I’ve spent a lot of time traveling lately…traveling by “trains, planes, and automobiles” with a hefty dose of walking. We spent 3 weeks in Switzerland, spending time with family and enjoying some of the culture and beauty of that little country.
One day involved a train ride up the mountains to Gonergrat, where we were treated to a perfect view of the Matterhorn and the surrounding Alps. It was truly awe inspiring scenery but it seemed too vast and amazing to capture in pixels. I just soaked it in to my soul and will remember that feeling. Another day involved a car ride through the lush green hills of the Appenzell region. Those hills were dotted with geranium covered Swiss chalets and hundreds of Swiss brown cows. Every bend in the road presented another postcard view of the area. Again, it seemed that any images I captured failed to fully convey the essence of that place. And, to me, those scenes, while beautiful, are obviously so. Of course we see them and are inspired by the beauty. We expect and delight to be astounded by such beauty.
Traveling by airplane usually involves a lot of time waiting in airports and most airports do not offer much awe inspiring scenery while you wait. We don’t expect to see anything interesting or beautiful during those waits. To keep me occupied while waiting at the gate in the Zurich airport, I wandered around with my little point and shoot camera and captured reflections that I saw. I’ve been playing with reflections for a while now so it was fun to continue that. There’s usually a lot of windows, therefore light, in airports and the floors are usually highly polished (especially in Switzerland where even the parking garage floors shine), so reflections abound. It was interesting to watch for the colors and the shapes that were right under our feet if you only pay attention.
What beauty have you seen lately that was not obvious?
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