One of the big things I love about Europe is that each street I walk down is littered with history. From the stones under your feet to the houses that line up either side and finally to the people who dwell within the walls. These streets have watched as time just passed them on by while we lived around them and I can’t help but get lost in my imagination when walking them.
Take the above photo from my recent trip to Brindisi Italy. The balcony slowly crumbling away from years of battering by the rain and wind. The flowers ever so slowly growing from their perch on top of the roof, inching closer and closer towards the ground. Window shutters that have no doubt seen more layers of paint than I have decent sunny days in London.
You can look at a street like this and instantly conjure up in your imagination a handful of stories on how life might play out here. An old woman hanging clothes out to dry from the balcony, kids throwing water on unsuspecting pedestrians below during a hot summers day or even an ageing man monitoring the world pass by from a chair in the shade.
When I travel I don’t just go for the big monuments and attractions. I go for the little out of the way streets and alleyways. There I can immerse myself in a world far removed from my own and just marvel in the history of it all.
European streets are full of character, I never tire of wandering without a map and finding myself with views such as this!
I agree Charli, there is so much to see when just strolling around a city in Europe.
Love this picture, it encaptures what I love about Europe.
Lovely post! Looks like you had better weather than I did in Brindisi. When we went, it was gray and rainy. It’s lovely to see the blue sky and sunlight.