(Thursday, May 8 - Granada) - When I was planning my travels, I did a lot of thinking about why I wanted to go and what I wanted to get out of the experience. While there are many specific places I want to go and things I want to do, there are three ‘goals’ I set forth for myself that can be achieved regardless of the city I am in (well except for one).
Goal #1: To Have FUN!
First and foremost, my number one goal is to have fun. Sometimes we lose sight of the fact that life doesn’t have to be completely about work or to-do lists. For me, fun is doing what makes me happy, being with people who add value to my life – whether momentarily in a conversation or who become lifelong friends, and stepping out of my comfort zone every so often.
Goal #2: Hablar Español
My second goal is to become as fluent as possible in Spanish. Since high school I have enjoyed speaking Spanish, visiting Spanish-speaking countries and listening to Spanish songs to try to understand the lyrics. But since I don’t practice very often and don’t need Spanish in my daily life, my average understanding of the language hasn’t improved. So while I spend a good chunk of time in Spain, I hope to gain a better understanding of the language from listening and speaking perspectives.
Goal #3: To Master Photography 101
And finally, my third goal is to master something I’ve always had an interest in, but have never had the time to really explore: photography. With this blog and with the empty picture frame waiting in my apartment, I want to produce photos that not only capture what I see, but also evoke the emotions I’m feeling, the atmosphere of the place and/or are just awesome to look at. A year ago I bought myself a present: the Canon SL1 which is supposed to be the smallest and lightest DSLR camera. I want to really understand how to use it and take some badass pictures on this trip.
SO, if you read the title of this post, you are probably wondering how I put all these together? Well, I was looking on TripAdvisor (my favorite site for recommendations) for things to do in Granada and I found a photography-based tour of Granada. A guide would show the sites while giving tops on how to use your camera to capture great images. So after reading some great reviews I signed up.
Yolanda came to meet me in Plaza Nueva and it turned out I was the only one on the tour! She and I immediately hit it off and started walking through the city while talking (in Spanish) about the basics of photography and my camera. Although I was hearing some photo-related words for the first time, I was able to understand most of what she said out of context. She helped me understand the core elements of photography that I had learned before but she really helped me understand how they all work together (aperture, shutter speed, ISO, white balance, metering). At the end of our three-hour tour, we chatted over a drink at a pub that overlooked the Alhambra.
There you have it: fun, Spanish and photography – totally unexpected trio, but it was amazing!
Yolanda came to meet me in Plaza Nueva and it turned out I was the only one on the tour! She and I immediately hit it off and started walking through the city while talking (in Spanish) about the basics of photography and my camera. Although I was hearing some photo-related words for the first time, I was able to understand most of what she said out of context. She helped me understand the core elements of photography that I had learned before but she really helped me understand how they all work together (aperture, shutter speed, ISO, white balance, metering). At the end of our three-hour tour, we chatted over a drink at a pub that overlooked the Alhambra.
There you have it: fun, Spanish and photography – totally unexpected trio, but it was amazing!
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