Different Aesthetics of European Cities: What can you see when overlooking a city?

20 18 tail, let's talk about the city.

How do people living in cities know their own cities?

Walk with your feet or observe with your eyes, read maps or news, discuss with others or talk to yourself.

Architects usually have a different perspective from ordinary people.

Architects like to have a bird's-eye view and a bird's-eye view when drawing, but they have never understood why they should look at architecture from these strange angles. Later, when I was sorting out my previous photos in Europe recently, I found myself unconsciously taking many photos overlooking the city.

What does it take to overlook a city?

Or the city is higher; Or the city has buildings that are expected to be far away, such as tall buildings; Or climb to a certain height by means of airplanes, helicopters and other tools.

Counting down, there may be some cities that you feel familiar with, but from a height, they will become strange; And some specious cities can see different scenery and history when overlooking.

The following meatballs "select" some photos taken overlooking the city during the three years of walking in Europe, which are roughly divided into four categories:

1. You may know it at a glance.

2. Professionals (architecture, cities and other majors) should know.

Anyone who knows a lot will know.

Maybe you will never know.

Maybe you have been to some cities in person, or seen some cities from books and TV, but how many cities can you recognize from such a height?

This one should be a classic angle, especially for those who have seen the Da Vinci Code. As one of the most famous capitals in European history, Rome is not so clear from the Vatican's point of view. The familiar Colosseum, Fountain and Spanish Grand Steps are all missing from this perspective. But this perspective of truth and God makes it easier for people to look at that period of history from an absolute height and understand the conflict and development between religion and civilization.

Pure white walls and blue roofs sell it. I believe that even if you have never been abroad, most people are familiar with this place. As the birthplace of Europe and even the whole western civilization, the Aegean region not only envies the scenery of others. There are many Greek islands, and santorini is probably the most famous one. How many people have to take wedding photos in front of the Blue Top Church, how many people have to stay in the sea view room of the Cliff Hotel for one night, and how many people have to come here to vent in the blue Aegean Sea without money.

The landmark buildings and structures, the unified and distinctive fifth facade, and the streets radiating from all directions ... Even if there is no Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe in the photo, it is easy to see at a glance that this is Paris. Even though European cities are indistinguishable from each other, Paris is indeed one of the few cities in Europe that can be easily identified by overlooking. Thanks to Baron Haussmann's Paris reconstruction plan in the19th century, the city of Paris has entered a new era, while perfectly retaining its urban features, harmonious but different, dense but not chaotic. The urban planning of Paris is not out of date today after 100 years, and the civilization interwoven with history and modernity has been vividly reflected in this city.

"1" Rome and Vatican: taken at the dome of St. Peter's Cathedral (20 15 12)

"2" santorini: Photographed in the town of Yiya (20 17 12).

"3" Paris: taken in Notre Dame bell tower and Eiffel Tower respectively (2065438+June 2006).

This is one of meatball's favorite cities, and you can't get tired of playing it several times. Barcelona has become what it is today because of Gaudi. It can be said that Gaudi made Barcelona, and Barcelona also gave Gaudi the soil to realize the crazy design concept. In the projection room of Sagrada Familia, we can see that Barcelona in the19th century is not much different from all other European cities. With the completion of one of Gaudi's works and the rapid development of the industrial revolution, the world got to know Gaudi, an unconventional architect and Barcelona. Even when it comes to Spain, many people think of Catalonia's capital, not Madrid.

Ancient cities are different, and declining civilizations are similar. Once upon a time, the seeds of human thought, education and science were born here. Now, when you drive into Athens, you will be in a trance involuntarily. Isn't this the 18th-line town in China? Dust-covered houses and messy streets can hardly find the shadow of his brilliant predecessor thousands of years ago. Only by standing on the commanding height of the Acropolis can we feel the city, telling our own history with the legend of heroes and epic wars, but we don't know where the future lies. It is said that professionals should know because the building in the middle of the photo is familiar? Yes, it's the Acropolis Museum in Qumi.

This is not a well-known city, but if you have studied the history of foreign architecture or know something about it, it should be easy to see that the landmark Gothic church in the middle of the photo is the famous Cologne Cathedral. Even after the war, this solemn church has been well preserved. The interweaving of the old and the new can be seen not only in Cologne, but also in many other cities in Germany. Cologne, located on the Rhine River, not only retains its historical flavor, but also embodies modern design and fashion sense through industrial development.

If you want to jump between those buildings for the first time after seeing this photo, you are not far from the correct answer. Yes, this is the background city of Assassin's Creed, the birthplace of the Renaissance and the cradle of modern western art-Florence. Mr. Xu Zhimo gave the city a better Chinese name, Fei Lengcui. The ancient buildings are close to each other, which seems impenetrable, but walking on those winding roads and feeling the breath of Renaissance, there may be a prominent building behind the facade you pass by inadvertently. As the most important initiator of the Renaissance, medici family founded this city and saved Florence from the darkness of the Middle Ages.

This city built on the mountain is also one of the southern European cities that meatballs like very much. The rightmost bridge betrayed its identity, which is Porto, Portugal's second largest city. This steel arch bridge was designed and built by the apprentice of Eiffel who designed the Eiffel Tower. Do you feel deja vu? The Louis I Bridge across the Douro River was the longest bridge in the world at that time. The city of Porto has a long history, and it is not shabby. It also gathers many online celebrity attractions: the most beautiful railway station, the most beautiful cafe, the most beautiful McDonald's, the most beautiful bookstore ... I'm glad you came.

This is another city worth visiting many times. Known as the most beautiful capital in Europe, there is almost no off-season, and people from all over the world can be seen walking through the city every day, as well as cruise ships sailing on the vltava river. The classic red-roofed buildings spread along the river bank, with the old city on one side and the castle on the other. This is Prague. Prague without Prague Square has a different history and beauty. Also known as the living architectural history, buildings of different ages and periods can be found here.

"4" Barcelona: Photographed in Gouel Park (20 16 12).

"5" Athens: Photographed at the Acropolis (20 17 12)

"6" Cologne: Photographed at Cologne Triangle Building (2065438+June 2007)

"7" Florence: taken at the dome of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Flowers (2016 65438+1October)

"8" Porto: Photographed at Guindais Station (20 17 12)

Prague: It was shot at Astronomical Clock and Leitner Park (March 20 16 and June 20 17) respectively.

Even though I don't have much affection for Belgium, my travel plan happened to be arranged a few days after the terrorist attacks in Brussels, and I walked through most of Belgium in fear (in fact, it was only an hour or two). This small town still made people feel a rare beauty. If you want to visit medieval Europe, this city must not be missed. This is Bruges. It used to be one of the richest cities in Europe. Later, the port function gradually lost and the city gradually declined, but the medieval architecture and cultural heritage were well preserved. This ancient city is called Venice in the north (in fact, many cities in the north are called Venice, such as Amsterdam and Stockholm). ) is very different from other cities in Belgium.

This one looks very similar to the next one, because … they do. You will be confused here. A bit like northern Europe and eastern Europe, you can see traces of the Soviet Union from time to time. You can see a big cruise ship in the distant sea, telling you that this is Tallinn in the Baltic Sea, and it has a similar fate to Helsinki across the sea. Tallinn is called "the best preserved medieval old city in Europe" (Bruges seems to have a similar title above), and Tallinn is the most attractive area in the eyes of travelers. Because of the uneven terrain, you can always find surprising details when you travel up and down it.

It looks like Tallinn, its good neighbor in the Baltic Sea, Riga, the capital of Latvia. Unlike many European cities, we can find an iconic mark of the times. From the photos, we can see that various styles of buildings are mixed together and difficult to distinguish. The old town of Riga was destroyed by various wars and rebuilt after the war. It can be seen that even adjacent buildings on the same street may have two completely different styles. But generally speaking, it is a medieval city, the most representative of which is the decoration of Art Nouveau, so we can look up at the signs and roadside decorations from time to time to better understand the temperament of the city.

It was cloudy when this photo was taken, but you can still see the beautiful blue sea. This is the famous Blue Coast. There are many such towns on the C? te d 'Azur, and Nice is one of them. Many princes and nobles will come here for their holidays in summer, and it is not cold in winter. It's just that the cities in southern France are a little run-down. Compared with the capital Paris, it's not bad at all. It looks like China, where a lot of financial resources are spent in the capital.

This photo looks like another part of the previous one. It is really close, but it is actually another country. It's easy to think that this is Monaco in China. A country built on a mountain looks like Hong Kong from a certain point of view. Even if you follow the map, you may get lost, because it seems that you are going the same way, but maybe the map refers to the upper level and you are going the next level. This is a tax haven for the rich in Europe. In the middle of the photo is a luxury private yacht worth tens of millions on the coast, and the famous Monte Carlo casino is hidden in the distance.

People who know about European history or church architecture can see that the church in the foreground is Cella Cathedral, one of the three largest churches in the world. It used to be a mosque, but later it was changed into a church, so it has both Gothic and Muslim styles. Celia, on the other hand, is located in Andalusia, not as wild as Barcelona, nor as serious as Madrid where real ordinary Spaniards live.

This is the location of many movies. The river in front of us is the famous Danube. The city also enjoys the reputation of "Pearl on the Danube" and "Little Paris". The city is also divided into two parts by the Danube, with Buda in the west and Perth in the east. This is Budapest, the capital of Hungary. The iron cable bridge in the middle of the photo is the symbol of Budapest, while the Parliament Building in the distance is the largest parliament building in continental Europe (the second largest in Europe). However, it is best not to come here in winter. It's really cold, much colder than northern Europe.

This is actually not a bird's eye view, because it is really difficult to overlook, and it is not a city. So what is it missing? This is the Atlantic Ocean. This is the western end of the European continent, Cape Rocca, also known as the western corner. Once considered by Europeans as "the end of the world", the cross on the right has the inscription of the famous poet Camons: "The land ends here, and the ocean begins in Sri Lanka."

"10" Bruges: Photographed at the Clock Tower in Bruges (April 438+07, 1965)

"1 1" Tallinn: taken in the tower of the city hall (2065438+June 2007)

"12" Riga: taken in the tower of St. Peter's Cathedral in Riga (June 438+07, 1965)

"13" Nice: Shooting at Castle Hill (20 16 12)

"14" Monaco: taken at Monaco Palace (20 16 12)

"15" Seville: taken at Seville Cathedral (20 17 12)

"16" Budapest: taken at Castle Hill (February 20 17)

"17" sintra: shot at Cape Rocca (20 17 12).

This is a German-looking city, but it is not Germany, but it also belongs to the German-speaking area. I believe many people don't know that this is the capital of Switzerland. Zurich? Nuo Nuo. If you still think that Zurich is the capital of Switzerland, it only means that Zurich is too famous. This is Bern, probably the lowest-key and least existential capital in Europe. It didn't even have its own airport before. Bern was built in the 12 century, which is actually of great historical significance. Layers of roofs and winding narrow streets, because of Switzerland's permanent neutrality, it maintains the medieval German style, ancient and quiet. The whole city was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1983.

This is a central European town that meatballs like very much. It can be seen from the architectural style and surrounding scenery that it is probably in the Alps in southern Germany and western Austria. In the perfect integration of historical civilization and natural scenery, there are countless reasons to linger. This is Salzburg. It doesn't matter if you are not familiar with this place name, you will be familiar with Mozart. Salzburg is Mozart's hometown, which can be said to be a city of music. The Sound of Music also took place here. This exquisite town is worth visiting.

This one, plus the one below, is a place with very beautiful natural scenery, and the same natural scenery-fjords can be seen in this one and the next one. The fjord is a typical natural form of Norway, which makes it the most beautiful country among the five Nordic countries. The fjord in summer is beautiful, and the fjord in winter is not bad at all. Tromso is located in a fjord in northern Norway. It is meatball Jun's favorite winter Norwegian city, not only because I saw the aurora here, but also because I really felt relaxed and happy when I photographed this scene on this mountain.

Before going to Tromso, it used to be the favorite Norwegian city of meatballs, and it will continue to be, because there are still more fireworks and more diverse lifestyles here than in the north. Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of 900,000. Compared with the crowds in Oslo, the capital, it is more "authentic". It has the largest deep-water port in Norway. Although it is not close to the fjord, it is still regarded as "the pearl of the fjord". From here, you can visit the fjord by boat.

This ordinary town in northern Europe, like countless other small cities in the Arctic Circle, is dotted with colorful small houses. The scenery in the photo looks cold, but, really, it's not as cold as Beijing now. This is kyrk, a small town at the junction of Norway, Finland and Russia, which can be walked in an hour. In winter, the days in Kerr Knoos are very short. The photo was taken at noon 12: 30, not cloudy. The sun has set. Although it seems very depressing, if you look at the decoration of every household carefully, every family will decorate their small house very warmly. Even if the conditions are not met, I will create my own life.

"18" Bern: taken in Rosengardten (201June).

"19" Salzburg: taken at Salzburg Castle (20 17 June)

Tromso, 20: It was shot at the top of Ustor Stirner (2017165438+10).

"2 1" Bergen: taken in Ulriken Mountain (201June)

"22" Kirkenes: It was shot on a hill (2017165438+1October).

22 cities. How many did you guess right?

Different history, different culture, different civilization. I hope that our city, when viewed from different heights, will not see all the reinforced concrete and tall buildings, but the past, present and future.

Finally, I will give you an aurora. I hope that in the new year, life will be as gorgeous as the aurora, and even if it is dark around, it will have the power to illuminate itself.

Guess where this photo was taken? )