Far and near: Seven

D300 - 24 mm, 1/100 sec f/16, ISO 250

Shadows like your cool breath on my neck
Sucking me into another world.

Nathalie Boisard-Beudin

I am saving the shadows you waste.
I am building a brilliant escape.

Charli Henley

Rising into the unknown,
pursuing the light.

Amy

The climb is just as easily made
in shadow as in light.

Piacere

Start at the bottom, but taking one step at a time
Find yourself rise above it all.

Inky

Light is purer,
After the effort

Claudia

"Evolve!" is the imperative on the path of return.
If I do not dare, who else will?

A. Chincarini

Interlude VIII

H. Purcell - Music for a while.

Easily we do all forget,
painfully a few of us remember.

Day 9 [2/4]

Madeira

Funchal.
Modern but not too much, european and characteristic, historic but with free WiFi in the centre. A feeling of belonging here (or wanting to) caressed my mind. Busy, colorful yet not as busy as I am used to, and much more colorful.
It felt like a place I'd want to retreat to, to hide from globalization, to hide from my worries. It felt remote but not unconnected, exalting the sweet taste of control over when and where do we let the world reach us.

Day 9 [1/4]

Madeira

After a surprisingly quiet nightly navigation, a less understandable language, more vivid colors and a lower temperature greet us on our arrival.
This small archipelago feels like a very different place from the Canary Islands. Our immediate thought goes to the renowned wine of this lands and we soon discover how cleverly these people cultivate vines.

For your eyes only [so to speak]: Madeira's ocean .

Day 8

Tenerife
(Canary Islands)

Tenerife is green and pleasant, lively and blessed by a gorgeous volcano. Yet I couldn't bring myself to display it in colors. While I try to find a plausible answer to my approach, please enjoy these b&w shots.

I apologize for repeating subjects in my photography. Apparently I can't avoid the ocean, old doors and geometric features. There is enough food for a shrink here...

The Lemonade Award

It is now time to pass on the award.
Once bestowed upon my site by the gentle Catherine Vibert, The Lemonade Award is for sites which show great attitude and/or gratitude. Before unveiling the new nominees, let me review the "rules" for this rite of passage [slightly adapted, as rules must evolve too]:

Rules for the award
1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate at least 5 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude!
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Nominate your favorites and link to this post.

And now, drums rolling...

For outstanding endurance: Linda of Linda Land
Profound thoughts are written by: Laruga of PeaceLoveYoga
For her kindness and wit: Maggie 0f Such is Life
Uncontainable talent and ingenuity goes to: Kat of Studiokat
For the path he is walking enlightens us all: Daniel of Faces, lives...

In its wisdom, the jury decided to assign some extra awards to:

Cinciamogia, for the cunning point of view and smart writing about everyday life;
Amaramara, as she never ceases to learn and try.

So that's it. Now it's up to you....

Day 7

La Gomera
(Canary Islands)

Green beyond imagination. I dare say only Ireland rivals this place. Wild and tamed, gem in the casket, cold shiver of a humid wind.

Here you physically touch the eternal process of creation, from raw matter to lush beauty.
Here you witness the tide of time, the overwhelming force of innumerable water droplets in the foggy wind.

It all started in the volcanic park of Lanzarote, the timid process turning black rocks and dust into pale green. La Gomera shows us what became of those rocks after hundreds of thousands of years.

And then there is the biggest forest of Laurisilva. An ancient tree, precious relic of the Pliocene subtropical forests. Once covering the whole Europe, it is now reduced to a relatively small forest on this gorgeous island. A marvel into a marvel, walking among these descendants of a primordial history.

Far and near

I recently received a friendly request from a reader of this blog. Her wish did make my day and I am happy to comply.
Let my kind and scrupulous readers voice their talent on this new image. Your and my curiosity will be satisfied not sooner than Monday, February 9th.
As usual, you are all invited to participate. Newcomers please read the "far&near" collection early posts for details.

Day 6

Tenerife
(Canary Islands)

Characteristic, crowded, tasty, rotten, dry, green, hot... and so many other adjectives I could use to describe this place. Perfect for the lazy, attractive to the gourmand, mysterious for the adventurous.

Green canyons are embroidered with small villages, the happy sound of the Spanish language echoes among color patches and a perfect weather welcomes us on this island. And.. did I already mention the excellent food?

Day 5

Lanzarote
(Canary Islands)

This place was a surprise. It felt as if a veil was lifted off my senses. Everything was bright and clear and crisp. The eagerness to jump into my trekking shoes, finding only a handful of people (seven all together!) were participating to this particular tour in the heart of the Timanfaya volcanic park.
Nothing cleans your mind better than a walk in a desert. And a splendid desert it was.
The apparent desolation of the seemingly never ending lava field gave way to the awe of a more careful examination. Not only the landscape was beautifully changing everywhere I looked; life was showing itself in the most basic ways.
Lichens of at least 3 different complexity were slowly, delicately but steadily mutating the black and reddish rock into a garden. All the raw forces of nature at work there. It was like walking on a primeval world on the eve of a great changing.

The harsh land turning into a paradise. These two b&W pictures are but a pale reminiscence of the real beauty they try to capture.

Finally, let me indulge in this distant cousin of Uluru. Yes, after having been before the original in Australia, this one is really not impressing. But when I saw it I liked it so much that I "officially" renamed this place 'my little Australia'. ;-)