Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Climbing in Catalunya - Best trip photos

My friend Damian asked me to go on a climbing trip to Spain with him and two others. Neither his girlfriend nor his regular outdoor partner could go, so I was asked as a substitute. It wasn't the best timing for me -- but the rule of thumb is that when someone says 'Let's go climbing in Spain' -- you must reply, 'Hell yes!'

So I did.

Esglesia de Santa Maria de Siurana

We had a spectacular trip. We wound up climbing around the Siurana and Lleida regions in Catalonia. The climbing was world-class and highly varied, on all kinds of different rock types and surfaces. The sheer natural beauty of the geography and landscapes was at times overwhelming (although I got eaten by bugs in the latter, warmer part of the trip).

Like any modern traveller, I brought along a camera, and I took hundreds and hundreds of photographs. It was a new camera whose controls I didn't really have the chance to learn before the voyage began. I discovered that I have to do some work on understanding basic photography principles. I need to take a course or do some reading. And practise!

Nevertheless, I had many opportunities to capture a few intriguing moments along the way. I've extracted what I think are the photos which have a certain level of quality, competence or interest, and I'm happy to share them with you.



I've also posted an annotated album, for those who prefer to scrutinize individual photos (or who don't like music in their slideshows) -- best viewed on a decent monitor and full screen:

On the trail to adventure! - link to photo album