You know, I don’t really understand a suburban environment. I want to be out in the woods, I want to be where it’s wild, I want to wake up and hear birds, I want to walk outside and see a gaggle of turkeys bouncing across my lawn – I want to be someplace like that – or I want to be right in the middle of an urban environment. – Karen Allen
This week Sofia asks us about urban environments – I used to love visiting big cities now and then, for a week or two. But, due to covid, the last three years we have stayed at home. I must admit I miss those adventures…
I will tell you something of why I liked visiting the cities chosen.
But you can find anything in Rome…
A gallery of the kind of urban environments that I love the most. Narrow alleyways and old buildings. But as Sofia says, new architecture can also be interesting. Like Bilbao in the header and Århus in Denmark.
Finally, my nearest big city, Malmoe – the photo taken from a plane flying in from somewhere in the world. Santiago Calatrava’s Turning Torso shining in the evening sun.
”This week’s challenge is about how you view any urban environments you came across, either by visiting as a tourist or the place you live in or commute to every day. What makes that city or town special and how do you capture it.” Please link to Sofia’s marvelous original post and tag with Lens-Artists so we can easily find you.
Last week John emphasized the way of transport to your destination. An inspirational challenge where the different interpretations were varied and interesting.
Next week is Tina’s turn to host, please have a look at her wonderful site and join us if you can.
For more information on how Lens-Artists Challenge work, please click here.
Leya 
A real feast for the eyes, Ann-Christine! You have been to so many cities in Europe and I wish to have this experience one day. I love all the photos, whether modern or traditional. Still, the colors of your Warsaw photo were a great surprise.
I just popped over to see your Japan photos – talking about colours! Wonderful!
Thank you so much! I’m really glad you liked the photos and colors.
Thank you.
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Love those old windy alley ways in the old parts of town; fantastic set of city scapes 😃
So glad you liked them, Jez! Old cities have much to give a photographer.
Beautiful examples Ann-Christine!
Thank you – a fun challenge it was!
The portrait of the man is by the restaurant we had dinner in when we were in Edinburgh!
Loved Edinburgh
Great gallery 🙂
Haha, how great! Thanks!
Beautiful city captures A-C. Nice glimpse of a variety of cities and I really like the shot of the guy reading the book. Well done 🙂
Thank you, and I am not comfortable taking photos of people. He did not mind though.
Spectacular photos, particularly Århus.
Very special place, thank you!
A class of your own, Ann-Christine. There’s always something about your posts that inspire me. Things did change with Covid but I hope you get to travel again soon and I have to say, Porto is probably perfect for you. You’ll love it, I’m sure. On another note, I smiled when you said you love the way Scottish people speak. A few stories about that: when caught behind enemy lines during the Second World War, they would speak scots to confuse the German army and after years of living here, sometimes I still cannae (can’t) understand a word they say…
Thank you kindly, Sofia. Always so positive and lovely.
Haha, I agree…they have to speak slowly for me to understand. Sometimes I do ;-D
Tho’ I have lived semi-rurally for a long time now am a born-and-bred city girl ! Love your gallery. Have wanted to see Arhus for a long time now tho’ quite a few Northern friends do not seem as thrilled 🙂 ! Actually the two most on my wishlist are Barcelona and Bordeaux . . . . hoping !!! Malmo is the closest city to quite a few I know . . . .does not look very romantic from the air . . . 🙂 !
Thank you! Well – at least I love Aarhus! And Malmoe? I don’t like Malmoe and it is one of the less romantic cities in the world, I am sure…
What a lovely post. So many great photos. I’m not a city person and I think I prefer those with an old part the most. But now and then it is nice to visit one for the buzz and the museums and art galleries.
I think we are about the same there. The old Balkan cities are just wonderful.
I’m like you, I’m a country girl through and through who lives near a wooded area
Then we are both lucky!
Yes we are
Great great GREAT response to the challenge. Superb. You get around!
Thanks, John! I got around…before covid.
I hope you’ll be able to visit another beautiful city soon. My favourite of these is the intriguing one, fourth from the bottom, but they are all great pictures.
I am happy you liked them, Susan. I have a trip planned for Porto since before covid…let’s see if we get there now!
All of the photos are beautiful, makes me want to get up and go. The modern architecture in Denmark is something else.
Thank you so much – and I really loved Aarhus!
Gorgeous gallery
Thank you! A bit too many, but I love those narrow streets.
Understandable
Gorgeous photos, they really demonstrate the vast differences in each urban environment 😊
I am glad you liked them – thank you!
You have visited many lovely cities. I visited Edinburgh many years ago and I liked it too. Great images one and all
Thank you, yes, many lovely cities…and I am glad you saw Edinburgh too! I miss it…would love to go again.
Yes I too would love to return to Scotland
♥
That is the most beautiful photo of Rome! Yet again I ask myself why I haven’t been there? Nor Madrid, but that is on the list. Expensive it may well be, but Arhus looks striking too. I hope you love Porto, Ann-Christine. Waiting for a reply from a friend who was there earlier this year.
Thank you, Jo! I hope to come to Porto, finally…and I hope you will go to Rome some day!
🤗🤗💗💗
A w0njdrfully energising post. How to pick a favourite? No idea, but in a crowded field, I’ll pick your header photo of Bilbao.
Thank you, Margaret – I love that one too. It was such a great thing to finally come to Bilbao and the museum.
Isn’t it THE most fantastic place?
YES
Terrific as always Ann-Christine. Loved all of the images and especially your header. While I love Bilbao I hadn’t heard of and will admit I’m not a great fan of the Turning Torso. seems rather out of place to me, altho it’s gotten lots of awards. The views must be phenomenal. I also really liked Arhus ahtough I’d not heard of it before – it looks really interesting in a funky kind of way. I guess I’m a bit of a classicist when it comes to big cities although I do love the modern architecture in NYC – just because it seems to belong there and doesn’t stand alone as the Torso does. But the image I loved the most was the painting with the woman at the window. Wouldn’t you just love to have taken an image like that?!
Thank you, Tina. Swedish people in general don’t like the Torso at all, and everyone tried not to have it…but since it is here, we have to get used to it.
What I really like is the portrait of the woman, painted by – Salvador Dalí!
Thanks for bringing these wonderfull architecture into our homes, thanks to your website.
Thank you for a lovely comment!
Wonderful photos! I especially love the symmetry in Denmark and the colors of Warsaw.
Thank you, Dawn! I must agree, that’s what I like about them too.
So enjoy these urban gallery around the world, AC! All are beautifully taken, and they tell stories of these special places!
Thank you so much, Amy for liking them! In fact I would love to visit a city again after these covid years…
These are awesome photos for an urban theme. It was fun seeing a different side of you ;D
;-D I am glad you found a different side of me, Cee. Since covid it doesn’t show very much, I agree…
You always have beautiful photos but this time I also enjoyed your explanations of why you loved visiting the various cities. I enjoyed the gallery the most, I think, but the quote didn’t resonate with me. We live in the suburbs and although I often long to be in nature, I only care to visit urban/big cities sometimes. At least in the suburbs I have a chance of getting to nature more quickly and easily and I don’t have to deal with as much traffic, as many people, etc.
Thank you, Janet, and I agree in a way with you about suburbs. I live in a amll village, almost a suburb to the nearest town. I love living here, for all the reasons you write, but in my heart I would love to live IN nature, and I really used to love visiting big cities for some days now and then. But I could never live there…