Weekend Excursions
A photographic glimpse into some of my recent travels.
The last month of my life has been one in motion. Each weekend has consisted of train rides, flights, checking in and out of hostels, wandering around new places, meeting new people. I have suffered confusing and stressful moments trying to follow airport regulations for international travel. I had a cinematic race across town in the rain to catch my 6:30 am bus. I decided on a whim to get a new tattoo. Largely, I have been working with little sleep to extract the most out of my brief 40-hour 'vacations.' I believe all this running around has finally caught up to me, as I am presently fighting off a mild illness which likely took advantage of my weary body and immune system. That is not to say this was not worth it; now is the perfect time in my life to throw moderation to the wind and experience the high highs and low lows of the human experience. Here I present a collection of photos from these excursions in the hopes of sharing part of my journey with you all.
First, I got on a train to Valladolid, which is a little ways north of Madrid. It was exciting to watch the Spanish countryside whiz past as the AVE conveyed us at almost 300 kilometers per hour. I was greeted with a grey, rainy afternoon in a city which felt more cosmopolitan than what I have become accustomed to in the southeast. The reason for my visit was SEMINCI (La Semana Internacional de Cine), which was celebrating its 70th year in Valladolid. I went to a screening of five of the best European short films of 2024 (L'avance stood out to me) and met a man there who gave me a free ticket to another showing that evening. Lav Diaz's Magellan was the final screening of the festival, and being there for it was a treat.
The following day I visited the national sculpture museum, which exhibited both intricate and grand sculpture in brass, marble and wood. The imagery was almost exclusively comprised of Catholic figures, which is understandable given my understanding of art history and that of the Iberian peninsula. Below are some selections from this collection.
Images taken at el Museo Nacional de Escultura in Valladolid. The marble pieces in the top row are replicas of some famous ancient Greek works whose names elude me. The final image is from the museum's garden, which was quite tranquil.
Later in the day, I stumbled upon a skatepark and tested out getting some action shots. I had never actually spent time hanging out at a skatepark before, and the energy at this place was really inviting and carefree. It made me wonder how my life might be different had I practiced more with the board I got at Toys-R-Us at age 10. I met a man who was there with his son; he is from the states and has been living in Valladolid for 20 years.
Selections from a skatepark in Valladolid. It was nice practice for trying to calibrate the shutter settings on my camera.
The following weekend I went to visit my cousin Beck, who is finishing up a semester abroad in Cork, Ireland. The weather here made Valladolid feel like a beach town, and I wouldn't have had it any other way for my first trip to Ireland. Culinary highlights include dosa, fish and chips with curry sauce, and Beamish Irish stout (I am fully onboard with Beamish supremacy, if only because I tried it first before Guinness). Together we made a day trip down to Kinsale, and walked around the town, harbor and cemetery. Inside a shed at one house we discovered an eclectic shop of knickknacks, complete with reggae music playing aloud on loop.
My favorite photos from Cork and Kinsale. The Corner House was indeed on the street corner!
Last weekend, some new friends accompanied me on a hike in the region of Murcia. The weather was a little chillier and a lot winder than I'd anticipated, but overall it was a great experience. We were part of a large 50-person group, and I got to introduce myself to number of new people. I need to send a quick shoutout to Ángel for sharing his lunch with us because we forgot to pack our own. There was also a good variety of geology to observe along the hike: some fossiliferous limestone, great outcrops showing changes in the stratigraphic column, and some windblown "caves" where we stopped for photos. We also got to see encinas (sweet acorn trees) that were hundreds of years old; I tried the fruit and thought about how it might be served in a pie. I have been meaning to get out and experience the countryside here since arriving, and this hike was an accessible and satisfying introduction.
Selections from our group hike through the Murcia countryside.
I would be remiss not to include some of the wildlife photography I did during these trips. Consider this to be the cherry on top to this sundae of a blog post.
The best images I got of the various birds and mammals in my travels. Unfortunately, the squirrel was too frantic and ran away before I could change settings and get a clear image of it. The crow only got this close because he wanted to eat our food.
If you made it all the way to this part, thanks for reading and looking at my photos :^) I am excited to keep you all updated with future happenings!
