The Traveler: Floyd Grabiel of Edina.

The scene: Steps lead to the Ganges River in Varanasi, the northern Indian city that is regarded as the spiritual capital of the country.

About Varanasi: "Of all the places we visited during our recent trip to India, Varanasi was my favorite for it was here that I began to experience India. Varanasi hosts crowded streets and markets, the craziest traffic, sounds and colors, religious meaning and diversity, history and spirituality. I loved it," Grabiel wrote in an e-mail. "As in Delhi and other places, the streets are full of traffic of all sorts, motorized and not. The difference to me is that here the streets are narrower, the traffic more compressed and uncoordinated, and louder. People drive with their horns. The cacophony of sound was incredible. Added to that are walkers, bikers, rickshaws, cattle and dogs." The city, which dates to the sixth century B.C., "is revered by Hindus, Buddhists and Jains." Grabiel attended a Hindu religious ceremony there — along with about 15,000 other people in boats and on steps leading to the river — in which priests used bells, cymbals, chants, drums, conch shells and fire to celebrate. "Our boat was situated gunwale to gunwale with many others. Vendors selling tea would walk from boat to boat," he added.

Equipment: Grabiel used an Olympus E-PL3 camera with a 40-to-150mm lens to get this shot.

Share your photos: To submit your travel photo for consideration to Viewfinders, share it on Instagram tagged with #STtravel, or e-mail a jpeg to viewfinders@startribune.com.