July 14, 2018 • 43

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: Cooling On the Road

Ann Christine invites us to visualize “cooling” in this week’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge. Her theme arrives at just the right time.  Hot temperatures have followed us for the last 2 months as we’ve traveled through Europe and the United States.  But with some insider tips and good luck, we discovered where the locals go to cool off.

And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.― F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

Cooling Off in Hyde Park, London.  Shot with a Fuji X-T2

Many mornings, we took walks to through Hyde Park, the largest Royal Park in London.  We followed paths shaded by trees and cooled by breezes from the Serpentine–a small lake at one end of the park.

To see the Summer Sky
Is Poetry, though never in a Book it lie–
True Poems flee–
— Emily Dickinson

Cooling at Santa Marinella, Italy. Shot with a Google Pixel 2

On several hot days, we took the train to Santa Marinella, a beach town about 50 minutes to the north of Rome.  We joined teenagers on vacation, tourists, and locals enjoying the cool breezes off the Mediterranean.

I wonder what it would be like to live in a world where it was always June.
— L. M. Montgomery

Couple Cooling by the Fountain, London. Shot with a Google Pixel 2

I loved this couple who ducked through jets of water to sit near a fountain in a park just behind Trafalgar Square.  The spray from the fountains felt great on this hot day.

Summer afternoon – summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.– Henry James

Cooling with Lemon Pie in Amsterdam. Shot with a Google Pixel 2.

After a morning run in Amsterdam, my husband insisted that a slice of refreshing lemon pie was just what he needed.  A cafe on Prisengracht served up this delicious pie topped with whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel.

In summer, the song sings itself.— William Carlos Williams

Cooling at the Fontana del Nettuno, Piazza del Popolo, Rome. Shot with a Google Pixel 2.

On hot summer evenings in Rome, people linger in the Piazza del Popolo and other piazzas across the city.  Here, people chat, watch the sunset, listen to music, and sit near the fountains.   I was surprised to see people drinking from Neptune Fountain.  Then, I learned that over 2,500 fountains in the city are filled with cold, clean, drinking water.

Summer will end soon enough, and childhood as well.
―George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

Cooling in the Princess Diana Fountain, Hyde Park, London. Shot with a Fuji X-T2.

The Diana Memorial Fountain was one of our favorite spots in London.  It was constructed in 2004 to honor the memory of Princess Diana, tragically killed in a car crash.  The fountain is a winding channel of water, spanned by 3 bridges. The water ebbs and flows, changing speed and intensity.  In the summer, kids and adults take off their shoes and wade through the cold rushing water.  My hot feet loved it too.

There you have it–all the refreshing, cooling places we discovered in our travels.  Where do you go to cool off?  Are you a water person or a mountain person? If the temperatures are hot this week, I hope you find places to cool off.

Amy will present our next photo challenge on Saturday, July 21st at noon.

If you missed our initial challenge announcement, click here for the details.

To view our first photo challenge, click here.

Hope you can join us!

Categories: Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, Photography

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43 replies »

  1. A marvellous galleri of cooling, Patti! I remember the Diana Memorial Fountain mostly because of its being so special, and also it made me smile because of a sign in front, saying it was forbidden to walk in the fountain…

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  5. So very poetically expressed, Patti. “In summer, the song sings itself”; I feel I can hear the song through your beautiful photos of the path, fountains, beach, and the delicious pie. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

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