Tag Archives: cruising

June 5, 2013 · 5:35 am

The Island of Ibiza

Today I present to you the charming Mediterranean island of Ibiza. Ibiza is located in the Balearic Islands, which together with Majorca, Minorca, and Formentera form an autonomous community of Spain. Ibiza is a great place for photography in general, and black-and-white photography specifically. The rich textures of cobbled streets and old buildings lend themselves quite handily to B&W conversions. But don’t let the occasional splash of color pass you by. Even those can be real gems (click on an image to bring up an album of enlargements):

Paths and Palms

Potted Plants

A Splash of Color

The Balconies

Lighthouse

Tribute to Sailing

The Rusty Anchor

Closed for the Day

The Bird Feeder

Stairway to Heaven

The Light Post

Bells and Shutters

The Vendor

Heading into the Fortification

Crowded Balcony

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Filed under Photography, travel

Tagged as cruise ship, cruising, Ibiza, photography, R. Doug Wicker, Spain, travel

May 3, 2013 · 5:37 am

“A” is for Aruba

Orajestad Panorama

We left Curaçao late Saturday for a short sail to the “A” in the ABC Islands — Aruba and the town of Oranjestad. Aruba is just as deserty as it’s more famous cousin, and perhaps not quite as picturesque, but it still has it’s moments. The shopping bargains are perhaps a bit better here, however. We found prices on Tanzanite comparable to what we would expect to pay in St. Thomas (which we’ll visit later this voyage), and that rather surprised us. We’ve grown to expect the best deals in jewelry in the U.S. Virgin Islands in general, and St. Thomas in particular.

Oranjestad, Aruba

Search around and you’ll find a nice restaurant/bar on the second floor of a building directly across the street from Oranjestad’s main shopping area — a rather bizarre U-shaped pink structure framing large round building with a gold-colored dome. From here you can snag a pretty good panorama of this rather unique structure and all the hustle and bustle going on nearby.

: Oranjestad, Aruba

: Oranjestad, Aruba

: Oranjestad, Aruba

: Oranjestad, Aruba

: Oranjestad, Aruba

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Filed under Photography, travel

Tagged as Aruba, cruising, NCL Dawn, photography, R. Doug Wicker, travel

May 1, 2013 · 5:35 am

Curaçao Continued

Floating Pontoon Foot Bridge

Curaçao is one of those places you’ll never tire of visiting. If you’re a photographer it’s just that fun. But, surprisingly for a Caribbean island, the ABC Islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao) is incredibly dry. Go into the interior of the island and you’ll find flora more associated with a desert — cacti, mesquite, prickly shrubs, and grasses brown with thirst.

Ostrich Ranch

Desert Shrubs and Cactii

If you’re wondering why you would want to go into the interior, there is a rather unique ostrich ranch worth the visit. Once you get back to Willemstad, however, you’ll once again find yourself practicing up on your panorama skills as the Old Town is perfectly lighted by the late afternoon sun.