Category: View From Your Window

A reader writes:

Excellent photo.  Just a glimpse of a view that could be anywhere in Europe but probably has enough clues that someone will narrow it down.  The architecture is distinctive, the statue of Madonna and Child on top of the dome is rare, the old wall with minimal windows looks centuries old. Our first thought was Verona or Venice.  But it feels like the street is on a slope rather than flat ground.  And the thin brown slats in the window makes me think it is by the sea. Genoa? Marseille? Naples?  Our final guess is Sicily, Italy.

Another writes:

I have done zero research in coming up with this answer, other than flipping through my memory of past European holidays and finding so much about this view familiar: the rustic finish of the wall of the building to the right, the living greenery coming from the building next door, the statue with the billowing robe, the shutters on the window in the foreground, the small strip of a more modern building on the left, the beautiful old cupola peeking in at the center of the photo.  I’m reminded of Florence, and when I think of my trip there I think of what a small world we live in.

Our reader follows up:

Okay, I cheated.  I sent the link for the contest to my sister and her boyfriend (my fellow travelers in Florence).  She suggested that this might be the Salzburg Cathedral.  I Googled and it absolutely resembles it.  I don’t have any special story from my visit to Salzburg, except that it is one of the most beautiful towns.  Oh, and the salt mine tour was great, as was The Sound of Music Tour.  And great beer.

Another:

The deep blue sky, masonry on the nearby wall, and architectural elements of the church (especially the statue) all make me think this is a Catholic country in the southern Mediteranean or Adriatic.  I will guess Dubrovnik, Croatia, because I visited ten years ago and images like this one compose my memories.

Another:

Dubrovnik? This looks like a side view of the Church of St. Blaise (patron saint of sore throats).

True story. Another:

Its been a while since I’ve lived in Buenos Aires, but could that be the La Recoleta Cemetery? There’s many of those statue styles littered throughout, and those ‘houses’ look a little like the housing gravesites within the compound. A very cool place, actually.

Another:

The minute I saw the photo for your new VFYW contest I knew the answer! I’ve been going there for years and recently I had the pleasure of taking my five-year-old son there for the very first time. I’m sure I’m not the only reader to know that this photo is, indeed, the Italy Pavilion at EPCOT, Disney World, Florida!

Another:

Valencia, Spain? I’ve been following this contest enough to know that nobody ever wins who sends an e-mail starting with “That looks just like a place I’ve been!” But, really, it immediately reminded me of Valencia, so there we go.

Another:

Oh my God! I got one!

This is the Basílica de la Merced in Barcelona, Spain.

I wish I was able to share a lovely story about how I stayed in that very room during my honeymoon, or my great grandparents were married in that church during the Spanish Civil War, or how I found shelter in that church during a storm while traveling through Barcelona. The simple truth is I did a Google image search for “statue of Virgin Mary on top of church” and my laptop screen was filled with images.

About two dozen readers correctly guessed the basilica. One submitted this stunning photo:

Another writes:

I lived in Barcelona for six years and my first flat was on a street parallel to the basilica. Passed by it regularly on my way to and from the Sant Sebastia beach and it never failed to freak me out. Because she’s tilting forward, she looks more like the Wicked Witch of the West than anything else.

A close-up from a reader:

Another writes:

A guess, but looks like a corner of the old bishop’s residence behind the cathedral in the old quarter of Barcelona.  I was a student there in the ’70s, living in a pension nearby for a dollar a day (50 cents extra to take a shower).  By the way, I’ve given the book to many friends, all love it.  Thanks.

Another:

I lived and studied in the city for a year. The old city is truely unique, and the mix of architectural styles really jumped out at me. Also, the style of the window shutters and balcony railing was very similar to one of the apartments I lived in there. It took me a little while to narrow the statue down, since it’s actually hard to see from most angles from the street. But it is quintessentially Barcelona. The statue is of “La Merce”, who is the patron saint of Barcelona. There is a great Churro shop right down the street my friends and I used to frequent, there is a building of Universitat Pompeu Fabra on the other side of the plaza de la Merce, which makes it a popular student haunt.

Another:

I love this picture because it exemplifies the depth of Barcelona’s many offerings. It is not simply the home of Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia, or the beach, or an outstanding nightlife, but a truly lovely city with many hidden treasures, including this beautiful church, or the fantastic Picasso Museum that is a 10 minute walk away. I can almost taste the manchego cheese, olives, and sangria!

Of the two dozen correct readers, three have nailed a difficult window in the past but haven’t won yet. Coincidentally, two of them attempted only one other window in the past and both got Paris right. The third is a weekly contributor, however, and thus wins this time around:

Oh good – a prominent landmark this week!  After searching for various combinations of “Madonna,” “statue,” “upraised arm,”  and narrowing it down to first “Sicily” and then “Spain,” I finally came upon someone’s vacation photo of the Basilica de la Merced in Barcelona.  From there Google Maps and Street View helped me pinpoint the window in the second floor apartment at 19 Carrer Ample, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain:

Where’s my prize?!

In the mail.

(Archive)

You have until noon on Tuesday to guess it. City and/or state first, then country. Please put the location in the subject heading, along with any description within the email. If no one guesses the exact location, proximity counts.  Be sure to email entries to VFYWcontest@theatlantic.com. Winner gets a free The View From Your Window book. Have at it.

This one turned out to be the most challenging view yet. A reader writes:

This is north enough that the grass appears to have some frost and the trees have lost their leaves, but south enough that there is no snow.  I’m thinking Virginia or North Carolina, both with a fair share of bases (particularly VA).  In honor of my Dad, who remains Semper Fi even as he has grown to detest our current wars, I’ll say Quantico. If you hadn’t provided the clue, I’d like to think I would have guessed this was a military installation on my own.  No more clues, please – have some faith that your more rabid guessers will come through.  Plus there are many of us who enjoy the wild misses with good reasoning nearly as much as the intimidating precision of the Master Googlers or “I’ve-got-all-weekend-to-look” Obsessive.

Only one reader correctly guessed this week, and only a few dozen even attempted, so a clue was pretty essential this time around. Another writes:

Been reading the blog for a couple of years, but this my first VFYW guess. As a student at the University of Louisville many years ago, a group of friends and I decided to take a road trip to check out the famous gold repository at Fort Knox. For some reason, this photo sparked that memory.

Another:

This picture reminds me a lot of Fort Knox, Kentucky, where I did basic training many years ago.

Another:

Given the ridiculously accurate answers this contest inspires, I’ve typically refrained from sending in my off-the-cuff guesses. But a slothy Saturday morning has gotten me over my fears of embarrassment.  So, here goes: the orderly, efficient scene, in a blatant example of stereotyping, suggests that this is Germany. I’m going with Ramstein AFB, near the city of Kaiserslautern.  Admittedly, the order and efficiency could be attributable to the whole military thing, but I’ve got my hook and I’m sticking with it.  In light of my lazy manner this morning, not to mention my fear of popping up on some NSA watch list, I’ve refrained from scouring Ramstein with Google Earth.  But I wonder if a bunch of other VFYW addicts spending hours scouring images of US military installations will set off alarm bells somewhere!

Another:

This looks like a view facing west from the hospital at Dyess AFB in Abilene, Texas. My father was stationed there for the last part of his career. It’s been a while since I’ve been out there, but it sure does remind me of home.

Correct on the hospital part. Another:

What appears to be southern pines are the only element that I recognize, and they make me think Georgia or the southeastern US.  Fort Benning, Georgia?

Correct state. Another:

The hospital at Fort Gordon, GA? I’m desperate to win this thing. I was tempted to make up a story, but my conscience got the better of me. So I’ll resort to begging. Please, please, please …

No begging necessary. From the reader who submitted the photo:

This is the view from my brother’s window – the view from the hospital room of Major Matthew P. Burke on the 9th floor, west wing, at the Eisenhower Army Medical Center on Fort Gordon, near Augusta, Georgia, on January 29, 2011 at 8:03 AM.

I gave Matt and his wife Bonnie a copy of the VFYW book for Christmas in 2009.  Matt asked me several times whether I had ever managed to get a window published.  Today might be my last chance during his lifetime. Here is why Major Burke is in the hospital; he was injured in the line of duty because he was engaged in physical training (cycling) when he was struck by an SUV.

Sadly, Matt succumbed to his injuries on February 6. His brother, Paul, followed up with the Dish:

I took the photo as I sat next to my brother’s bedside.  Bonnie, my parents, my brother Ted and I had been rotating shifts with Matt so that he was almost never alone during  his final weeks (and, truly, he was never alone because of the remarkable care provided to him by his Army colleagues).  It had been a long night and I was tired.  When I turned from Matt and looked out the window behind me, I was struck by the shine on the Stars and Stripes as the morning sun dawned.

Since Matt passed away, Gen. Gamble has provided flags to Bonnie, my parents, and my siblings that were flown in Matt’s honor on the flagpole outside the hospital.  We were touched by this gesture, which now has even more meaning now that the Dish’s readership has shared with us my brother’s final view outside his window during this life.

(Photos by Paul Burke.)

Clue: It's on a military installation.

You have until noon on Tuesday to guess it. City and/or state first, then country. Please put the location in the subject heading, along with any description within the email. If no one guesses the exact location, proximity counts.  Be sure to email entries to VFYWcontest@theatlantic.com. Winner gets a free The View From Your Window book. Have at it.

by Chris Bodenner

A reader writes:

Wow – no landmarks to speak of here!  All we have is the ratty architecture, the rusty metal roofs, and the turquoise ocean a couple of blocks away.  Even the one tree is rather nondescript.  So it’s wild guess time again.  I’m going to go with my first hunch – Belize City, Belize.

Another writes:

This is somewhere in the Barrio de Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz neighborhood), Salvador da Bahia, Brazil.  Appears to be a Third-World, crowded city (even if it’s in a fast-emerging economic giant), palm tree, black mold on walls, large city on hills above the ocean.

Another:

VASP Airlines in Brazil used to have a flight that stopped in every city along Brazil’s coast (and a few in the interior). You paid for the legs you wanted, it was ridiculously cheap, and the perfect thing for a poverty jet-setter like me. Once I spent a couple days in Sao Luis, Maranhao, in 2004. I was drunk the whole time, I think, so my memory isn’t so good for exactly where this was. But this really looks like the historical district of Sao Luis.

Another:

I lived in Chile for two years.  The roofs look like Chiloe or other old cities, but the other building materials don’t quite match up.  The decaying buildings certainly match Valparaiso, where termites devour the old wooden homes, but it could also be damage from the recent earthquake.  I could say Concepcion, but that would be too obvious, and given the obvious age I am going to guess Valdivia, Chile.

Another:

Sanya, China? This is a wild guess but I was just there last week.  There’s a ton of construction going on there right now and that looks like bamboo scaffolding in the photo.  The air looks a bit too clean for China though, so I’m probably off!

Another:

Port-au-Prince, Haiti, mostly because the scaffolding and roofless houses bring to mind the earthquake of January 2010. The seaside location would fit, and so would the mouldy façades sugesting a humid tropical climate.

Another:

The red object in the sky is interesting.  At first glance, I thought it might be someone parasailing, but upon closer inspection, I think the object is tethered to one of the tall antennas.  Maybe a weather balloon?  If so, perhaps the picture is taken from near one of the Universities in the Haitian capital, where they do research on weather patterns … Universite d’etat d’Haiti?

Another:

I have never participated in VFYW, although I track it somewhat compulsively every week.  I don’t have the time to obsess over Google Maps to find exactly the right window, so I live vicariously through those who do!  But I’ll throw out Havana, Cuba.  The once-lovely buildings now in decay to the point of collapse reminds me very much of photographs forwarded, with great sadness, by Cuban friends.

Another:

Krasnovodsk, Turkmenistan? It looks like a scene from the film “White Sand of the Desert,” so I’ll go with the Turkmen version of Cabo. The water in the background is the Caspian Sea.

Another:

You guys are getting really good with these hard-to-figure-out photos. I have no clue to be honest. But the image reminds me of two movies: “Lord of War” and “Casino Royale”. In the latter, there’s a scene where Bond is chasing an international bomb-maker in Madagascar:

In Lord Of War, Nick Cage is meeting with a Charles Taylor-type thug in a city that looks like some place in Liberia. So I am leaning heavy towards a place in or around Africa.

Im going to take a guess at either Monrovia, Liberia or Freetown, Sierra Leone. Im not even going to attempt to look it up on Bing Maps or Google Earth. I doubt either website is spending much resources mapping the streets of either country.

Another:

I don’t think Google Street view will be unavailable for this kind of place. The sea is blue enough to be Carribean quality but the style of the buildings is decidedly non-Latino (and anyway, that would be a repeat of last week). I’m picking the Gaza Strip because of the poverty-striken air of the place, a place of constant destruction and an imposed severe shortage of building materials. I’m picking Rafah because it is the only Gaza Strip town I can think of without looking up and also because I recently took a Google Maps arial tour while familiarizing myself with the geography of Egypt, which has been in my thoughts for obvious reasons.

I have no striking or moving anecdote, having never visited Gaza. The Palestinians I encountered in Jerusalem were almost universally kind and gentle towards me when I visited, with an openness I found amazing given that they had every right to be mistrustful.

I have previously gotten Dili, Sarajevo and Madrid right (I found the right window in the case of Madrid), so I’m hoping that eventually I’ll have enough cities to make up for the lack of moving stories!

Another:

That must be Zanzibar, Tanzania.  The metal roofs, the algae-stained walls, the small glimpses of the Indian Ocean and the Pemba Channel, the TV aerials – classic Zanzibar.  Kudos to anyone that can figure where exactly it is, in that tangled mess of a stonetown. This is a place that I visit often, as an archaeologist of the ancient Swahili, the ancestors of the people that built these towns.

Correct city, but several readers were more specific. One writes:

The mouldy stucco, the rusting sheet metal roofs, the rickety awnings over the windows, the high belevedere to the left that would sit atop an interior building courtyard, the glimpse of the bright sea all speak of Zanzibar and Stone Town. My guess was confirmed with a quick search that brought up the view at Fotolia. Several years ago we spent a magical week over Xmas on Zanzibar in a small beach house of the Indian Ocean side.

One reader – and this week’s winner – was just a tad more detailed:

My boyfriend and I are still competing every month to see who guesses each VFYW closest to the actual location. I was on a roll for a few weeks, but since then he’s won two months in a row! It’s been just about as long since I’ve submitted my guess to the blog, so I’m hoping this is the lucky charm I need to come out on top this month ;) 

One of the things I love about VFYW is that you discover so much about the world and even find new places to add to your list of must-visit destinations. This week’s was no exception. Something about the scenery and buldings made me think this was in the Middle East or Turkey. Luckily, I stumbled upon a photo of Stone Town, Zanzibar, and knew I had a great lead. It took a bit of searching, even after I found this photo (available on dozens of stock photo sites, but without a clearly identified location in Zanzibar). A search for “balcony views in Stone Town” led me to the Shangani Hotel and this view, which I’m guessing is just around the corner from this week’s contest photo.

Crossing my fingers …

You can uncross them now.

You have until noon on Tuesday to guess it. City and/or state first, then country. Please put the location in the subject heading, along with any description within the email. If no one guesses the exact location, proximity counts.  Be sure to email entries to VFYWcontest@theatlantic.com. Winner gets a free The View From Your Window book. Have at it.

by Chris Bodenner

A reader writes:

This week’s view was a cruel joke to us in the Northeast!  I’m sitting home with my sick baby, while another two feet of snow dumps down, sifting through image after image of gorgeous beach bungalows.  My guess is Kendwa, Tanzania, no real reason or story – just looked somewhat right so I thought I’d throw in a last second guess.

Another writes:

This looks very much like one of the small islands that make up the Ryukyu islands in southern Japan.  I would hazard a guess of Ishigaki island, home of Ishigaki – the southernmost city in Japan.

Another:

Suva, Fiji?  No good reason.  Obviously tropical and with thached roofs.  A high volcanic island with perhaps Pohutakawa trees flowering in the left foreground.

Another:

Koror, Palau? The tree in the foreground with the red dots on it I think is a “red bead tree,” which can be found in the South Pacific.  Unfortunately, any other clues within the picture are lost on me.

Another:

The Flamboyant Trees, terra cotta-tiled roofs and tan stucco reminds me of the BVIs. I can’t be certain, of course, but this appears to be looking north from Diamond Cay toward Little Jost Van Dyke.  Am I close?  I always enjoy this contest – even if I’m on the wrong continent!

Right continent, but not close. Another:

I was there once, almost 30 years ago, but something reminds me of Puerto Limon, Costa Rica. But really, it could be any number of coastal towns around the world.

Another:

The architecture is African. It’s not a great fit for Anglophone Africa as the European influence seems more continental. It could be near the Dahomey Gap or around Angola, but I suspect it’s in West Africa. Freetown is still a bit wet relative to this vegetation, so it’s probably closer to the Sahel. Guinea is potentially a good match. A lot of the Guinea coast is mangrove, but there’s a region in and around Conakry with shallow seas and nice narrow beaches next to forest habitat.

This could be anywhere from the Kaloum Peninsula to the Loos Islands. I don’t think it’s Tombo Island itself, because that would be more built up, but the shallow sea and lack of mangroves is an otherwise good match. Kassa Island is a popular destination. I know the Air France crew will often boat there between flights to and from Paris. The crossing from Conakry means passing several wrecks of capsized old tankers. Half of these ships emerge from the water as they rest on their sides. From a distance it almost feels like you could touch the bottom if you jump out of your boat, but then you realize how huge these ships actually are. It’s shallow by shipping standards, but not by swimming standards. I’d love to know where these ships came from.

Ok, final guess: Conakry, Guinea, Kassa Island.

Another:

Close enough that I’ll bite. This looks a lot like a vista from above the highway (that’s a euphemism for a harrowing one-lane intermittently paved road) that hooks into town from the remote reaches of the northeast coast of Trinidad, in Grand Riviere.

We took our three children there three years ago to watch leatherback turtles (huge, dinosauric-looking deep-sea beasts that grow to well over a ton) heave themselves ashore on the beach after dark, right in front of the homes and hostels lining the coconut-tree-fringed shoreline, to dig sand pits and drop dozens of eggs into them. You can stand right next to them as they do so!

We also watched the baby turtle hatchlings, like tiny little windup toys scarcely larger than your average butterfly, come flapping out of the hot sand during daylight and dash to the surf as birds of prey wheel and dive on them. The absolute most extraordinary natural phenomenon I’ve ever witnessed.

It’s a fabulous, un-tourism-industry-tamed place, and therefore most affordable, too. The only catch is, you have to navigate hours and hours of horrendous winding road, dodging huge dumptrucks and full-throttle Asian compact sedans whipping around every blind turn to get there. Favorite vacation ever.

Another:

Looks like La Manzanilla, Mexico, a thriving little fishing village on the Bahia de Tenacatita between Puerto Vallarta and the port city of Manzanillo. One of those rare places where local Mexicans mix happily with gringo expats and travelers, it has quietly become a mini mecca for artists and chefs from all over Mexico, Canada and the U.S.  My favorite town in the world and, with luck, my future home.

Getting close. Another:

Long time watcher of these contests, first time submitter!  I stayed in the Hotel La Quinta Troppo in Zihuatanejo, Mexico with a near identical view!

Quite close. Another:

I’ve been to the Pacific coast of Mexico several times and the thatched palapas looked familar. This picture reminded me of the rustic feel of Yelapa, Mexico. I spent time on the internet on this cold, rainy Saturday looking at warm, inviting pictures of seaside accomodations.

Another:

This is either exactly Las Brisas or near Las Brisas Hotel in Acapulco.  If it is, the photographer shot this at a very clever angle. Wherever it is, I want to be there; more snow is coming to Connecticut. I’ve stopped bothering to dig out most paths, and the man who plows says he will have to come back with a bucket loader as there is no where left to push the snow with the plow. Between all the snow and the events in Egypt, this was a very calming photo to study.

And this week’s winner:

I knew this one right away. One of my favorite places on the planet: Sayulita, Nayarit, Mexico. Looks like the photo was taken towards the north end of town, just above the sports fields. Probably from one of these villas. Here’s a street view showing the pointy thatched roof house prominent in the photo:

About a half-dozen readers correctly guessed Sayulita, but the above reader was the first to do so and provided the only visuals. Congrats – we’ll get a window book out to you shortly. One final email for the super-fans:

After months of observing the methodologies employed by my fellow competitors, I am at long last throwing my hat into the View From Your Window Contest ring. Before I offer up my solution, I’d like to go meta for just a moment: I have noticed that there are 4 types of entrants to this contest:

1) The people who write, “I am absolutely, 100% sure of the location, because I was just there last year and will never forget it,” followed by a completely wrong answer. — I always feel a little sorry for these people. They were so certain! It must be a blow.

2) The people who write, “I am absolutely, 100% sure of the location because I happen to be: a) sitting there right now! b) looking at the exact same picture that I took last week when I was there! or c) *fill in the blank with another amazing coincidence!*” — These people make me jealous on some petty level that I’d rather not examine too closely

3) The people who write, “I am absolutely, 100% sure of the location because I recognized some infinitesimally arcane detail in the photo, and after spending several hours researching Dumpster Colors of the Southern Hemisphere, I was able to narrow it down to a city, whose streets I then spent several days examining, block by block for a LONG TIME on Google Earth, until I found the spot! Oh and, I got the last 3 contests correct!” — These people fill me with awe and admiration and maybe a just a little bit of fear.

4) The people who write, “I have no clue. I threw some search terms into Google and came up with this. Hope I’m right.” — These are my kind of people, and they have inspired me to join the VFYW Contest fray.

So, the red-flowered tree looks like a Flamboyant Tree and the overall feel of the photo says South Pacific to me. I put “Flamboyant Tree,” and “South Pacific” into Google, and came up with French Polynesia. I Google-mapped French Polynesia and found “Raiatea,” which appears to have grass huts, palm trees, Flamboyant Trees. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it, in the true spirit of the Type 4 VFYW Contestant.

(Archive)

You have until noon on Tuesday to guess it. City and/or state first, then country. Please put the location in the subject heading, along with any description within the email. If no one guesses the exact location, proximity counts.  Be sure to email entries to VFYWcontest@theatlantic.com. Winner gets a free The View From Your Window book. Have at it.

by Chris Bodenner

A reader writes:

Well, the snow, the large body of water frozen, and the dull twilight sky suggest that this is somewhere in the extreme northern latitudes.  I’m going to be different from everyone else who will probably guess Alaska or Iceland and go with Churchill, Manitoba.  It sits on a large body of water, Hudson Bay, that would likely be frozen solid at this time of year (which leads to the town being a big tourist haven for people who want to watch polar bears).

Another writes:

I never even attempt these contests because I’m intimidated by the sheer amount of work people seem to put into the posted correct responses. But in this case, the photo reminded me so strongly of Deadhorse, Alaska that I felt compelled to try. I spent a summer there after high school working for an oil company as a “stickpicker”, picking up debris that gets swept to the tundra while the snow is high and must be cleaned up during the summer thaw lest it endanger the local wildlife. My dad (an oil company employee, who had gotten me the stickpicking job) also had tons of pictures of the “town” during the winter, and this could be one of them.

Another:

Based on the short distance between waves, I would infer that this is located on one of the Great Lakes. One thing I’ve learned living in Michigan is that waves on the Lakes are “closer” than oceanic waves (don’t ask me why). I’m going to guess that this is Kingston, Ontario. I really don’t have any profound reason to say so, other than I am currently reading Margaret Atwood’s novel Alias Grace, which is partially set in Kingston, and I’m a great believer in serendipity.

Another:

Is this Fort Ontario, in Oswego, New York? Looks like the furthermost eastern shore of the Great Lakes. I know them well, having attended college on the same shore just 1/2 mile away.  Burr.

Another:

I can’t pinpoint it, but this looks to be a photo from somewhere in the vicinity of Skagen, Denmark. I’m guessing that’s the Kattegat Sea out there, and that’s the coast of Sweden visible on the horizon. What I can’t find exactly is that stone house with the chimney. Darn.

Another:

The photo was taken from the third floor of a house in the Molbogholman area, on the island of Skorpa, near the town of Kristiansund, Norway. Judging by the relative reflections of the window, the cameraperson was sitting on the edge of a bed, probably the “Bjørn Irkestøm-Slater Walker” model.

Another:

Kirkwall, Orkney, in northern Scotland? Several clues were preset. The house on the edge of the frame is unmistakably Scottish and there are possible runway lights, indicating we are close to an airport.  Kirkwall seems to be the only airport close to the coast and the photo vantage point is clearly where the airport perimeter is closest to the coast. The light is also that of midwinter Scotland.

Here is a screenshot from Google’s satellite view. There is some sort of tower visible at the highest magnification and this would be the actual vantage point.  I also include an image of the airport for illustrative purposes (and probably fair use) and it shows the low headland and a wider expanse of similarly flat terrain behind it.

Another:

I believe this is RAF Leuchars airbase, in Fife, Scotland.  The block of flats is unmistakably built of Scottish stone, and the body of water is the local estuary.  The snow on the ground would not be surprising for January in that area.

Another:

Inverness, Scotland? Just a guess. I spent a year in Aberdeen doing graduate work, and in viewing this photo I began to feel as depressed as I felt during that year of bleakness.

Another:

Instant reaction – that’s St. Andrews!

Looking north along the beach, with a tricksied-out snow-covered Old Course on the left. RAF Leuchars in the background, almost, at the other side of the inlet. Sheesh – haven’t been there since I was a laddie.

Another:

The Home of Golf.  Just across Links street from the 18th Hole of the over five centuries old “Old Course.”  White golf balls not recommended in January.

Another:

This is a view from the Rusacks Hotel in St Andrews across the middle of the 18th and 1st holes, made somewhat tricky by the fact you can’t see the famous bridge over Grannie Clark’s Wynd. The four bright lights in the background I assume are from Leuchars Airforce base – soon to be closed down.  I originally thought this was the Moray Firth and Inverness airport, but a bit of effort on Google maps yielded the right answer.

Another:

Finally, a VFYW that I recognize!  Although I wasn’t entirely sure at first, the giveaways are the tire tracks across the Old Course and the wire meshing on a section of the sand dunes (they were damaged last year during a storm and they’re meant to re-establish and protect that section).  It’s also helps that I’ve lived here for going on three years now!

Another:

It looks like the North Sea on the right and the Old Course off to the left. It’s probably around 3PM and already twilight. All sensible Scotsmen are already at their favorite pub.

Another:

The way these contests have been going, I know I’ll lose to someone who was conceived in that room and later shattered its window with an errant slice from the Old Course.  The closest I’ve been to St. Andrews was hitchhiking down that coast from Aberdeen in the seventies as a college student. I got a lift from two gregarious Scots who took me along on their all-day pub-crawl down the coast. When, at each new pub, I’d try to turn down the second dram, one would fix me with a squint and say “Aahndy, yer too serious”.  He was right.

Another:

It’s Saturday and I don’t want to work on my English paper so I’m scrolling through the Daily Dish expecting to log maybe five solid minutes of procrastination. And two hours later this is what I’ve got:

I recognized that beach immediately as the West Sands of St Andrews. I spent last fall semester abroad at St Andrews University, and on nice days I would run or play frisbee on that beach. On windy or rainy ones, I’d detour by this beach on my routes to and from class to watch the waves froth (as they’re starting to do in the photo). The path that cuts through the middle is Grannie Clark’s Wynd, where it’s wise to look both ways and up before crossing unless you’re looking to add a golf-ball-sized lump to the top of your head.

The general location was easy but it took me a bit of work to find which building this was taken from. After a bit of work with Google Streetview, I have to conclude that this picture must have been taken from a room in the Macdonald Rusacks Hotel, located between The Links and Links Crescent, right off the 18th green. The wall on the right side of the VFYW image is also part of the Rusacks hotel, and there are only a few other windows in the hotel from which this wall would be visible, so I’ve circled in my first attached image the exact window that this picture was taken from.

More evidence attached. Here are the hyperlinks for the Streetviews that I’ve used: View1, View2, View3, View4. Thanks for the opportunity for procrastination!

Another:

Upon my first glance at this, I thought “wow, this is a hard one.” Then the British Open popped into my head.  I’ve never been to St. Andrews or to The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, but as a fan of golf, I recognized the architecture of the building’s edge as being similar to some of the buildings I have seen around at least one of the Open Championship courses.

Another:

This was the first VFYW that I got instantaneously, as I imagine just about any hardcore golf fan would.  I’ve never been to the old course, but my father has, and I recognized the terrain and style of building from the photos he brought back.

After that it was simply a matter of tracking down exactly which building the view was taken from.  Attached is a screen grab from GoogleEarth.

 

Another:

My father-in-law passed away this morning, about two hours before you posted the pic. Our trip to St. Andrews (and a chance to play the course) was a highlight of his life.

Another:

I spent a week in Scotland with friends in 2005, and although covered in snow, I couldn’t mistake the feel of The Old Course and surrounding St Andrews. We were fortunate enough to grab a tee time through the lottery system and enjoyed an unexpected round of golf at The Old Course.

Another:

Too easy once you played there. The building shown is captured in this video.  First time teeing off on Old Course … and making a birdie on the hole:

Another:

This one I don’t even need to look up! If you were to look right along the fairway you would see the familiar club house of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, which sets the rules of the game across the world, and Hamilton Hall, which at least until a few years ago was a residence hall of the University of St. Andrews. (Here is an article about Hamilton Hall from the Wall Street Journal with a great picture of the golf course and both buildings.)

The reason I know this by heart is that I was a student at the University of St. Andrews from 2001 to 2005. As part of my studies I spent a year at an American university, and ended up staying and continuing my studies in the United States. Although I consider the United States my home I think back to St. Andrews mostly with fondness. (I don’t miss the deep-fried Mars bars, however.)

Another:

This photograph has gotten me completely hooked on this contest.  As an architect I recognized this  house as Georgian and somewhere in the UK.  This past year I have been doing a lot of genealogical research on my Jacobite ancestors who fled to the Carolinas after their defeat at the Battle of Culloden, so I have been looking at a lot of Scottish Architecture in researching their ancestral homes.   I recognized the stone on the building as coming from Scotland.  The setting appears to be remote but I think that is deceptive.  So, I started looking for a town close to a sandy beach and that led me to St. Andrews.  I have attached a photograph of a similar house located at 19 Pilmour Links.

Another:

My wife and I were married in Scotland in September 1986 during a visit with my sister, who lives in Edinburgh.  After our wedding we had planned a trip to Paris, but terrorist activity there had pretty much shut the city down.  Since that’s not the kind of experience we wanted for our first visit to Paris, we decided to rent a car and tour Scotland.  We headed up the west coast, took ferries out to the Outer Hebrides, and returned to Edinburgh by way of the east coast, including a quick visit to St. Andrews.  Although we’ve returned to Scotland a number of times since then, we never went back to St. Andrews.  So whether this scene looks familiar because of our visit many years ago, or because I sometimes watch golf on television, my immediate reaction was that this is a view looking north over what I think is called the Old Course.

Another:

The only amusing St Andrews anecdote I have is recalling when my wife’s family and I successfully reenacted the opening scene of Chariots of Fire along the beach upon which it was filmed (which you can see in the photo), madly shouting the soundtrack as we went.  The complete ambivalence of the local seagulls suggested this may have been a regular occurrence.

There were many equally-accurate guesses this week, so it’s difficult to single out just one for the prize. But among them was the following reader, who submitted a long and precise response to last week’s view from Double Bay:

This window at Rusacks Hotel, St. Andrews, Scotland. I’ve attached a photo marking the specific hotel window from which it was taken. Don’t have time to write a long pitch, but surely getting the exact window two weeks in a row counts for something!

It does!

(Archive)

You have until noon on Tuesday to guess it. City and/or state first, then country. Please put the location in the subject heading, along with any description within the email. If no one guesses the exact location, proximity counts.  Be sure to email entries to VFYWcontest@theatlantic.com. Winner gets a free The View From Your Window book. Have at it.