Been travelling again this week with destination Brussels. It is a place where I was almost on a weekly basis during 2012-2013, always passing through the exact same area where on March 22nd 2016 terrorists killed 11 people and injured more than 100 in a suicide bombing that also heavily damaged the terminal.
It was a eerie feeling passing through the now reconstructed area and having the images of the bombings and the victims in mind, thinking about this terrible loss of life and fully conscious of the fact that on a different day it could have hit me. I travel a lot, it comes with the job that pays the bills, and the first thing I always do after arrival is phone home and let my family know I’m ok.
In the brand new connector building between Piers B and A they put up the large red rocket that Belgium comic hero Tin Tin flew to the moon.
Have a great Sunday!
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It is very humbling when life is put into perspective for us. So, did you have your “big camera” out at the airport? (That’s what my family likes to call my nice camera) I’m still too self conscious to draw attention to myself – but I miss great opportunities like this.
Thanks for your comment! When on business travel I typically carry the tiny Ricoh GR II. Despite its super tiny size it sports an APS-C sensor you find in consumer DSLRs. Nobody notices me when I shoot with this small black camera. Image quality is on par with my Nikon D7000 and my Olympus OM-D E-M1. It fits the front pocket of my Jeans.
Oh! I looked it up – I should think about getting a point and shoot for instances like that (and it looks like it’s so much more than a regular point and shoot). Hmmm. . . Christmas *is* coming up. 🙂
The GR II is a legit cam, only it is not “big” 😉. What I like is that it gives me the ability to pre-set a focus distance. Then I set “P” mode, ISO 800 during the day and 1600 after dark / indoor. If things need to quick (like in this example of my rocket shot) I just pull it out and shoot, without worrying about the settings. Shooting in Raw the images have all the reserves for the digital darkroom. I don’t miss a zoom on it, working with the 28mm (full frame equivalent) prime lens forces me to be more creative. I used to take my wife’s Panasonic TZ-61 on my business travels, but image quality is simply not on a level with an APS-C sensor and a high quality lens like in the Ricoh.
It is a crazy world and it adds a certain worry to travelling. I love the rocket and the composition. Shot from the hip? It almost looks like it could be you but it’s not is it? Louise
Hi Louise, that rocket was awfully tall, so I had to get down to me knees to have a chance to shoot this other traveller (no, it’s not me 😉 ). Thanks for visit and comment!
And, I’m sure your family always awaits those phone calls reassuring them you’re fine.
Indeed they do!! Thanks for visit & comment!
I understand how you were feeling. I would feel the same.
Spectacular image with wonderful juxtaposition!
Thanks for your kind words! It means a lot!
I am Belgian. Every time I travel home I go through this airport. 1 Day before the bombing my brothers were on that spot looking for my dad… they had just visited me and were traveling home. My dad was picking them up and they couldn’t find each other. One day.
It’s not the same anymore.
Crazy World