Weren't we taught as children to stay out of alleys? Alleyways could be sinister and we never knew who could be lurking in the shadows. Although they often looked like a shortcut to someplace we needed to go, beware! Don't even try it. Don't even look. Walk the long way around. Safety first.
But I am drawn to alleyways. One of my favorite glimpses down an alley was in Tallinn, Estonia. A waitress in native dress was coming out of a restaurant whose doorway was in the alley. I had to shoot quickly to get her in a photo.
In Bratislava, Slovakia I got a shot of a man rolling a keg of beer down the alleyway. There was quite a technique to it as he maneuvered it with his feet.
A walk around Stockholm's Old Town was a feast for the eyes. After taking a picture of a bike next to a store window, I turned a bit and was struck by the light and shadow in the alleyway that intensfied the salmon and gold buildings.
Passau, Germany is a beautiful city on the Danube. The center of the city is built on a hill and there are alleyways leading down to the river. They are all a quick way to the water, nothing sinister about them at all. The blue Danube beckons one to follow any of the alleyways.
Throughout my life I have been a follower of good advice I learned at my mother's knee. I have been conditioned to take the long way around, the safe way. But through the years I have glimpsed into places that have been fascinating and call me with their siren song. Upon entering I have found there was no bogeyman waiting to grab me and take me to unspeakable places. There is an excitement to the unknown, the forbidden. But there is no one to forbid me anymore. I am my own keeper. I am so often rewarded with just a glimpse into alleys but if I see something fascinating further in, I will not hesitate to investigate. I'm getting too old to walk the long way around.
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