reflection of the skyline from a variety of angles. You can see me in the middle of the photo, holding a camera.
Inside “the Bean,” a reflective sculpture in Chicago’s Millennium Park
Krakow – Main Square
The city’s biggest plaza used to be my favorite hangout when I lived in Krakow. Nowadays, it’s the first place I go to whenever I’m back in the city. I could spend hours in outdoor cafés, browse selections at small bookstores in historic buildings, or look for amber jewelry inside Sukiennice, a Renaissance merchants’ hall in the middle of the square.
The Cloth Hall (Sukiennice) in the middle of the Main Square in Krakow
Have you been to any of these cities? Are they on your travel list? Let me know in the comments below!
Category: BLOG, PHOTO OF THE WEEK, Special Features
About the Author (Author Profile)
Pola Henderson is the founder and editor of Jetting Around. She grew up in Krakow, Poland, lived in North Africa, and has called Chicago home since 2002. Traveling internationally has been a part of her life since she was 3 years old. When she isn't busy in her day job, Pola ventures out to explore cities and their culture. View more...Subscribe
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Kraaaaakóóóów!!! :) So pretty!
Mariella recently posted..2012 in pictures
It’s such a beautiful place, isn’t it? :) Thanks for stopping by, Mariella (and the Polish spelling)!
Great photos! Cool Eiffel Tower and Skydeck shots. Love checking everything out from up-top city skyscrapers and towers.
Aaron recently posted..A New Year = 100 Coffeehouses.
Thanks, Aaron! We should go on a photo outing next tweetup. :)
Jetting Around recently posted..Photo of the Week: Boats in Ensenada, Baja California
It’s a pretty dang beautiful world, isn’t it? Thanks for presenting it to us in such style.
Happy New Year!
~Josie
Josie recently posted..New Year’s Eve in Baltimore, U.S.A. — A Photo Essay
Thank you for the beautiful words, Josie!
Your photos are ALWAYS a favorite of mine, and this post is no different. Can I come to Chicago for a photography lesson?!
The World Wanderer recently posted..2013: The Year of No Limits.
You are too kind, Erin!! Thank you. :) I bet a photo outing would be fun!
Love the collection!!! La Giralda in Sevilla is one of my favorite towers in the world. I went 20 yrs ago! Cheers and keep the great photography coming!
Raul (@ilivetotravel in Twitter) recently posted..The Christmas Lights at the Botanical Gardens
Thanks so much, Raul! Seville is a great city and I’d love to go back there at some point. I loved the old town.
Some amazing photos Pola…cheers to many more in 2013!
D.J. – The World of Deej recently posted..Discovering Georgia’s History on St. Simons Island
Thanks, Deej! Happy 2013 travels. :)
city views are totally the way to our hearts. love your photos, pola!!
the lazy travelers recently posted..no travel required
Always happy to hear from other city lovers! Thanks LT. :)
Very, very nice pictures!
My favorite one? Place des Vosges, Paris ;-)
Miret recently posted..A Venetian New Year’s Eve dinner
Merci, Miret – I like your choice! There’s something about that place… My JA profile pic was taken there too. :)
Great pictures. I am trying to decide which one is my favorite. Although the Colorado and San Diego pictures are beautiful, I am going to have to pick the Tower Bridge at night photo as number one. Well done!
Traveling Ted recently posted..Feeling like an ass in the Guyana Rupunini Savannah
Thank you, Ted! The London pic has great memories associated with it – I’m glad you picked that one. :)
Love the photos taken from on high – great new perspectives on familiar scenes!
Kerry (Goodtrippers) recently posted..A Beginner’s Guide to Eco Stays
Thanks, Kerry! Glad to hear that! :)
I love all of these, but I’m partial to the Paris one and the two Chicago ones. I even spied myself in the Bean. :-) Beautiful as always, Pola.
Leah Travels recently posted..Umbria, Italy: Cook, Eat, Drink, and Repeat
That’s right, you’re in the Bean photo too! :) I remember that cool turquoise coat! I’m glad you like the photos & thanks for your kind words. :)
I love your photos Pola! Actually, Chicago was on my list for 2013 but now I’m going to Boston instead…
Anita recently posted..Sonntag in Zürich – Unter der Nebeldecke
Boston is nice too – the old part feels quite European with its cobbled streets. But I do hope you’ll make to to Chicago sometime, it’d be great to meet. :)
always love your photography too.. and i guess I must pick a favorite, right? the one from the ledge of the Sears Tower is amazing, but part of me wants to pick tower bridge since i know exactly where you were for the photo… we always tend to select one’s that hit us personally don’t we? well i guess i do.
great expo.
stay adventurous, Craig
Craig Zabransky recently posted..Sunset Sunday – Near South Shetland Islands, Antarctica
I appreciate your kind words, Craig! And I like your reasoning behind picking London. :) Every time I see someone else’s photo of the bridge, I am reminded of my time there.
Aww, you came to my home state and hiked at one of my favorite places – the Flatirons! Totally agree with you on preferring a hike and being outdoors doing something active rather than going to the gym. Hiking’s one of my favorite outdoor activities and Boulder’s a great place to do it.
Boulder was fantastic! It was really inspiring to see so many people hiking, but the paths weren’t crowded. A perfect combination.
Gorgeous shots Pola. I think the one from Paris is my favorite– maybe that’s because it’s about lunchtime now:-)
Jeanette recently posted..Chloé’s Abidjan Birthday!
I’m glad you like the Paris one. It brings back some wonderful memories for me… :)
I agree about the one in Paris! The streets are so seemingly chaotic, but from above look so orderly! Makes me want to get back to Paris stat!
Andrea recently posted..#30 Thing to do the year you turn 40
Thanks, Andrea! I’d love to go back to Paris too… Go back, live, either. ;)