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MERRY CHRISTMAS in the GARDEN OF EDEN!!!


MERRY CHRISTMAS in the GARDEN OF EDEN!!!
Photo Information
Copyright: Michal Grabowski (cedryk) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 966 W: 52 N: 1694] (5184)
Genre: Landscapes
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2006-09-06
Categories: River
Camera: Nikon Coolpix 8700, 80-210mm, @ ISO 100, Hoya Circ Polarizer
Exposure: f/3.2, 1/140 seconds
Photo Version: Original Version, Workshop
Theme(s): Rivers [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2006-12-22 21:54
Viewed: 2539
Points: 42
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Imagine a hot, arid landscape. Semi-desert in fact. Grass among rocks, stones and gravel is yelllow and completely dried. Temperature is way up 30 centigrades. Almost no trees around, just typical Mediterranean makkia.

And then you go through the pass on the other side of these hills and in the valley you see a patch of green - true forest!!! You go there and see streams, you see water droping down from rocky slopes. Then you pass a trout aquaculture, the guard opens the gate for you and you go deeper in the valley. There's quite large river on your right, water is so blue and looks very cold. Few more minutes and you're below huge old platan trees.

You're there! It's Syri-i-Kalter.

The name is in Albanian and means "Blue Eye". See here (workshop 1), the name is more than appropriate. It is a spring, but what a spring!!!

It's 70 meters deep - can you imagine that!!!??? The water flows out with a speed of up to 8.8 cubic meters per second - it makes quite a river!!! And the temperature is stable at 9-10 centigrades.

The whole valley is amazing as well. It's cool there and many smaller springs are around, simply water flows from everywhere. There are huge trees, mosses, many birds, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates. A true oasis in a very deserted landscape. We slept there (workshop 2) and it was unforgettable experience.

It looks like a remnant of a long gone world that existed in the southern Balkan Peninsula during the last Ice Age, some 11,000 years ago. That time when northern and central Europe was covered by ice, it was a mild climat here. A place where a large portion of biodiversity in Europe survived the harsh time and diversified. A true Garden of Eden.

But what a sad end came... the climate warmed up and became more arid, groundwater level dropped down. Then Greeks and Romans came and cut most of the forests - the water level dropped even more and the whole area turned slowly to what we know now.

But some small islands like this one survived... If you'll ever be in Albania, come there...

I went there to collect amphipods, nobody has ever done that before... and there were thousands of them... who knows what they are...

MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL MY DEAR TN FRIENDS!!!
JoseMiguel, horia, jmp, cataclysta, ramthakur, RAP, petrudamsa, fiyo, sAner, marhowie, Robespierre, red45, thistle, Evelynn, Luc has marked this note useful
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ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To ramthakur: I'm from Poland :-)cedryk 2 12-23 12:10
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Critiques [Translate]

Merry x'mas to you, too.
All 3 are good shot, I love the 2nd best.

Andrea

  • Great 
  • horia Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2175 W: 221 N: 4385] (14914)
  • [2006-12-23 4:21]

Hi Greg

Indeed is sounds and looks like a fairy-tail place. Simply charming!
The pictures (all 3 of them) are all great, and showing the beauty of this blace with all its aspects.
In this one here, i really like the game of light / shadows, with the rays of sunlight shining only on some branchaes and leaves.
The exposure is very nice here, the colors are a bliss and the details very nice throughout. A very beautiful composition.
I hope your studies pay-off and i wish you Merry Christmas and a everything at least twice better next year :)
Bravo and TFS
Horia

  • Great 
  • jmp Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1740 W: 95 N: 2273] (8411)
  • [2006-12-23 4:44]

Hi Michal,
This Eden's Garden and Blue Eye really are beatiful places. Light, composition, colors on tress and water form a very nice portrait.
I hope that next generations can see a rest of this paradise!
Merry Christmas to you!
José M.

Czesc Misiu
Kolejne piekne zdjecie i piekna historia. Wesolych Swiat Michal
Krzys

  • Great 
  • wuta Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 856 W: 2 N: 617] (2142)
  • [2006-12-23 5:25]

Hoi Michal , A Beautifull Landscape , all tree pictures very good colours compositie and youre story interesting , good job ,tfs Greetings Teunie .

Hello Michal,
This is really a wonderful landscape.
I like a lot the POV, ligh, illumination and color saturation.
Composition is outstanding.
Very good presentation and frame used.
Congratulations and happy holidays,
JM

Hi Michal,
Very beautiful riverscape, light was wonderful, great PoV, greatly composed picture
Excellent shot.
Happy New Year 2007 and Have a Great Holidays.

Ben Lakitan

  • Great 
  • RAP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2524 W: 345 N: 2373] (7405)
  • [2006-12-23 9:31]

Espectacular paisaje el que nos regalas Michal con un gran sentido estético, por la belleza del paraje, el atinado punto de vista que nos muestras aquí (además de los 2 bellos workshop complementarios), la gama de colores captada y toda tu pasión inmersa en esta imagen.
Mis mejores deseos para estas fiestas que se avecinan... Ricardo

Spectacular landscape that give us Michal with an great aesthetic sense, for the beauty of the place, the accurate point of view that you show here (besides the 2 complementary beautiful workshop), the captured range of colors and all your passion immersed in this image.
My best wishes for these holidays that approach... Ricardo

Hi Michal,

You are quite a globe-trotter, or should I say Balkan-trotter? Albania? Cool!
Great lush-green riverscape. I bet that is a good wildlife refuge dtere, with all that semidesertic surrounding area that you were talking about in your note.
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, my friend!
Cheers, Petru

  • Great 
  • fiyo Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 987 W: 5 N: 2764] (10622)
  • [2006-12-23 10:32]

Hello Michal,
This is Very well exposed, with excellent sharpness, detail, DOF and colors. TFS
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year :)

Your description of this mammoth spring along with the workshops gives a perfect picture of this amazing phenomenon in Albania, Michal. I would love to see it with my own eyes!
Wonderful verdant ambience here with the water just gushing out of the earth.
Thanks for sharing this unique picture.
Happy New Year!
Ram

  • Great 
  • SkyF Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2233 W: 188 N: 1929] (8127)
  • [2006-12-23 13:22]

Hello Michal,
what a beautiful and peaceful image.
Very well composed, the scenery is stunning and the colors are wonderful. Indeed a a garden of Eden .. a place to reflect on the year and enjoy the nature.
Merry Christmas to you and your Family.
Sky

  • Great 
  • sAner Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1490 W: 72 N: 1427] (4744)
  • [2006-12-23 18:46]

This is a simple, yet very pleasing shot. Happy holidays to you too!

Regards,
Pieter

Hello Michal.
I like this a lot mf, excellent notes on Blue Eye. I found it very interesting, sure would like to go there!
Lovely shaded greens and filtered light. Well composed & nice detail too :)
Merry Christmas to you as well.

Hello Michal,
What a wonderful and unusual place! I like your pictures as they always are an adventure in themselves! Very interesting notes along with great pictures in WS! This place seems like being magical. This night you spent there with the full moon is something and what to say about amphipods hunt ;) This is very interesting and so well done! Have a Merry Christmas and a beautiful year 2007, filed with adventures! Thanks,
Claudine

Hi Michal
A very harmonious and peaceful landscape. The greens of nature are dominating the scenery it gives it a certain serene atmosphere. Good POV and light fall.
Merry Christmas and best wishes!
Ruud

  • Great 
  • red45 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2705 W: 74 N: 8864] (30243)
  • [2006-12-25 5:40]

Merry Christmas Michal!

Beautifull. Very close to Garden of Eden, I thing. Love this picture and WS, too. It must be amazing place, I hope I'll see it some day through my own eyes :-)

Witaj,
Po pierwsze dzieki za mile powitanie :-)
Co do zdjecia, to opis jest swietny. Razem z fotka sprawia ze chcesz natychmiast zobaczyc to miejsce :-) Zdjecie jest perfekt technicznie, ma super nastroj i kolory. Bardzo przyjemnie sie na nie patrzy, szczegolnie o tej porze roku :-)
Pozdrowienia!

Hello Michal,
The play of light in the foliage is very eye-catching!
Wonderful shades of green and a fine composition with a good diagonal...
A fairytale like scenery of great beauty!
Greetings,
Pablo -

What a beautiful image of a beautiful place Michal. You managed a very good exposure here with the uneven light. It is a really nice shot with good sharpness and strong saturated colors.

TFS
Evelynn : )

  • Great 
  • hester Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1515 W: 18 N: 3165] (11638)
  • [2007-01-03 15:26]

Gorgeous colours, this does look like paradise. Lovely composition and great light

TFS

Karan

  • Great 
  • eleana Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 207 W: 80 N: 75] (2233)
  • [2009-04-16 13:37]

Hi Michal,
wonderful scenery, and playing of light on the trees is just great!
Best wishes,
Elena

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