Crash Boat Beach is on the western coast of Puerto Rico near Borinquen. The beach dates back to the days of Ramey Air Force Base (long since closed), when rescue boats were stationed here to respond to any aircraft that might crash land in the water. The rescue boats are long gone, but the remnants of their mooring slips are still visible. Crash Boat is primarily a locals spot, but it known for its colorful fishing boats staged on the beach here. See more colorful photos of the brightly colored boats in the Crash Boat Beach gallery!
Archives for January 2012
Old San Juan
Old San Juan is a jewel in the midst of the island’s contemporary, urbanized capital. It’s sidestreets are colorful, with narrow roadways, some paved in blue bricks and lined with tall brightly colored buildings. Old San Juan was protected from maurading pirates and invading armies by a series of fortress-like walls,which are now considered a UN World Heritage Site. Castillo de San Cristóbal is a portion of these defenses that protected the main land entrance to the city of San Juan. San Juan’s fortified walls feature numerous guerites (or sentry boxes, called “garitas” by the locals). These guerites, with their domed roofs, have long been emblimatic of Puerto Rico and San Juan.
I have always wanted to tour this site, and we were able to squeeze in a quick visit before we had to head out to the nearby airport to catch our flight. I definitely enjoyed my brief stay, and managed to capture a few photos of the impressively thick coral walls and the emblimatic “guerites” with the ocean and city in the background. The light was bright late morning sun, but at least the skies were clear and graced with some adorning clouds. The use of a polarizer and HDR software during processing helped tremendously to bring out the shadow detail and colors in this harsh light. Visit the Old San Juan gallery to see more info and photos of this amazing site!
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Walking Along the Cliffs of Moher
Our visit to the famous cliffs of Moher was fairly brief but nonetheless spectacular. We visited the main visitor area and then started trekking north along the cliffs. There is a great nature trail just beyond the fenceline (Were we supposed to go there? Not really sure but it was totally worth it…) that follows closely along the cliffs, and provides stunning if not dizzying vistas over the ocean. Sometimes you just don’t want to look down too much. The cliffs rise between 400 and 700 feet above the ocean and face west in general direction. We were there in the late afternoon, and so were battling the late afternoon sun while trying to take pictures. To avoid the overwhelming glare, you were limtied to shooting along the faces of the cliffs to the north or south. Still the colors when using a polarizer were still incredible, with the long windblown grass glowing an amazing green beside the cobalt ocean and a luminous blue sky. See more photos in the Cliffs of Moher gallery.
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The “Church of the Cliffs” and Graveyard in Doolin
The ruin of 15th century Killilagh Church, or Cill Ailleach, which means “church of the cliffs”, sits atop a hill overlooking the sea, the Doolin countryside and the majestic Cliffs of Moher. Built in 1470, it served the people of the area until their present church was built in 1840. The story is told that in 1645 Cromwellian forces burned the roof off the church during mass. After Killilagh ceased to be used as a place of worship, it began to be used as a burial ground. The earliest grave dates from 1860, the latest 1985. This site is amazingly beautiful, serene, and photogenic. With the whole place to myself and only the sea breeze to break the silence, it will be a treasured memory of Ireland. It was only a mile from the bed and breakfast where we stayed, yet it was a hidden treasure that I only found by luck. Our stay in Doolin was one of our favorite times, both for its renown irish music scene, and its unassuming quiet places.
The colors here were so vivid, with tall green grass, sea fog and blue skies all meeting at the churchyard. That said, I still thought the site was most appealing as a subject for black and whites. Most of my photos at this site were taken in black and white, and I have posted my favorites in a separate Killilagh Church gallery and encourage you to check them out!