It was a sad day leaving Munich last Tuesday…a place where we thoroughly enjoyed living over the past 4 years. It is a beautiful place, rich in culture and filled with historical landmarks. I would often walk around the city just to photograph the interesting buildings, churches and public squares in the old city center. This image is one that I captured just down the street from where we used to live.

This is the Siegestor, a Victory Gate that was originally dedicated to the Bavarian army. It was nearly destroyed in WWII, but was later reconstructed. After reconstruction, a plaque was placed on the landmark reading "Dedicated to victory, destroyed by war, urging peace" It also marks the beginning of Leopoldstrasse, one of the most travelled streets in Munich.

In front of the gate, there is a raised island in the middle of the street where you are safe from the surrounding traffic. Setting up a tripod here allows you to take long exposures of the head/tail lights of the cars passing by…an effect I like to produce in cityscapes.