A rather quiet week, photographically speaking. It is the second half of September, but the weather remains warm and pleasant, so much of this week’s blog relates to the beach.
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Because of my continuing knee problem, I have to skip my daily bike ride from time to time to give the leg a chance to rest. On those days, my wife and I sometimes go to the beach. I dislike the water, but sitting on a beach chair with a book, a beer and my camera is not bad at all. Once in a while I even get up to take a close-up of the water:
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But mostly, I just take pictures from the comfort of my chair:
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Since we always go in late afternoon, I get the end-of-the-day images like this one, with the chairs neatly stacked and the sun setting behind the apartment buildings:
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On Wednesday I was invited to the ceremony marking the opening of the new academic year at the University of Alicante. On this occasion, the Executive Director of our office was awarded an honorary degree, which is the reason I, along with several other people from the office, were invited. It was a long and boring ceremony, but as usual I tried to make something of it. This is the auditorium just before the whole thing began:
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One of the many–too many–speeches I had to sit through, this one by a professor at the university:
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The vice rector of the university administers the oath to our boss (the latter is obscured):
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Finally, we are back outside, and the dignitaries are driven away in golf carts. I have no idea what the woman in the foreground is looking at:
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One thing I try to do with my photography is to look for interesting angles on everyday objects, such as the building in which I work:
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Even more mundane, a row of saucers, lined up for a coffee break during an event we are hosting:
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An image from centre of Alicante, entrance to a hardware store:
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On Friday afternoon my usual bicycle ride was made more challenging than usual by the very strong wind blowing in from the Mediterranean:
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There are people who love this kind of weather, and the beach belonged to them on this day:
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No week without food photos, this time from my own kitchen. I made a Turkish dish called turlu, based on a recipe from Demuths, a vegetarian restaurant in Bath. It was both delicious and colourful:
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On Sunday morning I cycled about 75 km, an easy flat route south of Alicante this time. On the way I stopped to check out this makeshift memorial to a cyclist killed in traffic here a few months ago. He was a young guy working in a bar in my neighbourhood, and apparently he had many friends who tend to this. I pass this spot every day during my commute but it is not possible to park the car anywhere nearby to explore it. So I took advantage of the opportunity afforded by being on a bicycle:
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Yes, that is my Scott road bike in the background:
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A close-up:
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For some reason, the beer can and Coke left behind (deliberately, I assume) made me think of voodoo:
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Later during the ride, I enjoyed the view along the beach north of Santa Pola. In the distance the Tabarca island is visible:
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I came home from my ride, and then we drove for lunch at Hostal Maruja, our summer favourite. The is the view of the restaurant from the entrance:
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We had invited Isaac, my daughter’s best friend from high school, to come along. He lives in the UK now but was back in Alicante for a visit:
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As always at outside eating places, the occasional itinerant vendor came by. The only unusual thing about this one was that he was not African (the trade is otherwise highly divided by ethnic group, with Chinese selling cheap toys, Africans selling counterfeit purses, sunglasses, copied DVDs etc., and people from the Balkans selling cold drinks on the beach during the season):
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Part of the enjoyment of eating here is looking at the human traffic on the beach. These two children had a wonderful time playing at the water’s edge:
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The grandfather (I assume that is who he was) does not look like he is in a great mood:
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Another adorable little girl, somewhat reluctant it seems:
