Fotoeins Fotografie

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Posts from the ‘Photography’ category

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Baldwin Street, Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand

Dunedin: Baldwin Street, (2nd) steepest in the world

July 2019: The record for the world’s steepest road now belongs to Harlech, Wales (CBC News).

In Dunedin, New Zealand, make your way from the city centre, around the University of Otago to North Road, and onwards to Baldwin Street, where The Guinness Book of Records declared the latter street as “the steepest (street) in the world” in 1997. With this claim to fame, the street is touted as a place to visit in Dunedin. Anybody who’s spent time in San Francisco should take the challenge and find out whether the ascent grade on Baldwin Street approaches or exceeds their experience in the American city by the Bay.

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New Zealand: Air Safaris’ Grand Traverse flight over the Southern Alps

The majestic mountain spine along New Zealand’s South Island is known as “The Southern Alps”; the Maori Ngai Tahu name for these mountains is “kā tiritiri o te moana”. For many locations around the South Island, you cannot avoid or ignore the sight of looming towers of rock and snow.

Between visits to the Franz Josef Glacier and Fox Glacier, I’d been thinking about whether or not I should have a look at the mountains from above. It would be beautiful, but it also seemed very expensive. What to do, what to do … it sounds stupid writing it out now, but a unique opportunity had presented itself, and I knew I’d have deep regrets if I didn’t take it.

I bit the proverbial bullet and hopped onto a plane with Air Safaris for a 50-minute “The Grand Traverse” tour including aerial views of various glaciers, Horokoau (Mount Tasman), and Aoraki (Mount Cook).

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Royal Scottish Academy, The Mound, East Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh, Scotland

Edinburgh: 2 days in the Scottish Auld Reekie

What happens over two days in Edinburgh?

I had an opportunity in early November to visit a friend in Edinburgh, Scotland; the city was a place I’d been looking forward to visiting for some time.

It shouldn’t surprise anyone the weather was cool, wet, grey, and windy … except when it was cool, dry, clear, and windy. The weather summary might have appeared something like: “mostly cloudy with rainshowers, accompanied by fresh westerlies and occasional clear spells.”

But coming from Vancouver, Canada, I really should be made of sterner stuff. Besides, the Old and New Town areas in Edinburgh were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995.

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Zollverein Colliery, Essen, Ruhrgebiet, Germany, Deutschland, Welterbe Weltkulturerbe, UNESCO, World Heritage, fotoeins.com

Essen UNESCO WHS: Zollverein and Coal-Mining History

A desolate former coal-mining industrial region isn’t a usual candidate for a place to visit. However, the Zollverein coal mine in Essen, Germany provided the impetus to seek out aspects of industrial photography. There’s something special about the way light strikes metal which brings out various aspects of shape, form, and texture.

I’m beginning to understand the historical significance of coal-mining to the people and to the economy in the Ruhrgebiet (Ruhr river region). Over decades, a cloud of “grey” hung over the region, as air- and water-pollution took its toll, and the economic influence of coal began to diminish.

To mark its importance to the modern industrial development and history of the region, the Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001. The entire refurbished complex now houses space for art, design, and cultural exhibitions, and is also home to the Ruhr Museum, shedding light on the industrial history of the Ruhrgebiet, providing historical accounts of the economic importance of coal mining and its consequent decline, as well as descriptions of existing and future economic redevelopment plans for the Ruhr region.

Essen was designated as one of three European Capital Cities of Culture for 2010; a number of projects, sites, and monuments throughout the Ruhrgebiet were on display, including the Zollverein.

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