Well maybe not quite exactly, but water has always exerted a not so secret fascination over me, ever since I was little. Be it moving in the rain or just watching the waves go by. Lakes will do in a pinch, but I prefer bodies of water where there is more movement, so while landlocked places are nice and have their own beauty, there is something about a river, the sea or an ocean that draws you in.

I haven’t seen it in a while, but when it was in use, this bridge connected the mainland with a nearby island in Helsinki. And by island they mean a tiny patch of land big enough to fit a restaurant and a sauna. The only way to reach it in the summer is by boat, so walking across the sea was most definitely a chance we jumped on when presented with the opportunity. Sunset in the very early hours of the afternoon has its own special magic, when you first experience it.

I love this street in Budapest, whether it’s pouring down or the sun is out. There are so manly shops, old buildings and restaurants / cafes / bars, you could dip into any one of them and see a whole different world. The Opera is there as well, and between highbrow culture and nightlife, you can see pretty much all aspects of humanity, especially when you take its side street with their theaters and entertainment venues into account. I loved this moment in the rain, because it was so typically Hungarian for this time of year, but also mirrored that aspect of this particular avenue.

A lonely crushed beer can on one of the benches of the above street / avenue embodies this perfectly. How many hopes and dreams of the people who lived there were crushed because they were promised more than the promise maker could (or intended to) keep. How many were fulfilled, and in both cases, at what price?!

Seeing things like this, I’m beginning to understand why people in the Nordics place such a premium on walking and hiking. In fact, I’m pretty sure that walking and hiking are an immensely popular pastime in places where nature has a lot to offer. Which goes without saying, but a walk in the city and around a park just hits differently than out in nature, more so when said nature is right outside your doorstep. I know I’m stating the obvious here, but it’s interesting how this becomes evident when you think about it in more depth.

I wanted to play around with industrial imagery, see if it could be rendered beautiful and how this could be done. You might have to look very carefully to notice the rain drops in the puddle, but the picture also made me realize that there can be beauty in industrial shots.

Suomenlinna or Sveaborg, to use its Swedish name) was a fortress built on an island, or an island built on a fortress, depending on your perspective. It still harbors a garrison but also 800 people living there, is a tourist attraction as much as a site for picnics and the occasional swimming spree if you’re not entirely opposed to sharing your swim with assorted reptiles. Needless to say the views are always phenomenal.