Front Row to the Alps

In Kandersteg, Switzerland, even an ordinary neighborhood street can end with a view like this. Traditional timber chalets sit quietly beneath the enormous walls of the Bernese Alps, while a bright red bench waits beneath a tree, pointed directly toward the mountains. There is nothing grand or ceremonial about the setting—and that may be exactly why it works. This is simply what surrounds everyday life here.

The bench is what gives the photograph its personality. That unmistakable Swiss red cuts boldly across the softer greens, browns and grays of the village and immediately pulls you into the foreground. From there, the eye travels past the chalet and straight toward the jagged mountain rising behind it, turning a simple roadside scene into something with remarkable depth.

There is also something wonderfully matter-of-fact about putting a bench here. No overlook. No observation deck. No sign announcing the view. Just sit down. The Alps are right there.