We’re in our sixth week of being on the road. We started out heading Down East for our Summertime on the Maine Coast photo workshop, then to New Hampshire for my mother’s service and an annual reunion with childhood buddies and their “spice.” At the end of August, we began our journey westward with a […]
Same Place — Different View, Spain 2009 — 2
Last week, we traveled from Barcelona southwest to the Cava country of Penedès, then up north to to the beautiful Anso Valley in the Occidental Pyrenees. This week, we’ll continue with Same Place Different View with more of the Spain workshop images.
The Pyrenees are beautiful, rugged, and at the same time, friendly. Full of history, there are many buildings of various ages to photograph, small stone villages on mountain tops, and plenty to feed the photographic eye. We headed east to the Pyrenees Central to another lovely valley close to the French border.
One day, we drove up to one of these mountain-top villages, snaking up challenging switch backs on the steep mountain slopes. Finally arriving at the summit, or at least close to it, we found gorgeous views down two different valleys.
There was a magnificent mountain watching over one. Arnie chose to photograph it with one of the little stone huts in the foreground as the late-afternoon sun was hitting the mountain. You can see the valley and towns below…
Same Place — Different View, Spain 2009 — 1
An update to Arnie’s stolen camera and lens … When we returned Stateside, there were no replacement lenses to be found. Nikon Professional Services (NPS) really went to bat for us. They not only instantly produced a loaner camera body and lens for Arnie, but since they knew our saga, they let Arnie keep extending the loaner for over a month. While Nikon Replacement Services had no problem getting Arnie a new body, it was the lens that was difficult. There were none to be found. Arnie called everyone he could think of and more, but nada – nothing!
NPS was fabulous, a pro’s dream team. Both Debbie McQuade and her boss, Melissa DiBartolo, top people at NPS, went all out and finally found a lens somewhere (we didn’t ask where). That lens is still out of stock everywhere, so we are ever grateful to them. Kudos to NPS. Arnie is a happy camper!
This week, we’ll return to Spain. It was great to receive so many comments on Beware of Thieves while Traveling. We were really lucky. Passports (in hotel safe), money (minimal while traveling), and credit cards were all safe, and everyone was so kind and helpful, save, of course, the thieves!
Now that Arnie had a loaner camera and lens for the rest of our trip, we took off for the wine country of Penedès, southwest of Barcelona. We stayed in a lovely B&B, Arianel-la de Can Coral. Rainer and Arianel, charming owners, guided us to some great locations over and above the ones we knew…