Cruising altitude for most flights is in the 30,000 to 40,000 foot range. But nothing really exciting happens that far up. Looking out of the window all you see are clouds or a miniature earth below.
When I fly I always prefer the aisle seat. I readily give up the scenic view of the window to have easy access to the rest room. As I age, that becomes more important. And, I don't like being at the mercy of an inconsiderate aisle monitor such as what happened on this flight:
But the purpose of this post is to show some of the scenery at 10,000 feet and below. That's when aerial photography gets a lot more interesting. At that level you're high enough to still get some great perspectives, but low enough that the detail becomes more apparent.
The desert views at lower altitudes.
Himalayas at low altitudes
But sunset and sunrise are often the most dramatic.
Some city views are better than others
I probably have some better aerial pictures but they take too long to find. I'm not that good at organizing my photos into files.
Many times, if I'm in a window seat (which is usually only overseas trips where I have an aisle/window business class seat) I will be taking pictures out the window. Others will see me doing it and strain to see what is so interesting. But it's often quite mundane to them I think.
Anyway, that's a flavor of life at 10,000 feet and below.
The aerial shots of the sunset were truly spectacular. The colors and contrast are so vivid. The pictures of the cities really show how many lights are shining at night but it brings out the colors of the city