little red rider, a photo from Antwerpen, Flanders

Photographer's Note

Another one from Mechelen for you.

MECHELEN is a historical city halfway between Brussels and Antwerp. Some of you were surprised that in my previous post I wrote Mechelen used to have a bit of bad reputation. Maybe bad reputation is a bit strong, it used to have a reputation of being...well...a bit boring and empty, with lots of abandonned houses. At least, that was the vibe we got in the 80's and 90's. Quite hard to imagine, if you look at the city now, I agree.

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THIS PICTURE shows a view of the Grand Market (Grote Markt) square, which is the very center of the city. The big tower on the left is part of the famed Saint Rombout Cathedral, of which Malgo posted a couple of great interior pictures.

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THE LITTLE RED RIDER I included, because in a way he's a sign of the times too. Belgians love cycling and during corona times there are even more cyclists about than usual, as it is one of the few sports activities still allowed. Even unsporty folks like us got on our bikes and went on crazy faraway trips during that summer lockdown! Rusty grandpa bike rather than racing bike for me, though, and no flashy sportswear neither :)

Stay healthy.

PaulVDV, johnjmoe, ikeharel, jemaflor, pajaran, holmertz, jhm has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

PaulVDV (54759) 2020-12-01 13:43

Hallo Benny,
Wel, eerlijk gezegd, ik kan me dat niet herinneren uit de jaren '80 en '90. Maar 't zal dan wel zo geweest zijn.
Aan historisch patrimonium heeft Mechelen nooit gebrek gehad.
Die fietser is vermoedelijk niet een inwoner van de stad gezien geel ontbreekt in zijn truitje. Of draagt hij gele sokken???
Prachtige architectuurfoto! Scherp en helder en met de fietster op de juiste plaats.
Vele groeten, Paul

lousat (129865) 2020-12-01 14:34

Hi Benny,new magnificent pic from Mechelen,taken in a perfect moment with the best light,the red cyclist is the special little bonus in a great composition,i like it! Have a nice day and thanks,Luciano

ifege (32053) 2020-12-01 20:58

Hi Benny
It does look like a grand square. Good detail and sharpness with the red rider providing a splash of colour.
cheers
Ian

Silvio1953 (205549) 2020-12-01 22:04

Ciao Benny, great view of fantastic architecture, lovely composition with passing bikeman in red, wonderful colors, fine details, excellent clarity and splendid light, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

jemaflor (135308) 2020-12-01 22:56

Salut Benny,
Une bon effet photogénique avec en prime une superbe façade bien mise en valeur par cette luminosité, joli effet avec le bleu du ciel et le détail rouge avec ce cycliste qui anime la présentation de cette architecture.

emka (152102) 2020-12-02 0:09

Hello Ben, Biking is a good solution in the corona time. And we know very well one biker from Maldegem :).
Unfortunately, I am maybe the only person who does not ride a bike :(. Nice picture from Mechelen.

Stay safe

MAlgo

holmertz (92766) 2020-12-02 1:37

Hello Benny,
The buildings are nice, and the photo is very sharp and well exposed. But the best detail is the cyclist, not just because he is wearing a red shirt, which makes him highly visible, but also for his deep symbolic reference to a country known to be crazy for race cycling.
Regards,
Gert

dta (98518) 2020-12-02 4:48

Hello Benny ,
Beautiful square and buildings , and an excellent composition with the cyclist in red in the corner.
Regards

abmdsudi (88445) 2020-12-02 5:53

Hi Benny
Lovely urban capture on a brill weather with the devil rider standing out well against the classic setting! Excellent timing
Best regards

jhm (202871) 2020-12-02 6:26

Dag Benny,

We willen altijd naar andere landen maar we vergeten hoe mooi onze eigen Vlaamse steden zijn.
Deze foto is heel mooi gemaakt zowel kleur als samenstelling
Heel mooi foto werk, bedankt.

Groeten uit Oost-Vlaanderen,
John

kasianowak (15760) 2020-12-03 12:23

Hi Benny
Like you, I have an old bike and never wear special biking clothes even though I do cycle a lot. :-) One good thing about the pandemic in the UK was that cycling all of a sudden became very popular and, more importanly, with that popularity new bike lanes appeared and rules changed to make cyclicts' lives easier.
Anyway... I think this man in red really enhances the image, introduces a matching and balancing element for the bikes parked in the bottom right of the image and makes for a welcome splash of colour.
Doesn't look like a boring place these days. :-)
Best wishes
Kasia