Travels with Hian

THE TRAVEL JOURNAL

Travels with Hian.

A travel journal told in photographs and short notes, from Kyoto’s old lanes to the high paths of the Dolomites.

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The jagged Seceda ridge above green alpine meadows Seceda, Italy

Field notes

Three sample entries to open the journal.

A trail across golden grass below the limestone peaks of Seceda SOUTH TYROL, ITALY Along the Seceda ridge Limestone spires, long meadows and the shape of the mountains from the trail. Read the noteClose the note

Seen from the meadow, the ridge has two faces. Grassy folds rise toward the path on one side, and on the other the limestone drops away in sheer ribs. Follow the ridgeline with your eyes and the peaks start to separate, each with its own angle against the sky.

For a photograph, try including a bend in the trail. The curve through the grass gives a sense of how far the rock walls rise above it.

Yasaka Pagoda at the end of a narrow lane in Kyoto KYOTO, JAPAN Before the shops open An early walk through Higashiyama, with the pagoda just above the rooftops. Read the noteClose the note

On the approach to Yasaka Pagoda, the lane is narrow enough for the eaves to frame the view. The wooden shopfronts and sloping stone pavement ask for a slower pace. From a few steps farther back, the pagoda looks almost like another roof in the row.

Early light falls unevenly here. Look for the places where it reaches the stone while the timber fronts are still in shade.

The rocky eastern peninsula of Madeira at sunrise above the Atlantic MADEIRA, PORTUGAL At the island’s eastern edge On the exposed headland of Ponta de São Lourenço, the Atlantic is on both sides. Read the noteClose the note

Ponta de São Lourenço narrows toward the Atlantic in a line of low, rocky hills. From above, the headland looks like a series of islands joined by thin strips of land. The shore is close enough on either side to catch flashes of white water below the cliffs.

In the first light, the rusty bands in the rock show up against the sea. The shape of the headland changes with every bend in the path.