Vivo en Bizkaia (y otros sitios tambien)

It's hot again. The temperature at sign near Plaza Circular said 34 C, around 97 F, but it feels a little hotter.

Not that I am complaining :)

End of the fiesta this evening, so might go out a little earlier than usual. 

This was shot from exactly the same position as last night with exactly the same settings. Only difference is the fireworks and the fact that this is vertical (obviously).
 
I actually managed to remember to wear my blue bandanna tonight. And yet again I have forgotten to buy one of the really smart Bilbao ones. Maybe next year. 

The weather has been pretty good today and tonight being Saturday everyone is out. 

Out again to the fuegos artificiales.

Last night I was underneath the Zubizuri bridge but didn't quite have the right shot I wanted for two reasons.

1. I didn't have the right lens (rare)
2. One of the lens I was using was playing up. Serves me right for not getting it fixed.

Anyway knowing I had the right spot this evening I went down again with the right lens and got some very good stuff. Photo on here later.

While waiting for the fireworks to being i was pondering the fact that this time last year I was doing almost the exact same thing - waiting for the firework display to start watching the river flow by - but by the Guggenheim.

I really should try and be in another city next year. But it's so hard not to be here!

Anyway after setting up my tripod I passed the time watching the people pass by, occasionally saying Hola to people. As one woman walked passed she slowed and looked at me and i said Hola. Her face looked familiar. Her and her boyfriend stopped. And they said I had photographed them at the fiesta in Vitoria last year!  

So we had a good chat, at first in Castiliano and then in English (their English MUCH better than my Castiliano!). One reason I recognised them was because they were kind enough to wait to open / spray their bottle of Cava in just the right direction for a photograph. I got some good shots so hopefully if they email me I can send them some.

They were off to see Stomp and I turned to the task in hand.

Walking back everyone and their dog (literally) seemed to be out. Today has been the first dry day and, being a Friday, people were making up for lost time. 

Tens of thousands of people were wandering to and from the fiesta, talking and just enjoying themselves in an ordinary normal way, families and boyfriends and girlfriends and groups of friends just enjoying themselves and not causing any harm to anyone else.

Lots of people - well, pretty much everyone - drinking of course but just for enjoyment, not in a rush to down as many pints of beer as possible then fall over.

As I said to my friends from Vitoria, and I have said here before, I feel safer here at night out on the streets than I do in England in broad daylight.

Whinge about England over. I have photos to look at :) 

Off to Mungia today to see California Chica (CC) and the mysterious Ursula aka Mungia Chica (MC) for paella!

I got the autobus from Plaza Moyua and for the ridiculously cheap price of around a euro was there in about 25 minutes if that.

It was of course raining so we left the main sight seeing until later.  However pictured below are two of the more well known sights of Mungia.

Why there should be a big M in the middle of Mungia is fairly obvious...

And the big E is of course for Euskara and Euskal Herria. This photo doesn't really do it justice.

Once inside CC's flat she immediately set to work making paella (after making me some tea) and I immediately set to work just loitering in the kitchen and just getting in the way.

However after an hour or so the paella was done and served up - and very good it was too!

Sarah has bought some cider which we had with our lunch. Basque cider has to be poured properly, basically you need to get the bottle as far away from the glass as possible so it creates lots of foam. Then you have to drink it quickly. In bars it is not unknown for your cider to be taken away from you if you just loiter with it - i am not making this up!

As you can see CC is doing the sensible thing of pouring the cider over the sink. I also had a go. The last time i played this game was last year at a party with Lise (aka Kalimotxo Chica now in Switzerland on a Harley apparently) and the cider was poured in the living room.

This is the real reason people don't have carpets here - so you can mop up the cider afterwards!

To finish off our meal Mungia Chica had made some tiramisu :) This was really good too, i do like some chocolate after paella. Or even before it.

Mungia Chica dishing out dessert.

I should say that I promised both CC and MC that I would not take their photographs. Er... i think this may have slipped my mind.

Anyway eskirrik asko CC eta MC!

After lunch we had a conversation about Basque woman - my theory that they are the most complex women on the planet was reinforced yet again - and then after a brief bit of sightseeing with CC I was back on the bus to Bilbo.

The weather continues to be rubbish here. This morning rain showers, then sunshine while I was wandering around, then more rain.

When the weather is like this (if i wanted sun all the time I would go to Spain) I have the luxury of catching up on things which I normally have no time to do.

This afternoon for instance I have been working on the intricacies of the castellano present conditional and then a little later the ins and outs of the photographic one third stop scale.

Unfortunately at some point I became confused and manage to under expose podria by two stops.

Oops. 

Off to the fireworks again tonight. I had a particular shot in mind of the light from the fireworks being reflected on the umbrellas.

But it didnt rain.

Which is odd because it was chucking it down at lunchtime.

So all I ended up with was this which I put in the Happy Snap category.

Pretty, innit?

To be honest due to the lack of rain tonight just turned into a exposure test. I think i know what the trick is for the shot I want apart from:

• Being in the right place
• The weather being right i.e. rain and lots of it please
  
• The fireworks being in the right place
• No moron standing in front of me with their stupid cameraphone the light from which shows up a treat
• Me remembering to take my spot meter
• Having the right mix of colourful umbrellas
• People being the right height
• No drunks screaming "Camera foto! Camera foto!" at me just when I have got things just right
• Me being calm, calculated and if necessary completely ruthless
  

I don't think there is any coincidence that today is the first day I have been out properly working and today is the day I got my beloved Domke F2 camera bag back from CC who has been looking after it for me!

The camera bag did seem a little bored, but hey that's Mungia for you! 

Oh and a big KAIXO!!!!! to Urusula in Mungia who has apparently being reading this blog for sometime completely oblivious to the fact that the often mentioned CC is in fact her flat mate!

Now there's a coincidence for you.

Spent most of yesterday out shopping, as usual never being able to make my mind up as to what i want (as opposed to what I need...)

Last night despite the very dubious weather outlook I wandered off to meet CC at Abando (or thereabouts) as she was teaching Americano out at Getxo.

As I got near to Abando the heavens opened and myself and half of Bilbao piled into the station to avoid the rain.

CC didnt turn up so i went down to one of the bridges and watched a spectacular display. literally standing there open mouthed.

Of course it rained again several times but everyone just laughed and opened their umbrellas and carried on watching the display.

Basques aren't bothered by a little water.... 

A lot.

No surprise there. 

First night of Aste Nagusia and first night of the fireworks competition, Valencia are performing. Which means it feels like Calle Cortes is under a barrage of heavy artillery.

I know I should be out there experiencing it but I am very tired and did not have siesta today as I was out with T3 in Plaza Nueva.

I was told today that I have a Basque face - which is nice!