Skyscrapers and City Skylines

Traveling provides such a wonderful opportunity to see historic locations as well as the ingenuity of the human race. Cities have evolved over time and each generation has added to their splendor in a variety of different ways. We certainly enjoy seeing the historic old town areas, the beautiful cathedrals, and the grand architecture of castles and manors. With that said, we also love views of modern skyscrapers with their glistening windows. In many cities, the local citizens work in the modern section of the city that is filled with tall buildings that are away from the historic, old town sections that have kept their original charm. Sometimes the two exist right next to each other with historic buildings sitting next to modern structures.

Sunrise Reflecting on a Skyscraper in Frankfurt
Glass Building in Cologne
One World Trade Center (Freedom Tower) in New York City
Glass Tower in Amsterdam
Reflections of Vienna
Reflections on Skyscraper in Chicago
Las Vegas
Cityscape of Panama City, Panama
San Francisco Skyline
Nile River and Skyscrapers from Our Hotel Room in Cairo, Egypt
Old and New Side-by-Side

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Glass Towers Around the World

We spend most of our time when we’re traveling focused on taking photographs of historic buildings and churches in the oldest parts of a city. While the architecture and style of these buildings are certainly quite beautiful, they aren’t always a true representation of everything about a city. Obviously, we always want to maintain the historic feel of the cities that have been around for centuries, but that doesn’t mean that the local people who live there don’t want to modernize and feel like they are part of the modern world. It is certainly a balancing act and you will often find the newer, more modern sections of a city, separated away from the old town sections in a way that almost creates a sense of two different cities, the old and the new. Obviously, most cities in the United States have skyscrapers with smooth glass windows creating unique reflections, but examples of these same styles can be found around the world. We’ll always be focused on the historic buildings when we travel, but that doesn’t mean that we won’t capture some of the new buildings as well.

Sunrise Reflecting on a Skyscraper in Frankfurt
Modern Hotel in La Paz, Bolivia
Glass Building in Cologne
One World Trade Center (Freedom Tower) in New York City
Glass Tower in Amsterdam
Reflections of Vienna
Reflections on Skyscraper in Chicago
Reykjavik, Iceland
Glass Building in Pittsburgh
Sunset Reflection in Cairo, Egypt
Las Vegas
Cityscape of Panama City, Panama

 

Crossroads from the Sky

When you fly over a city, you truly get an opportunity to see the layout of a city. One of the things that naturally catches your eyes are the intersections of major highways as you approach or depart from the city. You can imagine the traffic flowing through these crossroads as they try to make their way to their destination. If you have tried to make your way through older cities that have naturally grown over time, you can start to appreciate why the architects of modern cities take a more practical approach to laying out the streets and highways. This week’s Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge are words or photos that contain the letter X. You might have to use your imagination slightly, but here are several photos of intersections that we have seen as we have flown into various cities.

Flight into Cochabamba
Going to Quito
Flying into Lima
Landing in Frankfurt, Germany
Highway in Austin