Wednesday 31 October 2012

Oct. 31: London, England

 
After a two hour flight from Split to London, there was an incredible change in scenery!
This is the Milenium Wheel, or the London Eye.
We were able to get on the Eye, and had amazing views from the top!

Oct.. 30: Vodice, Croatia

One day, while we were having a coffee, people sitting in front of us ordered a full meal.
Their wine glasses were sun-lit and lovely, so I tried to capture the picture over their shoulders!
I love the shadows coming from the wine decanter.

Oct. 29: Vodice Croatia

 
You may have to look hard to understand this photo!
It is the propeller of a boat.
The water was so clear that it is diffucult to figure out where the water-line is.

Oct. 28: Vodice, Croatia

 
Again we moved. This time we took the bus to the charming community of Vodice.
The harbour was smaller, as were the boats. 

Oct 27: Zadar, Croatia

 
Although there are only three masts visible in the picture, this was a five masted ship.
It is one of only a few five masted ships that still sail.
Apparently it sails the Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas out of Malta.
 At night, it was lit beautifully, but the lights went off just seconds  before I took this photo!!

Saturday 27 October 2012

Oct. 26: Zadar, Croatia

We took the bus from Trogir, north to Zadar.
Again, we discovered a gem of a small city.
Zadar is famous for haing the most beautiful sunsets in the world.
Unfortunately, for the three nights that we were there, we only saw clouds.
In this spectacular setting, even waiting for the sunset was an amazing experience.

Oct. 25: Trogir, Croatia

 
 
On our last morning on the boat, we woke to see this sunrise!
I took many pictures of this amazing colour and composition, 
but I think that this one is my favourite.

Oct. 24: Dalmatian Islands, Croatia

 
This was taken on the last day of our bike trip.
All 18 cyclists, including our two guides, posed on a hill-top overlooking Split.
Six Norwegians, six Canadians, two Australians, two New Zealanders, and two Austrians.
We had a ton of fun with these wonderful people.

Oct. 23: Dalmatian Islands, Croatia

 
I'm including this picture mainly to show my camera's ability.
This man was in the previous 'diving' shot, only now in a flipping contest with his friend.
I took this shot on 'burst' mode, and cropped it considerably.
Still, the splashes are pin-point sharp and the motion is crisp.

Wednesday 24 October 2012

Oct. 22: Dalmatian Islands, Croatia

 
This is my favourite picture from the whole trip!
These two men were workers on the fishing boat docked beside us.
When we returned to the boat, late one afternoon, they were diving from the prow of the boat,
one at a time.
I asked them to dive again and they dove together!
The back light and the angle of the sun were perfect!


Oct. 21: Dalmatian Islands: Croatia

 
 
This was my favourite harbour.
I called it the "Town with the Main Street Shower".
Many 'beaches' in Croatia had public showers, to wash off the salt water.
This one was right on the main street.

Oct 20: Dalmatian Islands, Croatia

 
The amazing thing about this photo is the background.
The town in the background was our start, and at this point,
we were only half way up the climb!
The scenery was spectacular!

Oct 19: Dalmatian Islands, Croatia

 
Croatian ice cream shops were everywhere.
At $1 a cone, it was hard to resist!
And, it was delicious!

Oct. 18: Dalmatian Islands, Croatia

 
We sailed into this charming harbour just as the sun was setting.
The light was subtle.

Sunday 21 October 2012

Oct. 17: Dalmatian Islands, Croatia

 
I managed to entice Bob into the water, briefly!

Oct. 16: Dalmatian Islands, Croatia


 

 
This was our afternoon 'off'!
The boat harboured in this tiny, idyllic bay, and we swam and rested.

Oct. 15: Dalmatian Islands, Croatia

 
Wow, and wow!

Oct. 14: Dalmatian Islands, Croatia

 
I love the triangulation of white objects against the blues, in this photo.

Oct. 13: Dalmatian Islands, Croatia

 
This was the view on the boat, as we sailed to our next harbour.

Oct. 12: Dalmatian Islands, Croatia

 
The next moring dawned with amazing cloud formation and wonderful light!

Oct. 11: Dalmatian Islands, Croatia

 After a very long and hard day's ride, we arrived in Korcula.
This was another old walled intriguing town.
According to history, Marco Polo had once lived in the street.

Friday 19 October 2012

Oct. 9: Dalmatian Islands, Croatia

 
This photo was taken on the day of our longest and hardest ride.
Because I was the only female on a non-electric bike, I was at the back of the pack.
Neven, our guide, stayed with me every pedal of the way.
I have to admit to exhaustion at the end of the day!

Oct. 8: Dalmatian Islands, Croatia

 
We crossed from Hvar Town to our next harbour for the night, and experienced sunset on the sea.
I have many beautiful photos of this, but this is my favourite.
Please notice the flocks of birds in the sky!

Oct. 7: Dalmatian Islands, Cropatia

 
 
 
The finish of that ride brought us to Hvar Town, a very busy and popular port.
Notice the old fort on the hill behind the harbour.


Oct. 6: Dalmatian Islands, Croatia

 
This was taken from part way up the ten kilometre climb!
We started at the town far in the background.
That climb was a real slog, but very exhilarating to have completed it!
The scenery was worth the effort!

Oct. 5: Dalmatian Islands, Croatia

 
Our guides told us that these grape vines had been planted 1,000s of years ago by the Romans, and were still producing.

Oct. 4: Dalmatian Islands, Croatia

 
How could we resist stopping here for photos?
Bob is in the red shirt, on the right.

Oct. 3: Dalmatian Islands, Croatia

 
The first half-day's riding was gentle.
It lured us into thinking that the rest would be managable! Ha!
We had a coffee break in Jelsa, this charming town,
although we looked more like an invasion of 20 bikes.
We would return here later in the trip, to stay overnight.


Oct. 2: Dalmatian Islands, Croatia

 
 


 
When we reached each new port, all the bikes had to be off-loaded from the boat; not an easy job!
The guides readied the bikes to fit each of us, and we had the same bike each day.
 

Oct. 1: Trogir, Croatia

 
We took the bus further north along the coast, to the town of Trogir.
This is where we met our boat,
 and where we would return a week later at the end of out Boat & Bike Tour.
This picture is taken from on our boat, with our bikes, and the old fort walls in the background.

Sept. 30: Split, Croatia

 
I love to capture candid shots of people.
These unsuspecting girls were at the right time, in the right place, with the right light.
They reminded me of the joy that I experience with my girlfriends.

Sept. 29: Split, Croatia

 
The harbour at Split was alive with boats of all description, and people of all ages.
It was especially beautiful in the evening light.

Sept. 28: Split, Croatia

 
During the day, The Old Town was very crowded with cruise shop passengers.
But later in the day, when the sun was low and beautiful, the atmosphere was serene.

Sept. 27: Split, Croatia

 
This photo was taken in the heart of the Old Town, where people still live and work amid the ruins of previous civilizations.


Sept. 26: Split, Croatia

 
After a few days in Dubrovnik, we took the bus to split.
I took so many beautiful picturesin Split, it is hard to select just a few, so I"ll try to post an overview of the modern and ancient city.
These boats represent the modern Split - luxurt yatches, cruise ships and island hoppers.

Sept. 25: Dubrovnik, Croatia

 
As we were walking through the Old Town, I caught this man out of the corner of my eye.
The corner was very dark, and I snapped the picture really quickly, while still walking.
I was amazed that the camera picked up so much light, and clealy captured this delightful moment.
Later, I realized that I needed to delete the annoying date stamp!

Thursday 11 October 2012

Sept. 25: Dubrovnik, Croatia

 
Returning from the cable car excursion, we entered the Old Town just as there was still light on the horizon, and the moon was rising.
This was a lucky shot, but I'll take it!


Sept. 24: Dubrovnik, Croatia

 
Ths sun is setting over the Adriatic Sea.
This view is from the mountain top.
It was breathtaking!

Sept. 23: Dubrovnik, Croatia

This is a view of the Old Town, taken from the cable car, as it was lifting to the top of the mountain.
From here, we could see the impressive size of the Old Town

Sept. 22: Dubrovnik, Croatia

 
This photo was taken at the 'magic hour' when the light is soft with the lowering sun.
It was taken as we started to climb in the cable car, to a mountain view overlooking the city..

Sept. 21: Dubrivnik, Croatia

 
It took over an hour to walk around the outside walls of the Old Town.
The views were spectacular, and there were new photo opportunities at every turn.
Considering that this had been a war zone just twenty years ago, much work has been done to restore the Town to its original authenticity.

Sept. 20: Dubrovnik, Croatia

 
The entire Old Town was lit up at night, both inside and outside the walls.
It was alive with tourists, restaurants, ice-cream and shopping.
Unfortunately, I had not realized that I should remove the 'date' stamp from the photos.

Sept. 19: Dubrovnik, Croatia

The Old Town was a maze of narrow alley ways, with open squares, shops and churches.
It is presently a lived-in town, as well as a major tourist attraction.
We spent hours wandering and admiring, and getting lost!

Sept. 18: Dubrovnik, Croatia

 
On Sept. 18, Bob and I left for a trip to Croatia.
All the photos that I will post fron Croatia, are taken with my new camera, Canon, Power Shot S 100.
Travel is a really good way to learn about a new camera, using it all day, every day.
I experimented with settings and got some good results, and some that were a lesson!
Here is a photo of the Old Town in Dubrovnik.