Digital Photo Gallery of Ted Szukalski
Fine art digital photography, photographic news, reviews, articles and resources.

Besançon, Franche-Comté, France 102_1073

Our last European holiday destination was Besançon in Franche-Comté district of France. It is another city with reach history. It has been mentioned in Julius Cesar times.

The city center is surrounded by the Doubs river, in the past giving it a fantastic defensive stance and giving the modern tourist fantastic scenic views. It’s Citadelle dominates of the town and is probably the most visited attraction.

This is a very tourist friendly city with lots of small cafes, open air markets and lots of small shops to explore. If you manage to be there during quiet time you may be forgiven for thinking you have moved back in time as the city preserved its character perfectly.

Explore my Besancon photo gallery

Dijon, Burgundy, France 102_0990

Because of the distance between Geneva and Paris we knew we will need to spend a night somewhere in the middle. After traveling all day and enjoying the country side of Jura and Beugundy we have decided to stop for the night at Dijon. I have to admit the only thing I knew about the town is that there is mustard called after it. Well the mustard does not cut it here. This is a city with rich history, in fact the city is being considered by UNESCO as world heritage of mankind. Numerous old, monumental buildings proclaim its once greatness and significance in culture and history of France.

And once you are tired of exploring the city sit down in one of the many charming restaurants and enjoy a superb dinner. One note: they do not accept all international credit cards everywhere so you better check before you sit down otherwise you will be in search of a bank machine in a real hurry as I was.

Explore my Dijon photographic gallery.

Osselle Grotto, Besancon, France (Besançon) 102_1119

This very unplanned visit to the Osselle Grotto near Besancon in France was one of the most rewarding parts of our journey. The cave system is quite large spans many kilometers and although it has been known now for many years is still not fully explored. The grotto apparently contains bones from over 3000 bears, which must have lived there over the time. The colors and formations within the caves are fantastic.

The tour there takes over an hour and if you plan to visit make sure you remember the cave system maintains constant 11C, so dress appropriately.
The owners of the grotto also have an amazing mineral exhibit, which they open to the public just before the cave tour.

Explore my Oselle Grotto photographic gallery.

Mount Blanc Panorama

Photo: French Alps with Mount Blanc Panorama

Click on the photograph or the link above to see this amazing panorama of French Alps with the majestic Mount Blanc in the center. This photograph has been taken from Col de la Faucille in the French Jura district. Col de la Faucille itself is at 1323m above see level and features spectacular unobstructed views. The distance to Mount Blanc in the straight line is close to 120km. It is a view I will probably never forget.