Back from Holiday

Work and everyday life is calling again – as is my blog and all yours (and I am sorry I have not been able to follow up any of your postings the last couple of weeks). Thanks for your patience while I have been away. It’s been good to be away from everything, though, if only for a couple of weeks. Breaks are necessary to regain power and to recharge our creative minds.

These last couple of weeks I spent with my family in Spain on the south-east coast called Costa Blanca. We were based in the small town of Villajoyosa which is an old fishing village with a lovely old town painted in all the strong colours of the palette. Our stay in Villajoyosa coincided with their annual festival Moros y Christianos which is a re-enacting of medieval times. According to popular tradition the festival commemorate the battles, combats and fights between Moors and Christians during the period known as Reconquista which dates from the 8th through the 15th century. Surely fun to watch even though it also felt a bit awkward to witness a celebration of an expulsion of a group of people that still are abundant in southern parts of Spain.

During our holiday, we not only stayed in Villajoyosa, but went on a ramble around the near vicinities. We visit the historical city of Valencia, the third largest in Spain, we entered some of the exquisite caves in the area and we climbed El Castell de Guadalest, to mention a few. The old town of Guadalest is resting on the top of what looks like fragile rocks. In 1644 an earthquake destroyed the castle that mounts over the town, and later that same year another movement destroyed part of the town. Even more, but smaller earthquakes about a hundred years later took more of it. Now what is left of the old town is perched on the top of those steep rocks still remaining.

The holiday was good and relaxing, and I feel very ready to get back to regular business again. Of course I took pictures during our stay in Spain, but this was more than anything a family event, thus photography had only second priority and I did it more for fun and for capturing the family on tour than anything else. Nevertheless I post a few of the pictures here.

I look forward to slowly getting back into reading your blogs again, and I hope you have all had a fantastic summer as well. A quick reminder before I end now: Remember my picture critique is still open if you have photos you would like a feedback on.