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Paul Smit Mick Palarczyk | Features, Photos and Text
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Smit & Palarczyk > [FRANCE.COTEDAZUR 2715] 
'Gorbio.'

Hiker overlooking the perched village of Gorbio in the hinterland of Menton, just after sunset. Photo Paul Smit.
Smit & Palarczyk > [GERMANY.SACHSENANHALT 26] 
'Saaleck above the Saale.'

Along the Saale you will find many castles and strongholds; the middle part of the valley holds no less than forty! Saaleck near Bad Kösen, proud even in ruins, is one of the most popular castles of Germany. Just like the Tower of London it has a historical connection with ravens, though the birds have not prevented its demise. Photo Paul Smit.
Smit & Palarczyk > [GERMANY.SACHSENANHALT 25] 
'Rudelsburg and Saaleck above the Saale.'

Along the Saale you will find many castles and strongholds; the middle part of the valley holds no less than forty! The Rudelburg (left) and Saaleck (right) near Bad Kösen, proud even in ruins, are among the most popular castles of Germany. Just like the Tower of London Saaleck has a historical connection with ravens, though the birds have not prevented its demise. Photo Paul Smit.
Smit & Palarczyk > [GERMANY.BRANDENBURG 17] 
'Wörlitz landscape park.'

Wörlitz is Germany's oldest English landscape park, stretching along a former branch of the Elbe and since 2000 on the list of World Heritage Sites. Where many parks want to impress, Wörlitz just is elegant. Even the palace, the first classicistic building of Germany, looks friendly. 

The park shows the marks of both Enlightenment, a movement glorifying intellect, and Romanticism, stressing emotions. Goethe, who combined both elements in his own character, wrote: "I was truly moved when we silently floated across the lakes and canals. Here the gods have permitted a king to surround himself with a dream." Initially most German rulers weren't interested in these modernisms at all. But some fifty years later the situation had changed dramatically: every self-respecting monarch had his garden turned into an English landscape park. Photo Paul Smit.
Smit & Palarczyk > [GERMANY.BRANDENBURG 14] 
'Schloss and Park Sanssouci, Potsdam.'

Fountain at the base of the stairs climbing the terraced vineyard garden towards the baroque Sanssouci palace, french for free of worries. In the evening, when most of the tourists have left, the park seems to dream towards the night, a vision of the world as the Prussian kings imaged it in their romantic fantasies. Sans souci - an illusion that became reality in Potsdam.
The terraced garden is the heart of the much larger, 290 ha Sanssouci Park, that itself is just the centerpiece of a whole chain of parks, gardens and palaces. Friedrich der Große (Frederick the Great) and generations of Prussian kings after him had these parks constructed along the banks of the Havel, a river that widens into an idyllic lake every few kilometers. It has become a UNESCO World Heritage site. Photo Paul Smit.
Smit & Palarczyk > [GERMANY.MECKLENBURG 5] 
'Park Rheinsberg.'

The Rheinsberg castle and park are situated at Lake Grienerick, in the southern corner of the Mecklenburg lake plateau. This is where Prussian king Friedrich der Große (Frederick the Great) used to live as crown prince. Around 1900 the wealthy Berlin bourgeoisie discovered the baroque village as a health spa. As did writer Kurt Tucholsky, who got so excited about the place he situated his next novel there: "Rheinsberg - ein Bilderbuch für Verliebte" ("Rheinsberg, a picture book for lovers").

It made the town famous, and since the fall of the Berlin Wall pilgrimage to the city started once again, not by health seekers this time but by lovers. Photo Paul Smit.
Smit & Palarczyk > [GERMANY.MECKLENBURG 4] 
'Park Rheinsberg.'

The Rheinsberg castle and park are situated at Lake Grienerick, in the southern corner of the Mecklenburg lake plateau. This is where Prussian king Friedrich der Große (Frederick the Great) used to live as crown prince. Around 1900 the wealthy Berlin bourgeoisie discovered the baroque village as a health spa. As did writer Kurt Tucholsky, who got so excited about the place he situated his next novel there: "Rheinsberg - ein Bilderbuch für Verliebte" ("Rheinsberg, a picture book for lovers").

It made the town famous, and since the fall of the Berlin Wall pilgrimage to the city started once again, not by health seekers this time but by lovers! Photo Paul Smit.
Smit & Palarczyk > [AUSTRIA.NIEDER 03587]
 'Stift Melk, the Power of Baroque.'

The monks themselves criticised the unchristian wallowing in architectural exubarance of their new monastery. But it had to be, to impress in face of Protestantism, that even in Melk had the upper hand in those days. Now, centuries later, the monastery is still a must: 300.000 tourists a year visit Austria's largest baroque structure. Photo Paul Smit.
Smit & Palarczyk > [SWITZER.JURA 6329]
'Fool at the Rhine.'

Along the Rhine (Rhein) the Basler Fasnacht (carnival of Basel) lives through some its most beautiful moments when the sun sets behind the Münster church. I followed this fool for half an hour when he walked through the old streets, along the river and over the bridges. He didn't stop piping. As a real Basler he knew what Fasnacht was about: scaring the winter away! Photo Paul Smit.
[FRANCE.COTEDAZUR 2715]
'Gorbio.'

Hiker overlooking the perched village of Gorbio in the hinterland of Menton, just after sunset. Photo Paul Smit.
Smit & Palarczyk > [FRANCE.COTEDAZUR 2715] 
'Gorbio.'

Hiker overlooking the perched village of Gorbio in the hinterland of Menton, just after sunset. Photo Paul Smit.
[FRANCE.COTEDAZUR 2715]
'Gorbio.'

Hiker overlooking the perched village of Gorbio in the hinterland of Menton, just after sunset. Photo Paul Smit.
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