Iberian light and shade

I'm back from a great trip to Portugal and Spain. The trip was very enjoyable except I struggled sometimes to get worthwhile photos. 

My previous trips to Portugal in 2016, 2018 and 2019 were all self driving road trips. We stayed at small hotels, we drove the backroads and there were opportunities galore to take photos of the country and the locals.

We had a trip to Spain planned for 2020. Again we were going to self drive at our own pace. Sadly covid intervened and we had to abandon our plans. For my wife, very sadly, that trip of September 2019 was her last before cancer took her in April 2021. 

A lot has changed in my life in the years since that last visit to Portugal. I am 6 years older, with a new partner, so my perspective on travel has changed.

Previously I never had any issues jumping straight into a hire car at the airport after the long flight and driving on the right. It was something I had done for over 50 years. Now, after a 6 year break, I am not confident that I can do it safely.

So we decided on a cruise on the Duoro River starting and finishing in Porto. We flew into Lisbon, and after a few days there, headed north to Porto via Coimbra. After the cruise we flew to Barcelona for a few days and then home.

This itinerary meant travelling in a group and the timing meant we were there early June. Nothing prepared me for the numbers of tourists in all the cities we visited. Barcelona, in particular, was mass tourism on steroids and the locals are not happy about it. But I cannot complain as we were part of the problem.

So there were no backroads. No friendly locals sitting taking the sun in quiet villages. Also over the years many of my best photos have been taken in the morning golden hour as I am very happy to jump out of bed at 6.00 am and walk the local streets. You cannot do that on a ship. It was restricted photography but despite that I came back with a few photos which are, perhaps, worth sharing.

They were all taken with my Leica Q3 43 which I acquired earlier this year. The Q3 43 has a 43mm lens. On the previous Portugal journeys, I had used my Q2 with its 28mm lens. On this trip there were a few situations when I missed the wider lens. Having said that I really appreciate the 60mp sensor on the Q3 which allows me to aggressively crop. And above all else the lens on the Q3 43 is stunning. That's the only word to describe it.

Here are the first set of photos-light and shade- from Lisbon, Salamanca and Barcelona. More will follow.