It was a slow week in every sense of the word. The weather has turned firmly hot, and it will only get more so in the next three months. Even my picture-taking has slowed down, so all this week’s offerings with the exception of the first two are from the morning dog walks and from Saturday’s bicycle ride.
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This and the next photo are actually from the preceding week, I had just forgotten to post them. From May 31st to June 2nd we had the meetings of the Management Board of our office. These meetings, which take place twice a year, are the most important institutional event in the governance of the office. The Management Board is composed of representatives of all 28 EU Member States, the European Commission and the European Parliament. Here is our meeting room during the proceedings. The members of the board and the top management of the office sit in the inner circle, while other people who need to attend (like me) are in the outer circle. The delegates speak in any of the five official languages of the office (English, French, German, Spanish and Italian), and there is simultaneous translation into the other four:
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During the breaks most people have coffee etc. outside the meeting room, but some people stay inside to catch up on work or to have side conversations:
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Back to my neighbourhood, indeed my back terrace. I showed these backlit leaves a couple of weeks ago, but I think this is a better image. I love sitting on my kitchen terrace, read with a cold beer at my side and look at the sunset on the golf course:
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A rather striking sculpture on Avenida Vicente Ramos:
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A left wing poster on a lamp post in our neighbourhood, with a slogan that implies that we in the Valencia region are part of the Catalan lands:
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The Hogueras de San Juan, a weeklong orgy celebrating mid-summer, begin next week. The neighbourhood is already preparing:
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Iniesta, Mickey and Minnie:
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Cheeta takes a great interest in this tree, for reasons I do not completely understand:
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An abstract:
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I have shown this car before as well; but I photographed it again. It does not look abandoned, but it has obviously been in the same spot for several days:
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Early morning in the park:
The remaining five pictures are from Saturday’s bicycle ride to the Puerto de la Carrasqueta mountain pass. I have shown images from these rides before but this time I photographed spots which I have thought of photographing before but had never gotten around to stopping and getting the picture.
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This sign indicates that the climb to the pass is beginning in earnest. At this point I have cycled 30 km and climbed from sea level to about 500 metres; there is 10 km and another 500 metres to go:
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A few km further up, someone is asking for forgiveness, for reasons known only to himself:
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A curve in the road:
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The road to Carrasqueta is hugely popular among motorcyclists too:
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A makeshift rest area with a view of the coast:
Thanks so much for the tour. Your busy life makes mine look distinctly pedestrian. !!
Comment by Brian — 17 June 2016 @ 13:28