mt rainer
dog or tree?
forest creatures
view from mt constitution, orcas island
me
waiting for the ferry
Tag Archive for 'photography'
From a recent hike to Lake Lillian.
I never actually made it to the lake, which I guess isn’t that uncommon. There was snow at the ridge, and I ended up losing the trail. (Made more exciting by the fact that the mosquitos attacked every time I stopped to look for it.) But the surrounds were beautiful. I think it may be one of my favorite hikes.
… credit card, that is.
Just noticed that flickr has partnered with CapitolOne. You can now put your own photos from flickr on your credit card.
It’s a pretty genius idea - one of the reasons I like my current credit card is that it has a picture of Stanford on it. And whenever I use it, it reminds me of my college days, friends I made there, experiences I had, etc. The warm fuzzy usually only lasts about 2 seconds, but I like it enough that it’s a disincentive to change credit card companies.
Anyways, smart marketing move. Nice one, Flickr & Capitol One!
And I’m back. And totally jetlagged.
Spain was great - a fabulous country. I will definitely go back again.
Also, it turns out that "vacation" vacations do have some nice perks over "adventure" vacations:
- Being able to brush your teeth without worrying about getting sick.
- Being able to eat fruit from street vendors without worrying about getting sick.
- Knowing that you’re not totally screwed if you lose your passport.
- Not stressing about safety when calling a cab.
- Western toilets.
Oh, and amazing wine and cheese. Though, the exchange rate is rather killer.
Next trip? I’m thinking back to south america - but who knows. 
Pictures coming soon.
Me, in front of the Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain. Taken an hour before sunset with the help of a park bench.
The last stop in my trip to Spain was Bilbao. The city in recent years has become an international destination with the building of the Guggenheim. The building, designed by Frank Gehry, is shaped like a “ship” with fish-like titanium scales. I loved how it caught the colors of the city at different times of day.
The collection housed inside of the Guggenheim was much smaller than I expected. The temporary Munoz exhibit was very good, and my appreciation for Richard Serra grew after seeing his permanent pieces. But overall, the building itself much overshadowed the art inside.
the guggenheim from across the river
the “fish scales” texture
my rocky run
spider
organic lines of the building
water fun
blue is blue
twilight
a little bit of vegas
at night
reflections
dancing
San Sebastian is an absolutely gorgeous beach town. Unfortunately, it got hit with a case of “seattle weather” while I was there…. so there wasn’t a lot of frolicking on the sand. Fortunately, Spain summer sales started that Monday - so I ended up being pretty productive anyways.
looking down at san sebastian
relaxing with sangria & new yorker
window dressings
seaside
soccer on the beach
merry-go-rounds
beach
can you hear me now?
twilight near the beach
La Sagrada Familia is Gaudi’s “masterpiece.” Construction on the temple began in 1882, and has been ongoing ever since. Gaudi died in 1926, and so several different architects have been tapped to flesh out the master’s design.
It was especially interesting seeing the interior of the temple, which had progressed significantly since I was there 4 years ago.
the famous shape of the la sagrada familia
the soldiers were modeled after the shapes on the la pedrera’s roof
parts of the passion facade
sculpture of jesus
ceiling of the temple
an unfinished stairwell
active construction
from the top
arches
rockin’ out with mister turtle
A few random street shots…
while walking through the Barri Gotti (Gothic Quarter), we came upon this wedding reception.
these for-rent red bicycles were everywhere
the building fronts were so, well, european (for lack of a better word)
a clothes rack in the apartments across from us
peering down from the apartment
bicycles in high places
It was the first time that Spain won the Euro Cup 2008 in 22 years. (And the first time in about the same number of years that I watched a soccer match.)
The game was in Austria, so the viewing location was a bar in the Barri Gotti.
The celebration in the street afterwards was particularly memorable… and also where I learned the life skill of operating an SLR with one hand, while have a beer in the other.
folks were lined up on the street to see in…
…and the celebration starts
friendly folks sold beer on the streets for 1 euro
the spanish flag in motion: my first attempt at panning
pouring on to las ramblas
there was no “music”, so noise makers and chants filled the streets
and there were many many people out
Unfortunately, I was only able to see Casa Batllo from the outside this trip (it was closed when I tried to go). It’s one of my Gaudi favorites.
