New Year in Valencia

For nearly a decade, every January, beginning of a new year I make a video to remind me of the year gone by. It’s made of one second clips (1 second per day) I film through the year. I don’t always remember to take them. Especially this year, many of the days under the COVID lockdowns and quarantines have merged into one with whole weeks gone missing. But even with missed days and seconds, it’s been a fantastic way to look back in time. 

Many of us navigate a day through a constant stream of information, the news, updates from friends, meetings, deadlines, shopping lists, reading lists etc. Reducing a whole day to a second can be oddly liberating. Personally, it helps to place a messy year in my head, highlight what I enjoyed and valued, forgotten moments. It also helps to reflect on memorable things left out of the seconds. They say creativity is subtraction. The benefits of subtraction wisely certainly extend to the non-creative parts of our lives, to help organize our thoughts and days. 

For nearly a decade, every January, beginning of every year I make a video to remind me of the year gone by. It’s made of one second clips (1 second per day) I film through the year. I don’t always remember to take them. Especially this year, many of the days under the COVID lockdowns and quarantines have merged into one with whole weeks gone missing. But even with missed days and seconds it’s been a fantastic way to look back in time. 

Many of us navigate a day through a constant stream of information, the news, updates from friends, meetings, deadlines, shopping lists, reading lists etc. Reducing a whole day to a second can be oddly liberating. Personally, it helps to place a messy year in my head, highlight what I enjoyed and valued, forgotten moments. It also helps to reflect on memorable things left out of the the seconds. They say creativity is subtraction. The benefits of subtraction wisely certainly extend to the non-creative parts of our lives, to help organize our thoughts and days. 

Today, that video takes me back a year ago to the new year in Valencia, Spain.

Happy new year everyone! I wish you to make it happier than the one before.

Sunset en route to Pamplona

I took this on my way to Pamplona from San Sebastian. It’s been a tiring day and a part of me just wanted to get to bed in Pamplona. Mountain views, even off the highway, were excellent so when the sun started to set down we had to pull over for a break.

Sunset en route to Pamplona

Driving somewhere in Spain

This trip came about out of practical reasons, but road trips are fun regardless. This is somewhere couple of hours west of Barcelona. If I had to be more precise, I’d guess somewhere around Zaragoza. You’d think I’d be able to be more precise with the mountains but I can’t tell more than the fact that it’s the Iberian mountain chain (Sistema Ibérico). Whatever the mountains are, it’s a beautiful view. One of those curves where paying attention to the road takes an extra effort.

Driving somewhere in Spain

Neoclassical Pavilion

It’s been a while since my last post. I’ve returned to my apartment in France more than a month ago and it’s only now that I finally got internet. I guess Internet providers have their own idea of what’s an acceptable waiting time.

This photo is form the Parc (Jardin) del Laberint d’Horta in the north of Barcelona in the district of Horta-Guinardó. The name of the park gives it away that this particular pavilion isn’t the major attraction, but I still find it to be interesting. Apparently the whole area belonged to one family.

Neoclassical Pavilion

 

Beach Days

September has barely come but the weather here in Midi-Pyrénées seems to be too eager to leave the summer sun behind. I  hope it’ll change it’s mind but for now to counter the clouds I feel like posting something from the beach.

Beach days