A Walk by the Sea…

It’s cold and it’s windy. But in its chill, the wind whispers to me, inviting me out to sea. So I get in my Peugeot and go to pick Dana up from in front of the Condor before driving to the coastline. Welcome to El-Mina, the city of waves and horizon…

It’s cloudy, but the light gently plays in and out of the clouds. I study it from inside the car thinking, I haven’t been here in way too long... “Look behind you,” Dana tells me, as I step out of the car to see this:

Heaven lit snow capped mountains, she called them. What a divine site, with the clouds letting just enough light emit from above, shedding daylight on the mountain tops. And in front of them, stands a mosque. And in front of it, stand palm trees, dancing in the wind. Where else could you see such a site?

We walked, with my camera grasped firmly in my hands. But for some reason, my eyes were taking in more beauty than the lens were and so I just kept cradling it from the straps wrapped around my neck…

We came across a flock of seagulls, floating in the breeze, by the water. A veiled lady in black stood there watching them, dancing in and out of water. As I stood by her side to take photos, she seemed to snap out of her reverie, and turned around to continue walking…

I usually cant take such close shots of moving objects, but I was glad I had brought my newest zoom lens along, which helped me capture these flying beauties:

A few minutes onward, we caught up with the veiled lady, standing again, lost in the sea. I remembered going to the beach with a close friend and her mother last year, and I still remember her mother telling me, “Nour, I could look out at the sea forever…” and when I looked at her, I saw this deep and reminiscent look, as if at the bottom of the sea, there lay treasures only she could see. A smile, of mixture of happiness and sorrow, I couldn't tell. But that look her mother had that day, was almost the same look this lady wore. And so I made sure not to let the sea steal my gaze. Because if it did, my thoughts would drown in it too...

We climbed down to the shoreline, which was decorated with thousands of seashells. I’m not sure if this was the same shoreline, but I clearly over a decade of a year back, Dad took my brother and me to an El-Mina shoreline where I picked out some seashells and took them back home, where they still sit in a basket in my room…

On the way back, we ran into a van selling hand carved boats. I’ve always had a fascination with boats; I even have three mini models in my room. I thought one of these would make a wonderful addition to my collection, but I didn't have any money on me and so, I made a mental note to get an El Mina hand carved boat one day in the future. Look, doesn't this last picture remind you of the boat in The Adventures of Tintin?

Today, I was reminded of the beauty of the sea, of El-Mina. It lifted my spirit! Thank You for a beautiful morning by the sea, Dana. It was a refreshing breath of fresh air! :-)