I'm back.... or "snapshots from Croatian vacation"

I'm back. And I'm already cold (is it just me or is this Canadian summer kind of fading?). I was actually standing close to the BBQ today just to feel the warmth of the fire. But, Croatia..... well, that was the real summer. The one you easily get used to.

Botel in the heart of Rijeka City

I managed to go there for a little more than couple of weeks, and it was totally worth the 7 hours of uncomfortable ride in the first plane and then an hour in the second one to get there.

When I stepped onto the Zagreb's airport ground, all I felt was a nice, warm breeze.

That is,  before my parents managed to make an incredible noise, first arguing about the parking lot (which had nothing to do with me) and then showing their affection, hugging me and asking me if I'm hungry (cause apparently I seem to be thinner every time my mom sees me).

Downtown Rijeka

We hit the road to Rijeka, a beautiful city on the coast, where we were about to spend the first week of my vacation.

My father was holding a photography exhibition there and it happened so that my good friend Ana was living there at the moment so I got the spend lots of time with her too, as well as with some of other good friends.

I used to live in Rijeka, so being there after so much time brought lots of memories back, making the stay so much more interesting and intense.

Rijeka is a big city on northern Croatian coast - it's a harbor city, seaport with shipyards and heavy industry.



A part of it is Trsat - the old fortress where it all started back in the early times. Today, there is also the Sanctuary of our Lady of Trsat, representing the guardian of the travelers, especially seamen.

To get to the fortress, you can take the road - but more interesting path is the stairway from downtown all the way up, with it's 561 stairs (that's how much we counted).

Trsat stairs	Stairs downtown

According to the legend, it's impossible to count the stairs due to the devil who got mad and mixed them up once and for all, making them "constantly changing". Even today, people of Rijeka swear that the number of the stairs is is different every time you try to count them.

Korzo

Rijeka is an old city - full of stairs, narrow streets, old buildings and monuments. It's also a modern, European city, where people are open minded and good-hearted, full of classic and street art, culture and bursting with flair.

One of old buildings (with wide selection of windows)

We did all the average tourists do - which we rarely did before - visiting the old Trsat fort and counting the devil's stairs, eating in amazing restaurants, taking walks at night in the vivid main street called Korzo, enjoying cold beers on the boat club, going onto the crowded beach and eating pancakes there.

View from Trsat

We also did all the things we normally do when we're on the coast - eating bread with pate and tomatoes (traditional Croatian meal when on vacation), eating tons of watermelons, drinking beer in the apartment till the early morning, sharing stories, laughing and having fun remembering old times.

The time passed by real soon and we had to leave Rijeka and go back home - to my parents town. That was a different kind of week - lazy, relaxing kind of fun where everything is about my mom's delicious food, spending time with family and noticing how things changed in the house.

One of Zagreb's typical cafe's downtown

I've also spent two days in Zagreb.
I got really surprised by what they did downtown - making the city looking awesome.

It's full of tourists, and for the first time I actually had the feeling they have something to see. People dancing in the streets, playing music, walking in traditional national costumes, beautifully decorated cafe's and restaurants - a feast for eyes, ears and soul.

Zagreb downtown in the mirror

I did everything I wanted to do and therefore my vacation was 100% successful.

I've spent quality time with my family and had a great time with close friends.
I ate octopus.

I ate pasta with truffles.
I ate pate and tomatoes and watermelon.
I swam in the sea and sunbathe on the beach (the real beach).
I felt the scent of salt in the air, as well as rosemary, lavender and all the other scents of coastal, Mediterranean vegetation.
I drank home made liquor.

We had a great, hot weather and everything was perfect. If by any chance you plan to visit Croatia though, make sure you take more than couple of weeks to spend there...

Panamania in Toronto

This summer, Toronto hosts Pan Am and Parapan Am Games and even though I tried, I could not ignore it anymore.

I'm not into sports (other than running) and I certainly don't follow up on world events such as this particular one.

I have seen parts of Olympics a few times, but that was either because there was nothing else on TV or I actually stopped flipping the channels if something, like woman gymnastics, caught my eye at the moment.

Or male gymnastics. Russians were cute at the time.

I do come from a country that is very proud in sports and yields lots of world greatest athletes - whether they're into skiing, swimming, handball, tennis, athletics or (I'm going to say it) soccer.

We have lots of great athletes, and I can maybe name ten of them. But Croatia has always been very sport oriented and we still have great results in every competition held.

Still, that haven't intrigued me to follow sports on TV or, god forbid, going to see games (!).  It's a huge part of Croatian history, but it doesn't exist in my world.

However, it exists now, when there are special traffic regulations introduced and there are crowded people everywhere and you can read PanAm on every sign, screen or piece of newspapers.

It's the PanAm fever that's happening all over North America. One good thing I've learned, being connected to lots of bikers, is that motorcycle riders can use HOV lanes and they will have the best summer riding ever! At least while cruising around the city of Toronto. I failed to see other advantages, except for global euphoria that makes people nice and hearty. That's always a good thing.

So I thought to give it a shot and went to see what's going on down there at Toronto Exhibition Place. Free concerts, food, beer, lots of enthusiasts and enormously expensive souvenir shop with prices blown up to the skies, because of Pachi, the little porcupine mascot is on every mug, t-shirt and key chain.

There are events all over the city connected to the Games, from different workshops, celebrations and concerts.

Every day something new is going on and everywhere you turn, you can see the famous logo of the porcupine. Personally, I liked Vucko more (hint: 1984 Olympics).

The Pan Am Games are over in couple of days (they end on Saturday) and Parapan Games begin on August 7th.

Athletes from more than 40 countries participated in different sports from archery to roller figure skating.





And all I can say is: I wish the best luck to each and every of them! I'm going for a run now, and hopefully I'll be swimming next week in beautiful Adriatic sea. After that, the only sport I'm going to participate in is eating my mamma's food and sunbathing like a lizard.
I need to train that more...

The Toronto Summer Dawn

Yes, I woke up at 5.00 just the other day. No alarm clock, just me. As I became aware of the time, it dawned on me that I could use that to go out and get some shots of the sunrise.

I was actually thinking of doing that the day before, so my inner clock made a decision instead of me and decided to go with it, thus conveniently wake me up at 5.00 am.

I got my coffee and warmed up the car and soon was on my way.

There is a nice spot relatively close to me where you can sit on the lakefront and enjoy the view of the cityline, so I headed straight there.

What I learned here, in a huge city like Toronto, is that whatever crazy thing you do, you won't be alone in it.

Accordingly, there was a couple sitting on the very same spot I was going to sit, I guess waiting for the sunrise too. So I sat down 10 feet away. Just me and them and ducks. A bit weird. And we're all waiting.

Turned out the spot where I was sitting was a great one, as the sun was positioned right next to the CN tower silhouette. So the sun began to rise and it was quite a view.

I don't see the sunrise often, even though I am an early bird. There was a mist or a light fog around, but the colors were still nice.

On my way back, a snail blocked my path so I shot him too, quite a few times. Good thing he's not really  a cheetah so I had time to put on my macro lens before he vanished.


I didn't feel like going back home so instead I headed over to my favorite bridge to see what's happening there at 6 am. 

People walking, bicyclists bicycling, runners running, dogs on a leash snooping around. 

I'm always amazed by that bridge and it feels nice standing in the middle of it. 

Never been there so early in the morning, but it's as alive as thru the day, and the sight is even more beautiful.

There are little parks around and butterfly sanctuaries, but I haven't seen any yet.

On my way back, I saw weird flowers - they looked like they were withered, but still hanging in there. I just thought they looked pretty. 

My excitement didn't really last long after that and I started to think about the nap. I felt like I could use the rest of the sleep, or another cup of coffee to stay awake until noon, at least. I guess this early bird got lazy lately...

Toronto skies and one cut off tree

I've mentioned couple of times how clouds here in Toronto can be spectacular. I don't know why exactly, but there are times when they make the sky look awesome.

Sometimes there's overcast everywhere and there is still sun shining thru.
Sometimes they're just ripped like cotton pieces all over the blue skies, and when the storm is coming, it sometimes feels like two worlds are colliding.

I used to hate clouds (seriously, I had a huge problem with them at one point in my life), but then you grow up and get used to them, and eventually, you might even start liking them.

Especially if you're right here where I am.

One autumn afternoon, the skies were so colourful that I had to take a photo.

But, the problem was I was working so I couldn't exactly just leave. Also, I'm in industrial area with huge buildings around, power cords and trucks so getting a clear shot was almost impossible.

And it was cold outside so too, so I kind of wanted to stay in.

There is one spot I found to shoot the skies, but the certain tree had to be in the picture.

And not even the whole tree, the top is missing because of the power cords and the bottom because of the street, buildings and traffic.

So, I settled for the next best thing and took a picture of cut off tree, from inside, thru the shop window.

The next afternoon the skies were even more interesting, so I took another photo from the same spot.

So I did the next day as well.

The fall here makes the skies, on late afternoons when sun is setting down, quite unusual.


And every day they look different. So I ended up having a whole set of the cut off tree in front of different backgrounds. Not bad for a cloud hater.

Once the winter passed by and spring came, the sights like these became more rare. But, Canadian summer is already half way gone so the fall will be here soon again with it's spectacular colors.

Canada Day..... And the glorious ribs!

1st of July - a national holiday that celebrates the birthday of Canada! And instead of going for the cake, I went for some meat.

Three colonies - New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and the Province of Canada - united in 1867 and formed a single country named Canada, today being 148 years old.

Conveniently enough, there are parties all over the city (and country, of course).

Being hungry as a wolf, I decided to visit the one that promised some good food. I don't really care for fireworks and whatnot, but I do care for meat. So I thought Toronto Rib Festival was a good choice - not exactly Canada Day related. I wasn't looking for that. I was just looking for some food. Some pork ribs seemed like a very good idea.

That is, until I came closer. Rivers of people and streams of cars flooded the place, leaving no empty spots nowhere near to park.

Dark clouds were marching all over the skies, threatening with rain, so I kind of wanted to park close to the area.

Me and another 10 000 people.

Soon enough, I found a spot on the grass and I left the car there, hoping that towing company won't be able to take it away because of all the commotion and crowd.

As soon as I reached the entrance, I've realized that this might have been a huge mistake.

I was convinced I'll stay hungry. The queues of people waiting for food were enormous.
Because of bad weather, the Rib Fest was closed this weekend, so today, being half-sunny, and a holiday, the place was ridiculously crowded.

But I was hungry for ribs.

So I chose a line to stand in and bravely claimed my place in it.

I was going for Kentucky Smokehouse.

Apparently, their ribs were more tender than my mama's love. I fell for that.

Also, the huge "Hillbilly Heaven" sign reassured me I'm at the right spot. They had a lots of piggy awards too.



So, I'm waiting in line and looking around. All people in Canada-wear.

All red and white.
Hats, tees, flags.

All proud to be Canadians.
I loved the sight and wished I can wear that kind of tees too, today.
It would be nice to feel like you're in your own country. Of course, my mama's love would have to be around, and not just tender ribs.

But anyway, I got my hot stuff and I left the place in a hurry to devour those sweet, tasty ribs. They were heavenly indeed.
It's just that I'm craving for a cake now. I need to get some.

And yes, Happy Canada Day!

First day of summer in Toronto

Oh yeah. Summer is finally in Toronto, and it arrived with style.

First day of summer was hot and heavy around here (mostly because of the famous Canadian humidity in the air).

Even though the weather forecast announced storm and rain all Sunday long (forecast is always wrong when I'm making plans and I'm used to it by now), the day was beautiful.

Toronto-style cloudy (kind of cloudy where sun is never behind actual clouds), hot and breezy.

So, instead of staying inside and watching movies I've already watched before, I actually enjoyed being outside most of the day.

First I made a mistake in the morning (well, because I do listen to the weather forecast after all) and went for a walk in my tennis shoes and pants and almost died of the heat.

People are out there taking walks, kayaking, sitting in shade and talking, sleeping on the benches, doing photo shoots, eating ice cream, sunbathing on the beach, looking at dead fish at the beach and pulling their kids away from it, playing with their dogs, barbecuing and fishing.

They also wear flip flops and shorts because they don't listen to the forecasts like I do.



So, after I realized there's not going to be any rain that day, I changed to flip flops and bikini and I actually went to the beach... just to be there.

To lie on the sand, to walk barefoot and to soak up the sun.

Nothing better on a lazy, first day of summer afternoon.

I was just about to start enjoying the sounds of kids and dogs playing around when I noticed the dead fish right in front of me. It was huge, half eaten and I still don't know how it got there.

I even got into the lake, which was freezing - still around 16 C.

There were some people actually swimming, but mostly dogs and little kids enjoyed the water. I was surprised how many children were there standing and playing in the lake, and even more surprised by the parents who let them do that, or actually encouraged it. I mustn't forget, I am in Canada though, and the kids are apparently born and raised to be little polar bears.

The kids seemed to be happy in the lake though.

The dogs seemed to be happy in the lake.

The surfing (or whatever he was doing) guy was happy on the lake.

The view on a dead fish was spectacular.

The only thing better than the sun was the hot wind blowing. That's the real thing. That's when I know the summer's really here. Hope it'll stay for a while. Or at least till end of July, when I'm leaving to feel some real salt on my skin at the Adriatic Sea.

Shooting Shelly, the perky hamster

I don't have any models to shoot. I only have a cat and a hamster at my disposal.

And while the cat - Mischief - is obviously annoyed with me clicking around him, he still finds a grain of patience and works with me. Sometimes.

Shelly the hamster, however, has no clue what's happening and keeps mingling around like she has a pair of Duracell batteries in her cheeks. 

She is so vivid and perky and it's impossible to have her still.

I tried to take a photo of her when I first started to use this camera and I thought it can't be that hard. Little did I know how fast does she move. 

The fact that she doesn't understand me makes it all even harder. I guess that's why people have dogs.

So, anyway, I took her out of the cage, set up a white background and placed her there. I lost her a few times while adjusting my camera cause she's gone in a blink of an eye.

After I chased her for a while and finally caught her, I placed her on the spot again and lost her again in a few seconds. Then I realized I need a bait. First lesson, checked.

I had an apple so I figured that will be a nice treat for her and will keep her busy. It turned out I was right, and while I somehow managed to keep her on the spot, she was still fast. 

She was biting off those chunks of apple like there was no tomorrow.

Actually, she was eating some, and storing some in her cheeks. It was all good at the beginning, but after two minutes she was already so full of apple that I had to stop. I don't know if hamsters have some kind of  sensor to know when to stop eating, but I swear if I'd let her eat some more, she would die afterwards. So then I learned that the hamster shooting sessions can last only for a few minutes at the time. Second lesson, checked.

I tried to photograph her again the next day, and then again a few weeks later. I also tried today to see if maybe I'll do it right this time. I can't seem to find the good way to capture her, have the sharp photo and properly exposed, without noise or blur.

Today, I did it outside but as she keeps moving fast and running away it makes it complicated to have settings right every moment. I normally use the manual mode to shoot, but perhaps in this situation I should have used one of the semi-automatic modes instead. Yeah, the shutter priority mode definitely might have helped. I'll try that next time. Third lesson, yet to be checked.






It's pretty challenging, all in all, to get her right, since I don't really have studio conditions and my background consists of a piece of paper which is relatively small, especially for her jumping around. Even when she's eating and is pretty much still, her movements are shaky.

I tried with other treats too. Don't ever get her a carrot, cause she'll store the whole thing and won't be able to move. I had to take that carrot away from her.

I don't think she liked that red plum. And she ain't a fan of the celery either. She took a few bites and start running away. Or maybe she was just distracted. I believe shooting outside makes her more curious and she just wants to wander around. Good thing the space is limited, cause I'm shooting on the rooftop, so there's nowhere she can go, but definitely a big place for her to run around and make me busy chasing her.

She liked the walnut, but the piece was too small so she ate it in a heartbeat and by the time I got my camera it was already gone. The best piece of fruit turned out to be an apple, because she enjoys it and she bites of piece by piece, so that gives me time to actually make couple of photos.

In the normal session, I make maybe 30 photos in total, before she gets full, and that's it. Time to sleep and see you next time.



She doesn't care at all.
I really need to find some human models.