Last year my wife and I spent a week in Menorca at the resort of Cala n Bosch, right on the south-western tip of the island and I shot a couple of rolls of film (my, still reliable, expired Superia 100) during the holiday.
This first set were taken on the first day or two as we wandered around the place – while the biggest “resort” on the island (not counting the two main cities, and other inland towns) – Cala n Bosch is still a relatively small place and easy to wander around (it’s actually two areas, if you count the adjoining Cap d’Artrutx). There’s a marina area with a bunch of restaurants, bars, and shops, but the rest of the resort consists of hotels, apartment complexes, and villas. Oh, and a lighthouse.
There will be more pictures to come, both from the resort, and also shots I took when exploring other parts of Menorca.
Olympus 35 RC & Fuji Superia 100 (expired 2008). Lab developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.
We’re in our fourth heatwave of the year here in the Uk, and while the temperatures are not likely to break records (I think they will just break the 30° level in some places), our homes and infrastructure will serve to ensure that it’s uncomfortable. Each year when we get these conditions I tell myself that we’ll buy a portable air-con unit, but so far it hasn’t happened. However, if this sort of uncomfortable weather continues to increase in frequency and duration as climate change continues to make its presence felt, it’s only a matter of time before I fork out for one.
It’s hotter here at present than it was when I visited Spain in June. The temperatures are much more manageable when you can leisurely walk along a beach, like the one below in Blanes.
Olympus Trip 35 & Kodak Pro Image 100. Lab developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.
Tobacconist’s are still easy to find in Spain, and these Tabacs shops with their distinctive red and yellow branding are a common sight. It’s another thing that works as a bit of a novelty for me as a tourist because, not only do I not see this particular chain of stores in the UK, I also don’t see many tobacconist shops full stop.
Tobacconist’s were once quite common but, while they still exist, they are also far less common than they once were. Or in their older form, at least – there are now a huge number of vape shops, far more than there ever were in terms of traditional tobacconists.
The numbers of tobacco smokers in the UK has been in decline since the 1970s with a number of factors contributing, both from governmental policy (taxation, banning of tobacco advertising, mandatory health warnings on packaging, and restrictions on tobacco on display in certain retailers, and bans on smoking in public places – notably pubs, restaurants, and workplaces) and also changes in social acceptability.
I’m more than happy that the number of people smoking continues to decline – it’s a costly habit both for the smoker, and in terms of public healthcare, and from a personal note it’s not something I find pleasant to be around (my mum and my nan both smoked when I was younger and it was only after I left home that I realised how strong and breath-taking – not in a good way- the smell was upon going back to visit).
I will confess to being quite nostalgic for some of the tobacco advertising that used to be so commonplace, such as the Hamlet cigar adverts (like this one), or the Silk Cut and Benson & Hedges cigarette campaigns, which were surreal and imaginative, even if I had no desire to buy the product.
Olympus Trip 35 & Kodak Pro Image 100. Lab developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.
No, not that Hollywood. This is the equally well known* Disco Hollywood in Lloret de Mar, Spain.
I liked this scene because of all the signage on the walls. Not just the Disco Hollywood sign, but the carnisseria, supermarket, and ATM signs too. The lady walked into the frame as I was setting up the shot.
*Not equally well known.
Olympus Trip 35 & Kodak Pro Image 100. Lab developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.
This is my favourite photo I took during our visit to Lloret de Mar. I got the timing pretty much as good as I could have wished, with the three cormorants on the rocks in the foreground in front of a nice wash of blue and white surf, and then the backdrop of the tourist filled beach and row of hotels. KFC even gave it a complimentary splash of red!
Olympus Trip 35 & Kodak Pro Image 100. Lab developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.
When I go on a holiday, I like to take time to wander round and explore the places we visit. Sometimes, in a place like Barcelona, there is far more to be seen than can possibly be experienced in a short stay. But even in more tourist-focused locations such as Lloret de Mar, there are still things to be found. Sometimes these are relatively everyday locations that are made exotic by unfamiliarity, and sometimes they are just unexpected.
In my mind, I had the basic layout of the part of the town where we stayed mapped out as gradually sloping downhill until it reached the beach (separated from the town by a promenade, road, and a long strip of hotels and restaurants). What I didn’t realise was that there was a tall hill smack bang in the middle of this. The hill is no doubt readily apparent from a higher vantage point, but once you’re amongst the buildings then it becomes easily obscured. Until you stumble over it on a random walk through the streets.
I first noticed it when I spotted a large flight of steps between a couple of buildings. It was a very hot day and I considered taking another route, but the curious part of me decided there might be something worth seeing at the top, so up I climbed. I didn’t count them, but there were quite a lot and the first picture below if the view looking back down.
The first thing I spotted at the summit was a row of houses draped with vivid swathes of red flowers. I don’t know what this plant is, but it certainly made for an attractive subject for a picture.
Despite being near the top of the hill, I didn’t find any vantage point where I could take in a view (other than down mostly curving streets). I guess you need to enter one of the buildings to take advantage, such as the tall stacked platter of a structure in the image below.
It was odd that, even when I knew the hill was there, it was still quite easy to miss, even from the beach – where it was apparent, but kind of blended into the taller, more-distant background hillsides.
Olympus Trip 35 & Fuji Superia 100 (expired 2008). Lab developed. Home scanned and converted with Negative Lab Pro.
Steel City Snapper photography 