the last four days of our holidays were spent in lisbon. unfortunately i'm in a rush today, so i'll come back to story and background of this imho again very characteristic image and its relation to the city tomorrow.
leaving the countryside
figueira da foz, pt.
new era?
so today was this one big, special announcement day? everyone of you might have realised the incredible news about the sony a7, a7r and rx10...
well, actually i for one have rather longed for a camera with, let's say, at least the same iq than my nex7, but smaller dimensions; than for one with even better (full frame) features and therefor a noticeably more bulky design.
how do you think about a completely, actually more to be expected rx10 scenario: the same or an improved version of the nex7 sensor, an extendable 35 or 50 mm (ff äquivalent) lens, like the nikon coolpix a, and all this together with the mandatory rest packed into the smallest possible body (maybe with the size of a rx100)? how do you, sony? some other time, perhaps. by the look of things my nex7 will stay with me for at least another year, which is anything but sad...
cut! another topic: the image above is my first photograph processed on my new (mega, mega cool) ultrabook machine, first time with lightroom 5.2, too. everything works like charm so much that i don't ever want to stop processing my vacation snaps. i'll give all the features (and windows 8.1 from tomorrow on) a try and report at the latest in a few days.
so for me a new era is beginning right now, if not necessarily concerning photography itself. therewith i first of all have to improve my own artistical skills, instead of enhancing the specs of my equipment more and more. like i said, just my 2 cents!
greenster
perfect match... but i wonder, how the tiny little renault 4 will look in late autumn?
serra do buçaco
in the early 17th century the forest of bussaco was conceded to the barefoot carmelites as an answer for their wishes of having a spiritual hermitage of their own, to withdraw totally from the outside world, to suit their silent and austere lifestyle, and to dedicate their lives entirely to meditation. the monks not only built a convent but also created a luxurious garden with many species of trees. in order to isolate themselves and their forest from the outside world, they additionally built an approximately 8 km long wall round their sacred forest.
the walking paths, chapels, hermitages and belvederes are unforgettable and still exemplify the rarefied atmosphere of serenity and peace of this very special place. today the forest hosts a splendid five-star-hotel, the bussaco palace [source and more information]. it's a must see, especially in low season!
road trip
our trip to the serra do buçaco, the probably most beautiful place i've seen in portugal yet, made for one of the funniest afternoons we had on vacation. although the adventurous car ride there along forest tracks and winding mountain roads put a strain on our fiat 500, the drive was recompensed with great views over the moody forests.
tomorrow i'll show a photo spread from the forest itself.
to the sea
mountains are wonderful, but the sea is even more.
portuguese (still) life
i'd be delighted, if i received a post card from portugal's coast with the photograph above. first of all i personally like narrowed sections way more than vast overviews, which is why i almost never miss a wide-angel option for my daily photography. and in the second place i think, that the shown scene is very typical for the rural region between porto and lisbon: resilience, colourfullness, bluntness, beauty.
btw: if my arguments hadn't been just this tiny little bit stronger than tina's, we'd have returned home with three instead of two cases, the additional one filled with various portuguese tiles from the flea market...
lighthouse guard
my relationship to the lighthouse in praia da barra is a special one: basically i don't find it very nice, but it finally showed me the way into vacations again. after being surfing there two years ago, it has already been the second time i visited it; constituting the end of the landmass, marking the beginning of a wonderful, vast sand beach. good to know, that someone is looking out for this important landmark.
broken heart
although aveiro, one of our favourite smaller towns in portugal and the place, where the broken heart above was discovered, isn't exclusively famous for its tourism (but rather its university), even there on the spot the circumstance of travelling in low season has the big advantage of being part of a real, authentic city life; a fact, we prize highly. consequently our hearts were actually not endangered of being broken by solitude.