Fresh Water & Fireworks

For the Fourth of July weekend this year, I returned to the land of the greatest of lakes.  Although I've traveled to a lot of cool places, there really is not anything that can compare to a day on a clean, sandy Lake Michigan beach.

Spending time on the water kayaking was relaxing as always.  The water was so still and clear that I was able to see the shattered wooden remnants of an old boat wreck several hundred yards off the shoreline (no pictures because I thought I might drop my phone in the water).  However, in Michigan there is always a catch - water that still and clear is usually c-o-l-d and the water temperature was about 52 degrees Fahrenheit (about 11 degrees Celsius).  I dove under anyway but popped out pretty quickly and decided that in-water activity was best in the kayak.

As the day ended, I tried my hand at another Lake Michigan sunset time lapse.  I've got to be more patient and not move the camera halfway through the shot, but otherwise it definitely turned out better than my first attempt last autumn.  It would be great to luck out with a clear sky and try again sometime.

Once the sun dipped behind the haze, I headed back to the city just in time to catch some fireworks with friends.  The show started just as I was finished passing through buildings along the way to our spot.  The echos between the buildings on the empty street were so intense it felt like the explosions were happening right next to us.

I still had my camera and tripod with me so I experimented with shooting fireworks for the first time.  I read this post from DIYPhotography on the way from the lake, but this post and this post are also helpful.  As always, National Geographic has amazing photos and tips as well.  I used Manual Focus, shutter speed of 6 seconds for the fireworks show (13-15 seconds for sparklers in the woods), and an aperture of about F8 (I think).  For a first attempt, I was pleased with the shots.

I also played around with some shots with longer exposures in the woods at night with some sparklers.  The designs also turned out pretty cool, and I'm looking forward to playing around more with these types of shots.  All in all, a wonderful relaxing day.  I hope you enjoyed the holiday too!

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Posted in: " "Time Lapse," Photography,"Fourth of July,#puremichigan,Beach,English,Fireworks,J-Mad,Lake Michigan,Michigan,Post-Bar Life,Pure Michigan,Sparklers,United States

Valencia Vacation

A lil while back (May 28, 2010), my friend and I took a day trip to Valencia for a mini vacation on the coast of the Mediterranean. Getting there was quite interesting, as the Madrid metro is slower in the morning and my friend had to come from the polar opposite end of town. I was able to keep talking to the bus driver so that we were able to catch our bus at the last minute. It's a good thing we did too, because one couple tried to steal our seats on the bus (this was actually a blessing in disguise because now the bus driver could direct his frustration at them and not us, the late American tourists).

The four hour bus trip took us through the mountains and some incredible scenery until arriving at our destination. Getting to the beach was interesting, seeing as street signs are used even less in Valencia than in Madrid and when they are visible, they are in Catalan. The unmarked, unplanned metro took some navigation skills as well, but it was cool to see that it took us above ground for most of the trip (making me question why anyone would actually purchase a metro pass in Valencia). Growing up near the Great Lakes, as much as I loved the Mediterranean Sea, fresh water is so much cooler than salt water. We spent most of the day swimming in the sea and chilling on the beach. One day is far too short for Valencia, a city that boasts Europe's largest aquarium, an amazing museum complex, and an incredible history. Basically, this means that I will need to return at some point over the summer.

After the beach, we wandered back through the metro and toward the center of the city. While we only had time to see the rooftops of some of the main attractions, we were able to climb up through an old gate to the city. The view of the city was more and more amazing with each level upward. Finally, we had to return to the bus to get back to Madrid, but I will definitely be back before the summer is up.

And it appears that this whole trilingual blog idea is failing miserably. In my defense, it is pretty hard to type in Farsi on a computer that refuses to connect the letters and has a screen smaller than an iPad. Also, I forgot my dictionary (which the parents forgot to mail) and there literally are no good online Farsi/English dictionaries. I really have no excuse for slacking off on the Spanish translations, aside from that it takes a while. I will try to update more regularly as well. Lo siento.

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Posted in: Beach,English,J-Mad,Mediterranean,Spain,Valencia