One country, 5 snapshots

Hi there,

I suggest we take a little visual trip around the world while we wait to experience some of these destinations on your future travels. 😉

The concept is simple: one country, 5 photos that, for you, capture the essence of that country. The same country can be shared by multiple participants.

Everything goes, and the thread is open to anyone who wants to join—budding photographers, pros, or complete newbies...

Just one rule: no bad vibes! 🙂

Should I set the example? 😮

Alright, here goes:

France

Some old stones...



Endless meals...



And well-watered ones at that...



Some dreadful, argumentative, and foul-mouthed little rascals...



(Those interested can adopt one of these small characters in Uzès for a file processing fee of 65 €.)

But also dreamy blue flowers...



(Not Morocco, the next stop by any chance?...😊)

off to France for the Marseillais cliché: the siesta :)



Marseille, the 2013 European Capital of Culture—yeah, it was nice, but it cost an arm and a leg for not much 😎



In other cities, you’re stressed out—but not in Marseille :)



Paris is gloomy, but in Marseille, even on the street, people are smiling



France and Marseille are overrun by Roma—it’s getting dangerous. Nah, it just reminds me of India :)



kisses! !

You need 5 of them! 😉

You need 5! 😉

On the same post? Sorry, I misunderstood then [;)

on the same post?.

Yes. 🙂

You must have something like that in your notes for India, right? 😉

hehe, no archives here.

India and photography—it's a total reset until the next trip...

kisses

Gonna have to go back for another little trip to Marseille!

(By the way, on your last photo, is that "Les Crottes" written on the sign?🤪 )

Gonna have to go back for another little trip to Marseille!

You should’ve said so when you came ;)

(In your last photo, is that "Les Crottes" written on the sign?🤪 )

Well, I don’t know if it’s a photo resolution issue or my glasses 😎, but yeah, that’s it—photo taken at the flea market at the very start of Rue de Lyon.

Love the idea! 🙂 I’ll look into it (this weekend)

India

A country that's not exactly saintly...



And so cow-friendly...



With the poor visitor who risks Delhi belly with every bite!



I wonder why some people make such a fuss...



From this land of Maharajas...



(Still waiting for Morocco...😕)

You were right to bump this thread—I’d completely forgotten about it!

Hello,

I suggest we take a little visual trip around the world while waiting to experience some of its stages on your next travels. 😉 .... Just one rule—no bad moods allowed!🙂

Alright, I’ll take the plunge with 5 from my home country.

-1- A defining feature, you said? The lively street parties...

-2- Another defining feature... Plaza de España and its tourists in Seville.

-3- Still a defining feature... shop windows like no others. You’ve got to go bold with color! Here’s "una zapatería" specializing in wedding shoes... yes, really!

-4- ... and if you need something truly defining... butcher stalls that would make a vegetarian sick.

-5- And then there are the empty dining rooms on local soccer team match nights. Fun fact: we couldn’t get a table at this restaurant the night before.

Okay, these aren’t exactly the postcards that make you want to visit the country... but you asked for defining features, right? I’ll make up for it next time...

butcher stalls

I swiped one of your hams to sneak it into my luggage...😛

(I’ll leave the shoes to Yolande...)

" I swiped one of your hams to sneak it into my luggage...😛 "

Do you prefer jamon with rosé? ... or Ramon over José? 🤪

The weather’s too crappy for rosé. 😕

But I’m still gonna pack a bottle in my suitcase next to the ham. 😎

(No donkeys, they’re too bulky.)

butcher stalls

I swiped one of your hams to sneak it into my luggage...😛

(I’ll leave the shoes to Yolande...)

...to eat in very, very thin slices with a good Jumilla wine (normal that I’m plugging the wines from my region... enough with Rioja already! 😊. And especially plain, without dipping it in curry sauce 😉.

Yolande, Yolande... THE Yolande?

Come on, viva España and... all the others!

The weather’s too crappy for rosé. 😕

.. Isn’t my jamón fresh enough?

Your ham is really good! !😉

Nepal, of course. 😄

(in the streets of Kathmandu, between shadow and hazy light, near Indra Chowk)

(In Mustang, between Dhakmar and Ghami, not much except the Earth’s work and a chorten)

(vibrant painting on a temple wall not far from Muktinath)

(It’s crowded—it’s Indra Jatra at Kathmandu’s Durbar Square!)

(a typical postcard scene from Bhaktapur, a Newar city in the Kathmandu Valley)

Oh no, darn it, I’d rather you take the shoes (I could never walk in those, on top of everything else!) and leave me the ham. 😇

A little comment to explain your choices would be nice! ;)

I’ve already eaten everything...

And Smarty stole my bone! !

Since it's fun, let's do it. 😉

Thanks.

In Mongolia, you'll find everywhere

... large tents for family trekking adventures... ... funny long-haired cows... ... comfortable saddles for long horseback rides... ... friendly boys, but don't tease them too much... ... and after a lot of patience, wild horses that can't be approached



Also... to be continued... 5 photos per post required

but to be continued... 5 photos per post required

5 photos per country or region!

Looks like you’ve used up all your shots for Mongolia...

(Very flattering, that blue speedo)

For those who love summer heat and beautiful blue skies (😎), I’m taking you to Ireland... a country in grey and green

A little boat ride... ...to reach an island offshore

Pretty coves for a dip or sunbathing

Beautiful waterfalls to cool off ...and a little Guinness to dream of lovely landscapes

(Those tiny blue briefs look great)

... whose contents seem to be grafted onto his head. 🤪

Really lovely Irish series. What a beautiful country!

Marrakech's medina from the angle of the palm trees....

1/ A magical cohabitation of rooftops and minarets in the medina, these palm trees, and the snow-capped Atlas Mountains in the background...



2/ Palm trees and the dome of the Kouba, the oldest monument in Marrakech (11th century)



3/ Stork's nest, symbol of the medina's ramparts



4/ Yep, palm trees are protected in Marrakech, even if they're in the middle of the road!



5/ A derb, a passageway, and a palm frond always present...

Thanks to all of you for participating. 😉

I’ve added a bottle of Guinness and a palm tree to the suitcase.

It won’t close anymore! !🤪

What a fantastic topic idea!! Here’s my first contribution.

Indonesia is so many things, but among them, it’s:

1. Temples and volcanoes...



2. Rice terraces...



3. Ceremonies...



4. Incredible smiles...



5. Touching encounters, beautiful people and villages...

1. Temples and volcanoes...

I can already picture it...😇

... this smells like pre-post processing... What software did you use to erase the Kalashnikovs?

No, no, don’t shoot—I’m kidding!!!

I love your series and, in general, photos that aren’t the "postcard" clichés we all inevitably bring back from our trips. I’m guilty of it too, but what I especially love—both in my own work and others’—are portraits, scenes of daily life, a different offbeat perspective, an unusual framing or point of view.

See ya!

Nice! 🙂🙂🙂

Next up!

Senegal is:

1. Moments of quiet connection...



2. Exchanges of knowledge and solidarity...



3. Vibrant markets...



4. Sacred songs...



5. Moments of conviviality over ataya (Senegalese tea)...

Gorgeous photos! (Plus, I discovered a lovely site about Asia and revisited some beautiful travel journals that resurfaced... 😉) Thanks for this lovely post.

Attila, you were waiting for photos of Morocco—here are some more... (Kate’s still keeping us waiting!)

So, Morocco is a palette of magnificent colors I won’t have space to list here...

Here are two symbolic ones:

(1 - The red of its flag)

(2 - The green of the minarets. Meknès)



It’s also palm trees and fruits we’re not used to seeing like this...

(3 - Dates...)



(4 - Of course... the tea of hospitality)



(5 - And also... camels that seem to be laughing)

... along with wonderful memories! 🙂 (Darn, already over!)

Totally agree with you about Burma, but LAOS is really nice too:

In Luang Prabang: A Guevara-style nationalist tuk-tuk waiting for its passengers!



In Muong Ngoy: Along the Nam Ou River; sunrise.



Muang Khua: The monks' alms-giving



Firewood duty in the northern mountains by young women.



"Scenes from everyday life"

Image 1: southern Morocco sky somewhere between Taroudant and Taliouine Image 2: Valley of the Roses, Morocco Image 3: Unusual encounter by the river in Bamako Image 4: Small village wedged between the Niger River and Banni Image 5: Motorcycle in Bamako

Your Morocco looks amazing, Catherine! 🙂

So many beautiful photos, so many beautiful countries... since we can't be everywhere 🤪, we enjoy them here on VF 🙂.

My Morocco will be Berber or it won't be... 😉

You may have noticed that when it comes to photos, I prefer scenes of life and portraits over landscapes... and I'm not very talkative when it comes to commenting on them.

Hi Attila,

What if we met up in Southern Africa, which you know so well, but this time in the Indian Ocean... more precisely in the Comoros archipelago, made up of 3 islands: Anjouan, Mohéli, and Grande Comore (Mayotte having "chosen" to remain French...). Here are 5 images from Grande Comore, a stunning island with a dignified and courageous population that’s very welcoming:

1. The Moroni mosque, facing the port.



2. A fisherman in his pirogue



3. A Comorian village



4. On the road... in the "countryside"



5. Like all children around the world, at school.

Just a sample....

GORGEOUS!!!!!😎😎😎 So many beautiful photos, bravo and keep it up!!!!

My Morocco will be fragrant and gourmet 😉

Olfactory pleasures, scents blending honey and mint, spicy or floral in the heart of Marrakech’s medina...





Gastronomic pleasures: a tagine or a bowl of snails?





A feast for the eyes too 😉

After seeing these beautiful photos, I’ll leave Morocco to the experts and those with a real passion for walking (I wouldn’t mind a little more of it myself), and I’m off to join KaniBé in Laos... 🙂

So Laos is... 1 - "The Land of a Million Elephants" (Luang Prabang mosaic)



2 - Karst formations and bamboo bridges (Vang Vieng)



3 - Skilled hands weaving under the houses



4 - Colorful transport that looks like trucks



5 - And mountain villages (Near Muang Sing)

A perspective just the way I like it—humanity first...

Maybe one day, if those countries you love become accessible to us mere mortals who don’t speak English... and refuse to organize trips through travel agencies, I’ll drag my lonely backpack there.

Thanks, Catherine, for fueling that desire.

I’m about to log off VF for a few days to head somewhere more familiar: the Alps of Haute-Provence and its flower-lined trails.

Safe travels to you, fellow globetrotters.

See you!

Our Asian tour is going in the opposite direction! 😉 Here are a few Burmese images.

1. Fetching water in Bagan



2. Bagan again...



3. Chatting...



4. Intha fisherman on Inle Lake



5. Future...

... that’s enough! Otherwise, I’ll pack up my backpack and stay glued to VF 😉

All these photos are incredibly beautiful!!! The portraits of locals and everyday life are also what I love the most... Thanks for all these shares!