Traveling at the Speed of Whim

Another Spring trip, this time to Morocco, Spain and Istanbul. After the trip, I'll resume posting at Four Letter Nerd.

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Relief

Twenty two days into my trip my laptop (actually, an 'ultrabook') wouldn't charge. I hadn't done a backup in 2 days, so I copied some essential trip files to my phone. Next I plugged in the external hard drive to update the back up. It was making clicking sounds that sounded like death rattles to me. Windows didn’t recognize the drive.

Once home, it turned out the charger was bad*. My photos are now safely on the home computer and home backup drive. On future trips I'll carry enough SD cards as a second backup for the images I like best.

*Ultrabooks were a brief, unsuccessful attempt to lure customers away from tablets. When I tried to test my charger or buy a new one in Spain, no shop had one with the smaller than standard power jack or lower than standard current output.

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The Security Guard Laughed

This story needs some setup. Last August I started daily medication for an Old Man condition (Benign Enlarged Prostate). My major side effects, dry mouth, stuffed nose, dizziness upon standing up and all too often a bit dizzy, were a pain the the ass until all but the first faded into the background.

Combining the 'bit dizzy' with my habit of taking a step in one direction and realizing that might not be the direction I need to go (e.g. where did I leave my keys?) meant while trying to decide upon a direction, I'd become aware I'd started to tilt. Tilt, not fall because I've always had an excellent sense of balance. During one of these tilts I recovered with a back cross & pivot on the ball of a foot, a common dance move from my 17 years partner dancing. Subsequently (yes, the tilts were all unintentional) I added style and delayed recovery, simultaneously reliving some dance memories and risking a broken hip.

At the Picasso Museum in Barcelona, I'd descended a staircase, spotted the exit sign then remembered my backpack was in a locker but didn't know where that was. Tilt, Back cross & pivot placed me looking straight at a security guard 5 feet away. His expression transitioned from concern to WTF? "Estaba bailando*" I said. He laughed.

*I was dancing. It was also my only automatic correct use of a past tense during my time in Spain.

One more post to come, I promise.

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The Voters Validated My Vision

There are usually several challenges running simultaneously on the site where I'm taking and posting one photo a day for a year. They're designed to stimulate ideas, motivate one to learn a new skill, see in a new way, etc.

One of my primary motivations for starting the project was to learn new ways of seeing. Can't say I've accomplished much.

'Shadows' was the challenge, avoiding cliches was my strategy. One day, while taking a rest, I looked behind me. Chuckling to myself, I picked up the camera. The challenge organizer selected the result as one of 5 finalists:

Taken in a covered courtyard. The cover blocked all but a tiny shaft of light, putting the blank walls in shadow. In compositional terms the shadow is 'negative space'. Thus it doesn’t look like a shadow and is the empty space that defines the light shaft. A conceptual shadow, if you will.

The image received zero votes. I consider that a personal victory.

The finalists and voting:

http://365project.org/discuss/themes-competitions/25547

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Chandeliers

Finally able to process photos not taken with my cell phone. Now that’s out of my system, it’s time to unpack.

Hagia Sophia, Istanbul

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The Posting Will Continue Until Morale Improves

That’s my morale, not yours.  I’m home but still have stuff to say about the trip. Given this is the only chronological record of the trip, I’ll say it here. Didn’t post it during the trip because my laptop died (more about that later) and typing on my phone is a bleeping pain in the ass.

I discovered something about jet lag this morning. Usually an iced coffee converts my brain state to somewhere between full alert and the same with slightly annoying brain buzzing. Today all it did was move the jet lag brain fog up and forward. At least I’m getting a decent amount of sleep.

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My hotel is adjacent to a concentration of shoe businesses. Wholesale showroom on the first floor, manufacturing above, delivery and shipping in the street. Istanbul, Turkey. Posted while at the airport waiting for the flight home.

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Same tower as the last post. It felt like being inside a giant round cheese grater.

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After leaving the tower's elevator, first one sees the spectacular views of the city. Then comes the walk down. My upper hamstrings were sore the next day but it was totally worth it. I particularly enjoyed the potential consequences of taking a tumble on those stairs. It would be like something out of a Road Runner cartoon. Barcelona, Spain

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My new RED Olympus E-PL1 body was manufactured 5 years ago, but it's new in box with the Oly worldwide warranty. It has the same lens mount as my dead E-M10 and an earlier version of the menu system. At 99 euros, I couldn't resist the price.

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This statue is constantly in a fine spray. For rainbows maybe? So the boy's extended appendige is always dripping? Cordoba, Spain

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I was moved by Gaudi's breathtaking originality - but in a wrong direction. At the time, sepia toned stained glass seemed like a good idea :) La Sagrada Familia Church. Barcelona, Spain

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Hand polished bronze.

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Coche 29

The ticket said Coche 29. I saw the access to the train platform was at one of its ends. This was either going to be a short... 'ALL the way to the end of the platform', said the ticket checker in both Spanish and English. ... or a long walk. I'm in Barcelona. Have a ticket for the Picasso museum this afternoon, and Gaudi's La Sagrada Família (the church that seems to be all towers) tomorrow.

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Many men are easing this ox drawn cart down a small step, best seen in the group by the wheel. I have no idea reason for or destination of this procession. The locals were intent and enthusiastic. Some in costume rode in carriages following the cart.

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Some drivers use help to negotiate the tight spots.

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Driving by ear.

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At first I thought rising to the challenge of using the cell phone camera would be good for me, but in the way diet and exercise would be good for most people. In other words, I'd do it but wouldn't enjoy it. I was wrong. The photos may suck but creating them is fun.