13
Sep
2009
Savannah and the Coast
This probably won’t be an especially long post since on phone. The hotel has two pcs in the lobby and I’ve yet to see them free even on a fairly empty Sunday night.
This is my third night here and I consider it little more than a taste but I understand why people have so often spoken kindly of Savannah when they heard I was from Georgia. The irony always was I’d only seen Georgia’s coast once and Savannah only from I-95 at night.
My trip has shown me I must come back! The funny thing is it’s not the city I’ve enjoyed so much as the coast. There’s something in the sea air that has always agreed with me. I think my brain protects itself when I get away from the ocean and blots it out, but it’s the same reason I have always enjoyed storms that blow inland from the sea. There’s something markedly different about the air.
I’ve been out to Tybee Island every day I’ve been here and out to Skidaway Island as well and saw Moon River of Johnny Mercer fame. I took some panoramas of Moon River – fingers crossed that they turn out as planned!
Got here late afternoon on Friday and after dinner took my first turn out on Tybee after a wander through downtown in my car. I saw the sun set behind me as I made my way out and dusk on the tidal marshes, my first moment of really getting the beauty of this place. I ended the night with a few night shots of Tybee Lighthouse.
The next morning I tried my best to make it to Tybee fir sunrise but missed by a bit, but I managed to get to a few spots in the marshes as people started to head out in their boats. Then on to Tybee and got a few early photos if the lighthouse and wandered on the beach until the opened the light.
I climbed the 170ish steps to the top. Think I may have been the first of the morning, but at least there was no one up there to see me spazzing at the height! I have never like bridges and apparently the little metal walk projecting out at the top is close enough! I clung to the wall and inched around for the view! At this point I was glad they had a sign up allowing no big bags as pulling out my point and shoot was more than enough for me. By the time others showed up I had chilled out a little but I still didn’t want too many people on it and headed down Toured the rest of the restored buildings and headed back to Savannah to finally see the city!
And I didn’t see a lot! If you’re planning to do a trolley tour my suggestion is to start first thing! I only got off at two stops of the dozen or so offerred and before I knew it, it was time to get on the last trolley back to the visitor center. I considered riding back in and wandering now that I had my bearings a little but decided instead for the ride to Skidaway Island.
There’s not a lot to say about the island from what I saw of it. It’s entirely possible that there’s something great out there, but all I found to take photos if was the view from a fishing pier at Moon River, but it was a great way to end the day.
Sunday was an incredibly lazy day. I had planned to check in and see if I could get on a ghost tour and walk around the city. The alarm went off and I decided not an early morning day which was probably just as well because it was a very overcast day – sunrise was probably disapointing. I finally got out and had lunch.
Over lunch I decided I’d go see Bonaventure cemetery and then back downtown to wander the historic district. Found Bonaventure fairly easily. At first I was disappointed. It was pretty but nothing super special. For those who don’t know Bonaventure is where the cover for Midnigt in The Garden of Good and Evil was photographed. I had wandered fir a good while before looping around to the much older part of the cemetery and it is quite beautiful in the way a lot of basically Victorian cemeteries are, massive monuments to death and egos but hauntingly lovely especially cloaked I. The canopies of live oaks. I wish I had found that area first, but maybe it’s good I was walked out! I started back fir the parking lot and sudenly realized it was a few minutes after 5pm! Not only was my car on the other side of a six foot fence, the gate was locked! Before I could panic and call the “emergency” number on the gate, I saw someone drive up to a gate about 25 feet away and made a mad dash to get there before she locked it! LOL. The fun thing was as I sat in the car, I could see people still driving around inside… I guess they have to let a lot of people out (there was a caretaker’s house).
At this point, it seemed too late to go downtown again so I decided that will wait for another visit. Instead, yes, I drove out to Tybee once more. I spent over two hours wandering the beach with my camera and soaking in the sea air and ocassionally wishing I had a beach towel with me but walking with the camera and just breathing the air was incredibly relaxing anyway!
Thus ends my first journey to the coast, not my last I trust! Tomorrow, bound for the airport for the next leg of this trip! Stay tuned!
1
Sep
2009
Cornish Coast
On my trip through Cornwall, we saw a lot of gorgeous coastline. The coast is full of dramatic cliffs and gorgeous views. Since Cornwall has been a vacation destination for so long, there are lots of little scenic spots and walks along the coast that are easily accessible.
Road To The End
One such trail is a short walk that rises from Sennen Cove to the famed Land’s End. Lands End is the most westward point of mainland Britain. It’s a major tourist destination in Cornwall. Lands End itself was honestly a bit overly touristy for me, but I loved the walk there. As you can tell from the view here, it’s a gorgeous coastal landscape dotted with little homes.
Not Quite The End
One more view from near Lands End. As I said, the real thing was just kind of a touristy collection of buildings and amusements. But this is the view I remember best, gorgeous rocky coastline and a winding path filled with happy holiday makers.
Life Is But A stage
My last (and favorite) of our stops along the Cornish coast was Minack Theatre. This theatre was the child of Miss Rowena Cade. She built (mostly by hand) this gorgeous and somewhat chaotic little theater that hugs the cliff side near her home. A local theater group staged A Midssumer Night’s Dream for two seasons (starting in 1929) in a nearby meadow. When they decided to put on The Tempest, Miss Cade offered her garden and proceeded to build her cliff side theater. The Tempest in 1932 was the first of many plays staged here and Miss Cade continued to add to her theater the rest of her life. She passed away in 1983, aged 89. The theatre has run as a charitable trust since 1976 and today includes a museum to Rowena Cade who will certainly be remembered by many.
For more prings of Cornwall and the UK, please check out my Britain gallery.
29
Aug
2009
Newquay Surfer Prints
Newquay is a an awesome little coastal town in Cornwall. There has been human activity here since prehistoric times and a fishing village as far back as medieval times. It’s lovely location and accessible sandy beaches have made it a tourist destination in Britain for more than a century now. In more recent times, it’s become a favorite of surfers. The official population of Newquay is around 22,000 people, but in the summer it can grow to more than 100,000! Even during my visit in September, on a decent afternoon, the water was crowded with surfers.
Moment In The Sun
My first exposure to surfing was on a drive up Highway 1 in California several years ago. I spent hours watching surfers paddling out, getting up on their boards and trying to get that perfect balance that allows them to ride the waves back to shore. It’s really incredible and although I’m not sure you’d ever find me trying it, I definitely understand the zen of it now. There wasn’t any great wave action while I was there, but there was awesome light and plenty of surfers. I really enjoyed catching them going out and contemplating the waves.
Surfing Zen
Another view of the beach at Newquay – with only the little bit of ocean visible, you can see how crowded the water is even in the shoulder season. Two of the surfers are contemplating the sea before them. The light that afternoon was really special as you can tell. The sky is a mix of blue and even a hint of pink from the sun low in the sky. But the wet beach has become exceptionally reflective of the whole scene. Would love to go here again when the waves were really up!
For more prints from the UK, please check out my Britain gallery!
23
Aug
2009
Red Sea Camp
An amazing part of our trip was two days relaxing on the Red Sea at the Sawa Camp near Nuweiba.
Sinai Sunrise
We literally stayed in straw huts a few steps from the waters. Here you can see an early morning shot of the beach and huts with a mountain range as a backdrop. After over a week of being on the move, this was a great place to just relax. Some in the group went scuba diving and their was a wealth of options like that, but this was my chill place. Just looking at this photos puts me back into that same state relaxed state of mind. Check out the clouds streaking the sky with pinks and blues!
Red Sea Sunset
And this is a colorful photo of the sunset. The mountains you can just see silhouetted on the left side of the photo is Saudi Arabia. This was taken with a neutral density lens so that it was a long exposure – this is what creates that soft feel to the water and really gave the camera time to soak up some of that rich color. If it looks like paradise, it’s because it was the next thing to it. Amazing stark contrast, though, a beach location and yet so dry. There’s very little rainfall and the water to this little community on the beach has to be brought in by truck. Still worth it for a view like this…
For more of my photo prints from Egypt, please check out my Egypt gallery.
15
Jul
2009
Celestún Prints
There are two beach destinations near Mérida. The closest is Progreso, a typical destination for the locals and from everything I heard a bit crowded and just not quite as pretty as the further destination, the fishing village of Celestún. Celestún is in the midst of a large bird sanctuary (Parque Natural del Flamenco Mexicano – also known as the “Celestun Biosphere Reserve”). As you can tell from the Spanish name, it’s a roost for Flamingos, their winter home (although I saw plenty in summer, maybe winter for southern hemisphere?). At any rate, as you can tell, I chose the further beach. It was sort of a two fold thing, I had a yen to rent a car and wander a bit further afield than local transport would take me but didn’t really want to spend another day on the local buses trying to make connections on a limited time vacation. I had planned to also see some of the ruined Haciendas, but as it turned out, it took me awhile longer than I expected to get out there and I had no desire to be even close to dark on those country roads, so I spent my full day in Celestún taking in the easy going beach life.
When I say Celestún is pretty much in the midst of nowhere, I mean it. I drove for awhile and the only English speaking radio station in Mérida died out. I switched over to a nearer Spanish speaking station… it too died out… and then there was nothing but me singing loudly (and badly) as the road passed beneath me. I somehow made it with my sanity intact and as I pulled into this sleepy little town and parked on the square, I wondered had it been worth it. And then… well they say pictures speak louder….
Ferries to Nowhere
Ferries to Nowhere is a bit of a misnomer perhaps, but it’s the first name I thought of. Nowhere is a loop. Pretty much all Celestún boat trips follow a predictable path. In some order, you’ll see the Flamingos, a “petrified forest,” mangroves and a beautiful blue pool in the midst of the mangroves. And then back to the beach you left after a couple of hours or more, but it will feel like no time at all has passed and ,if your experience matches mine, you’ll feel exhilarated. While I wandered the beach for a bit taking photos, I knew all along I was going to find my way onto a boat if I could help round out someone’s group.
Unknown Horizons
Of course, most of my photos are of that beautiful ocean. The colors of the gulf waters on this side of the Yucatan were just fantastic and the water was so, so calm. This photo for me, is really the soul of freedom, a wide and wonderful beautiful world before you and nothing holding you back but the one thin rope to the shore… Did I use enough adjectives to describe this? How about I just shut up and show you another beautiful boat picture?
Hoist The Anchor
Can you believe it? More of those impossibly blues and greens and then the bright yellow of that little boat completes the photo. Really just too gorgeous to believe. And these little boats at first didn’t seem to sea worthy, and you’re definitely not going out on the QE2, but it was a lovely experience. In my case, speaking no Spanish, I first had to deal with the language barrier trying to get onto a boat. Finally someone who spoke a little English came and helped the boat captains figure out who needed another party (which helps the price of the trip for everyone in the boat). I don’t remember what it cost but it was really reasonable. I was the only native English speaker on my boat. There was a trio from Europe, one of whom spoke some Spanish and another of whom spoke some English, so everything I heard about the things we saw was translated twice. And it didn’t matter a bit. I had a great time when my chance to board one of these boats came…
Ghost Forest
I figured I should balance this post just a little and show something other than picturesque boats. This is the “Petrified forest” – I read later that it’s not truly a petrified forest. I still don’t understand the details, but apparently this was once a forest but “saltwater infiltration” occured and the roots were suddenly in deadly salt water instead of fresh and the forest died off. I would never have expected such stark beauty from a dead forest, but there was something brooding and majestic about this place.
If you’d like to see more boats and more photos of Mexico, please check out my Mexico Prints.
