Tag Archives: travel

Mediterranean Cruise 2022 — Ibiza; Entering Eivissa’s walled Dalt Vila (Old Town)


Dalt Vila (High Town; Ibiza Old Town)

Now that the Christmas holiday is over, and I’ve completed an eight-day run of past Christmas articles, it’s time to return for one more week’s worth of touring Ibiza. And today we start with touring the walled Dalt Vila, otherwise known as Old Town Eivissa (Ibiza City). As you head south toward the main Portal de ses Taules gate leading into Dalt Vila you’ll notice that the skyline is dominated by the belltower of Catedral de Santa Maria de la Neu de Vila d’Eivissa (Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Snow) or, simply, Ibiza Cathedral:

Ibiza Cathedral belltower

As you approach Dalt Vila from the north you’ll walk up a long, slopped stone ramp. At the top of the ramp lies Dalt Vila’s main gate, Portal de ses Taules (Gate of the Tables) built in 1585. The gateway is flanked by Roman statuary:

Portal de ses Taules left-side statue

While above you are greeted by the coat of arms for King Phillip II:

King Philip 11 of Spain coat of arms

Once inside the main city gate we began a long, uphill trek through narrow streets:

Dalt Vila streets

Here you can see a tower jutting from the church of Sant Domènec de Vila:

Sant Domènec de Vila

Atop the fortification, just north of Sant Domènec de Vila, one is gifted with a spectacular view of Eivissa’s Marina Botafoc:

Marina Botafoc

In Wednesday’s article we’ll look around the streets of Dalt Vila, then head back toward Marina Botafoc. Until then:

Слава Україні! (Slava Ukraini!)

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Christmas on the Pecos — Part 4


Returning to the Pecos River Village

End of the Ride — Returning to the Pecos River Village

I’ve given tips before on how to photograph Christmas lights.  For a refresher, here are a few articles:

On today’s photo gallery/slide show, click on any image below to see the shot data for that photograph, which will include ISO, f-Stop, shutter speed, and focal length (in 35mm equivalent).  The camera used was a Canon G1 X with a 12 megapixel, 1.5-inch/38mm sensor. Images were taken in raw and post processed to compensate for low exposure, in many cases up two EV-2 (-2 f-Stops).  Additional tweaks included adjustments for lens (vignetting, distortion, color blur, etc.), and saturation.

Tv 1/40, Av f/2.8, ISO 800, F 28mm

Tv 1/40, Av f/2.8, ISO 800, FL 28mm

Below is today’s photo gallery.  Click on any image to enlarge and read the shot data.

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Christmas on the Pecos — Part 3


Christmas Tree Mirror

Christmas Tree Mirror

The cost for the Christmas on the Pecos river cruise varies by age and day of the week (the following are 2016 prices). Children 12 and under ride for $10 Sunday through Thursday, $15 on Friday and Saturday.  For 13 and up the cost is $15 in the cheap nights and $20 during the prime Friday and Saturday evenings.

The Four Wise Guys of Christmas

The Four Wise Guys of Christmas

Is it worth it for 40 minutes?  I think so.  In fact, I wouldn’t mind doing this again someday.  I know kids will certainly enjoy it.

Christmas on the Pecos

Christmas on the Pecos

Photographically speaking, this is a great place to test your skills.  Ideally, outdoor Christmas lights should be photographed while the sky still has some light in it after sunset, but this wasn’t an option here.  Since the sky was dark, I now had to rely upon water reflections to add interest and depth to the photos, and I had to do so at fairly slow shutter speed on a moving boat.

Christmas on the Pecos

Christmas on the Pecos

The photo gallery below will give you an idea of what can be accomplished, and tomorrow I’ll give you some more technical data on the camera settings used.

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Filed under Photography, R. Doug Wicker, travel