| | | | Travel Notes, Part 2
"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." — Marcel Proust | | | |
| | In Part 1 of Travel Notes, I shared the beginning of my journey through the former Soviet bloc, from Sofia, Bulgaria to Prague, Czech Republic where my photographs captured the people, streets, and scenes that shaped my experience in each place.
This second part continues that journey, focusing on the impressions and moments I encountered—the architecture, memorials, and ruins that coexist with bustling streets and cafés. The images that follow offer a personal glimpse of regions still marked by history, yet finding their way into the modern world. | | | |
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Budapest at night is dazzling, especially when seen from the Danube. The Parliament building dominates the skyline, its spires and domes glowing over the river. Its design was influenced by Viennese architecture—its Gothic style drawn from the Vienna City Hall, and its Renaissance elements, like the central cupola, inspired by the Maria vom Siege church. In late afternoon, the Liberty Bridge appeared in silhouette against a dramatic cloud-filled sky, a view that seemed to anchor the Buda and Pest sides of the city. Beneath all that beauty, however, Hungary struggles under Viktor Orbán’s corrupt authoritarian rule, a reminder that politics can cast long shadows even in the most breathtaking settings.
Vienna, Austria | | | |
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| | Vienna is the city of music, synonymous with the compositions of Mozart and Strauss. Mozart spent some of his most creative years composing operas, symphonies, and chamber works in the heart of Vienna’s Old Town. From 1784 to 1787, he lived in an elegant apartment at Domgasse 5—now a museum called Mozart Haus—just steps from St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Here, the city’s vibrant salons, gilded theaters, and bustling streets surrounded him, offering inspiration and audiences for his music. Today, musicians with instrument cases in tow still walk the cobblestone streets, heading to performance venues.
Belgrade, Serbia | | | |
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| | Belgrade is a city marked by history’s scars, a place where the sacred and the painful coexist. Nowhere is this more evident than in the contrast between the grandeur of the Church of Saint Sava and the ruins left by NATO’s 1999 bombings, carried out to force Serbian forces to withdraw from Kosovo and end their widespread attacks on ethnic Albanians. This year, the city has been shaken by anti-government unrest—a stark reminder that its tensions are never far from the surface. Together, these images reveal Belgrade’s complex identity, where hope and history’s wounds stand side by side.
Iron Gates Gorge, Romania
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| | Decebalus, an ancient Dacian king who fought the Roman Emperor Trajan, is a Romanian folk hero. His giant face, carved into a rocky outcrop along the Danube near the town of Orșova in the Iron Gates region, was completed in 2004 and designed by Italian sculptor Mario Galeotti. It took six years of dynamiting and four years of carving by 12 sculptors to complete.
Prague, Czech Republic | | | |
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| | Prague’s architecture is a living timeline, where centuries of history coexist in a single glance. Medieval towers frame Baroque domes, Renaissance facades stand beside Romanesque rotundas, colorful squares contrast with Cubist lines, and Art Nouveau details grace townhouses. Each era left its mark without erasing the past, creating a layered cityscape that tells the story of empires, revolutions, and cultural rebirths. What makes Prague truly remarkable is how these architectural contrasts come together to form a unified whole.
I’ll be posting the entire “Travel Notes” series – 40+ images – on my website soon. Watch for it at RonParas.Art | | | |
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Travel Notes Part 1 RevisitedTravel Notes Part 1 of this series has been updated. If you missed the first part or just want to check out the updated version, it’s available here. | | | |
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