Tango in Split
Today’s photo of the day comes via a surreal, but welcome surprise in Split, Croatia.
I had been out shooting in the evening light and was just about ready to head back to the hotel when the sound of tango music began echoing through the narrow alleys of Split’s Old Town. I followed the auditory trail into Diocletian’s Palace where, much to my delight, I came upon the sight of more than a dozen couples tangoing the night away on the stones of the Peristyle in the heart of the Palace.
Music echoed off the archways and monuments. Onlookers drank and smoked and smiled. Dancers whirled together then found new partners after a couple songs each. And though I can’t be sure, I think there may have been some little pixies sprinkling some magic dust around the whole square. It was brilliant.
To try to capture some of the movement while also giving a hint of the setting, I put on my flash, did a little shutter drag and tried not to get too close so that the background would still be prominent in the shot.
Alley in Trogir, Croatia
As I mentioned previously, tiny Trogir is composed primarily of narrow alleys stuck in time. This particular vantage point was a favourite of mine. It must also be a favourite of a few other photographers since I had seen images from similar vantage points before.
I decided to go with a slightly different look for this one by stitching together a number of images to give a wider angle and when the stitching software had done its job, a square crop naturally fit.
My addiction for photos of aging European alleyways knows no bounds and Trogir was as good a place to get my fix as any.
Click for a slightly larger image:
Cobblestones of Trogir
The old town of Trogir, Croatia is a tiny island composed of narrow, winding, cobblestone alleys. The texture of this particular stretch of road caught my eye.
Dalmatian Islands at Sunset
From high above Dubrovnik, the view to the North West is a sea speckled with tiny islands that all beg for some exploration (and anyone with a boat in Dubrovnik’s harbour will be more than happy to help you in that endeavour).
Here’s a panorama of this group of Dalmation Islands looking their best in a sunset off the Croatian coast. Click for a larger view:
Franciscan Monastery in Dubrovnik
Is there anywhere more peaceful than the cloisters of a monastery? Well, yes, if the monastery happens to be heavily touristed, but fortunately, one can find little silent breaks between groups of cruise ship passengers to relax and enjoy the quiet space.
And every once in a while, as in this shot of the Franciscan Monastery in Dubrovnik, you get to share the space with some of its religious residents:
Dubrovnik Harbour Night Panorama
I seem to be moving ever closer to Dubrovnik’s picturesque harbour with the last few entries. This is as close as I can get without getting wet.
Click for a larger view:
Dubrovnik Harbour Panorama
As with the previous post, this shot is from the Old Town walls in Dubrovnik. We’re now at the opposite end of the city where the walls lead out to the harbour and islands beyond.
Believe it or not, this is actually a somewhat cloudy day for this portion of the Dalmatian Coast. If we had that here in sunny Manchester, I think everyone would be pretty pleased.
Click for a larger view:
Dubrovnik’s Stradun
A bout of bronchitis a few weeks ago seems to have knocked me out of the habit of posting here, so let’s see if we can get back into it…
My last post showed Dubrovnik’s old town from above and this photo carries on with that theme, but now we’re a little bit closer. This shot was taken from the city walls surrounding the old town. They make for a great walk and getting up there as soon as the gates open is worthwhile. The walls are quieter and so are the streets below.
Dubrovnik from Above
As promised, here’s a glimpse of what’s in store for visitors to Croatia. This panoramic view comes from near the station of the newly-rebuilt cable car that now whisks visitors up to the mountains above the city of Dubrovnik. Destroyed during the Yugoslavian civil war, the cable car has re-opened and now provides easy access to this majestic view of Dubrovnik’s old town.
At the station at the top, one hall features photos of the cable car’s original construction, shots of it after it had been destroyed and images of its recent re-construction. One worker there revealed his sadness at what had occurred during the war. He was 15 when it all happened, so these memories became a big part of his formative years. When asked if he considered Croatian’s friends with the Serbs that had carried out the attacks on Dubrovnik, he said, “We are neighbours. I don’t hate them, but I will never forget,” revealing the scars of a complex and awful period in the region’s history.
Dubrovnik’s scars are no longer exceptionally obvious on the ground. – you have to do a bit of searching to see the remnants of that recent war. But from this high up, you can forget about all that and just revel in the glorious view.
Click below for a larger image:
Back from Croatia
In the last couple days since I’ve been back from my fantastic trip through Croatia, I’ve been busy enough that I haven’t even had the chance for a quick blog post. Sure, sometimes I’ve been busy winding down from the trip, but it still counts!
That said, I also haven’t had a chance to go through the images from the trip, but those are coming. I promise. I’m looking forward to pulling the pictures up and seeing what I was able to capture of that wonderful region.
The trip started in Dubrovnik and progressed north through Bosnia with a stay in Sarajevo along the way. From there, it was more northward travel before turning south again and working a path down the coast back to Dubrovnik. Along the way, the magnificent Plitvice Lakes beckoned. They were one of my favourite spots on the trip. I’m convinced that, if there’s a heaven, a corner of it looks just like Plitvice. So beautiful.
So, stay tuned to relive some of the finer memories from the trip as I aim to start having some Photo of the Day posts devoted to the trip in the coming days.
Two Weeks in Croatia
The largest item looming on today’s to do list is packing for a two-week trip to Croatia (and a side trip into Bosnia). Batteries are being charged and memory cards collected to fill up my camera bag and I might just take some clothes too.
I’ve been looking forward to this trip for a while as I haven’t done as much travelling this year as I would have liked. It will be good to get away, see some sights and and plant my tripod on the ground in front of something foreign and beautiful. I’m eagerly anticipating that feeling you get when you have arrived at your hotel, dropped of your bags and a whole new country awaits.
I’m not quite as keenly anticipating the journey there. A six a.m. flight from Liverpool means leaving Manchester at stupid o’clock, so I expect to be a little bit sluggish on my first day, but the excitement of a trip usually perks me me right up when I arrive.
I aim to bring back a bag full of lovely images, so stay tuned for some shots of Croatia in a couple weeks!
Darby Sawchuk is a Canadian-born photographer who currently resides in Manchester, England. He has travelled to over 40 countries and is always adding more to the list. He creates stock for multiple agencies and is available for assignments.
+44 0790 992 8932
