A Quiet Hill, a Winding Path, and the Last Day of the Journey
Looking Back at an Unshared Moment
In 2024, I travelled through the peaceful landscapes of Slovenia — a trip filled with mountains, lakes, quiet paths, and countless photographs. Out of the many images I captured that year, this is one of the few I never shared. Maybe I was saving it. Maybe I just didn’t have the right words at the time.
Coming back to it now, I realised this photograph holds a quiet significance — a moment worth revisiting, a memory that deserves to be told properly. So today, I wanted to recap this scene and the feeling wrapped around it.
A Hilltop Church on the Last Day of the Journey
There’s a unique kind of magic that happens on the final day of a trip — a blend of nostalgia for the moments already lived and gratitude for the ones still waiting to be found. On our last day wandering the peaceful countryside of Austria, we followed a gentle path that curved up a soft green hill, leading us to a small church overlooking a wide-open meadow.
We didn’t rush. We didn’t plan.
We simply arrived — and stayed.
A Meadow Made for Stillness
The moment we reached the top, time seemed to slow. There was no noise, no breeze, no distractions except the shifting light on the hillside, and no pressure to be anywhere else. We sat for hours in that meadow.
It wasn’t dramatic, it wasn’t busy — it was peaceful in a way that felt almost sacred. The little church above us felt like a guardian watching over the valley, a reminder that beauty doesn’t always shout; sometimes it simply stands, waiting to be noticed.
The Technical Side — For Those Who Love It
This scene was captured on a Leica Q2, a camera that’s as simple as it is powerful.
Settings: f/11 · 1/250s · ISO 200 · fixed 28mm.
The wide 28mm focal length let the landscape breathe, keeping the path, the meadow, and the church in harmony. Shooting at f/11 ensured the whole scene stayed sharp — from the grass at my feet to the chapel standing quietly in the distance.
Travel, Photography, and Seeing the World Differently
Travelling to take photos has taught me more about the world than any guidebook ever could. A camera changes the way you move through a place — it slows you down, sharpens your senses, and invites you to look deeper.
With a camera, even ordinary paths become stories. A quiet meadow becomes a memory. A forgotten hill becomes a moment frozen in time.
Photography doesn’t just capture what you see — it creates long-lasting stories you can return to, years later, and feel everything all over again.
A Verse That Found Its Moment
Sitting in that meadow, this verse came to mind in a way that felt almost written for the scene:
“He leads me beside quiet waters; He restores my soul.” — Psalm 23:2–3
It felt right. It felt true. And it felt like the perfect way to end the journey.
Final Thoughts
Sometimes the most meaningful moments of a trip aren’t the big attractions or the busy streets — they’re the quiet places where you can breathe, look around, and simply be. This little hill, this meadow, and that peaceful church became the final chapter of our adventure — one we’ll remember long after the bags are unpacked.