TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A German IT Project Manager captured this photo of Taipei 101 rising from a dark alley. 

The photographer, Philipp Moers, 38, hails from Dusseldorf, Germany, and works in the telecommunications industry. Moers told Taiwan News that he and his girlfriend took a road trip around Taiwan in November for about two and a half weeks.

He said they booked a rental car and “drove around the lovely Island of Taiwan — it was a blast.” The picture was taken after a visit to Elephant Mountain, where they enjoyed the view over Taipei during sunset.

Moer says the scene “shows the contrast between the impressive modern architecture of Taipei 101 and the cozy atmosphere of a small restaurant.” Moer said he and his girlfriend enjoyed dining at the eatery, Takemura Izakaya, which is situated on Songren Road in Taipei's Xinyi District.   

On April 17, Moers posted the photo as well as 14 others taken during his Taiwan trip to Reddit under the heading “Thanks Taiwan! It was a pleasure!” The post has since garnered 2,300 upvotes and 107 comments, such as, “That first photo hits so hard. It captures everything I love about Asian cityscapes.”