Beiras province "off the beaten track"

Beias is a semi-deserted region in the Eastern Portugal. When traveling through this mainly rural region, one has a feeling of emptiness and some kind of pessimism.

Harsh climate conditions ( very high temperatures in summer and chilly winters with little rain ) turned most part of the Beiras into agricultural wastelands.

Driving through the scarcely populated villages one can wonder: What are these people doing here ? How do they earn their living ?

Maciek



Shot on 09th of July 2009.

Drinking the OLD wines

Every time I open one of these really, really old bottles of Port wines I am a little nervous. Is the wine still OK ?
Over many years of maturing in oak the wine gains full body but loses its aromatic fruit flavors. The balance between dry fruits, spices and tannins is gone. During the aging, the Ports gradually also lose the full, deep red color of their youth and take on the classic amber and coppery hue, which gives them their name. The old wine has more alcohol percent by volume.








A bottle of 1972 Garefferia Particular from Casa das Torres de Oliveira ( Douro region ) was opened a couple of days ago. We celebrated a long awaited visit of our good friends from London. It was fine, elegant and deeply lingering wine. Very much enjoyed.



Nikon D80
Lens: Nikkor AF 60 mm 2.8


Maciek

Being proud of my son

My son made that very nice HD compilation of many Gears of War 2 trailers with music from Three Days Grace - Animal I've Become.
I saw his hard work during long days to complete this montage.
So here it is: my little tribute to Lucas and all his hard work, dedication and passion he showed.

Congratulations Lucas ! I am really proud of you !





PS. I am a bit of fan of this game too. Lucas can often find me as his good gaming companion as we both play Gears of War 2 on our Xbox 360 console.



Maciek.

Midsummer "Festa" time !

June 24 is St. John ´s Day. Saint John the Baptist is Porto´s Patron. Big party is all over the town. This year we celebrated it with a dinner and party on the board of "Cidade Invicta" ship in the middle of Douro River with a big group of friends.

The party ended with a spectacular fireworks and sound-and-light show.

Fireworks over the Douro river.

Shot on midnight 23/24th of June 2009.
Nikon D80.

Maciek.

Harvest time

Photo taken close to city of Jaén in Spanish province od Andalusia on 29th of June 2009.

Maciek.

Spanish Andalusia olive trees

Olive trees field after fire.

Near the town of Baeza in the Province of Jaen in Andalusia, Spain, the landscape is dotted with a mass of olive trees which thrive in the warm sun. Olive trees have been around since 3500 BC and will easily produce fruit even when planted in the most unproductive land. The olive tree has been known throughout the world as a symbol of wisdom and peace with various religious beliefs behind it.



Photo taken on 28th of June 2009.

Maciek.

Cordoba, La Mezquita.

The world´s third-largest mosque remains a place of grandeur. Built on remains of Visigoth city with so many centuries of Islam and Christian prayers is it definitely a place with some mystical power.
Shot during our tour of Spanish Andalusia. 26th of June 2009.



Model: NIKON D80
Date/time: 2009-06-26 14:14:32
Shutter speed: 7 sec
Exposure Program: Aperture priority
F-stop: f/16
ISO: 160
Metering Mode: Pattern
Flash: Did not fire
Focal length: 12 mm
Lens: 10.0-20.0 mm
Exp -0.3
Remote control.



Maciek.

Las Medulas - the Roman gold mine

Las Médulas, located in the region of El Bierzo ( Castile and León, Spain), used to be the most important gold mine in the Roman Empire. Las Médulas Cultural Landscape is listed by the UNESCO as one of the World Heritage Sites.

Hard to believe but this landscape of natural beauty is men made.

We were lucky to explore that area in mid June 2009.




Maciek.

Egitania - ones a busy roman city

A lonely bird cruising above the Sé Cathedral, Idanha-a-Velha forgotten village, Beiras, Portugal.

For me the essence of Portugal lies very much "off the beaten track". I many times have the privilege to visit small and forgotten wonders of this country. Places like Idanha-a-Velha - a small village far away from the typical mass-tourism trails.

Ones a flowering Roman city that has grown at the outskirts of the Roman Empire now a small forgotten village: Idanha-a-Velha ( roman "Egitania" ) is located in the eastern Portugal, not far away from the Spanish border. At about 16 A.C the city had more than 1000 inhabitants.

Google map location

Many Roman tomb inscriptions left all over the city.

Roman city walls.

Maciek.

Sunset over Ocreza Lake

The sunset over Ocreza Lake, middle Portugal.

The lake is located in the eastern Portugal, not far away from the Spanish border.

Google map location

Photo:

Date/time: 2008-06-16 21:00:15
Shutter speed: 5 sec
Exposure Program: Aperture priority
F-stop: f/20
ISO: 100
Metering Mode: Pattern
Flash: Did not fire
Focal length: 12 mm
F/20
Lens: 10.0-20.0 mm
Exp -0.3 Remote control. Tripod.

Maciek.