Terra Incognita No. 1 – Guess the Country
Before I head off on my summer holiday, I’d like to launch a new series called “Terra Incognita”, in which I’ll be needing your help in identifying an “unknown land” on the basis of three photos. This time round the photos were sent to me by my friend Martin Broekhuis, who has abused my body for his photographic projects in the past and therefore owed me a favour.
Martin is a bit of an enigma, so I had expected a challenge, but I must admit these three photos had me stumped and left me wondering whether they were all taken in the same country.
Let’s look at them in the order I received them.
At first I thought: it’s just an old door. It could be France or Spain or Italy, maybe Eastern Europe, the Balkans? But then I took a closer look and saw that it is split vertically down the middle. I don’t recall ever seeing doors like this in France or Italy. There’s also a strange opening under the doorstep. Where does it lead? To a cellar perhaps? And is that a doorbell under the number 29? If so, why is it up so high? Could this be a country that gets so much snow that they have to keep the doorbell above the snow level? Switzerland maybe? But I don’t recall ever seeing a Swiss home with peeling paint and a dead plant beside the doorstep. I get the feeling this door isn’t used very often, but I’m not sure why. Maybe because the handle looks small and inoperable.
Too many questions. Let’s move on to the next photo.
A panoramic view of a mountain range. The wall and steps look neat and tidy and very high up. Could this be the upper station of a cableway? The Austrian Alps maybe? It could also be central Norway, where I recall seeing mountains like this rolling off into the distance. I wish I could identify the type of stone that has been used for the wall and paving. Maybe that’s a clue.
“It’s a salmon farm!” said my wife. “Like the one’s we saw in Norway.”
“No way,” I said. “Look at that concrete pillar supporting the footbridge. This is part of a much firmer and stronger structure than some flimsy salmon farm!” The round platform in the water looks like it gives access to something under water. Could it be a viewing station for spotting monsters? Could this be a Scottish loch?
An intriguing series of photos, but I’m no closer to the truth. Taking a wild guess, I would say this is Austria. What do you reckon?
(Photo credits: Martin Broekhuis)