summer in film 2018

this was taken in the Bahia palace courtyard and has a very strange light leak but I don't mind it!

I am aware that it's literally March at the time you're reading this. I've actually had my film developed since September but since moving to university I no longer had access to the scanner I usually used and every time I went back to London, I'd forget to bring all 45 film photos with me to scan back there. I haven't yet found a place to scan my prints here in Exeter but I managed to find an app which does an okay job- they're not perfect but then again, what is ;)

I had a wonderful summer last year, it was the one that followed A levels so it just felt that little bit sweeter. I had so much time to just do what I want and not feel the guilt of not studying or the impending doom of exams because I had none. Even the thought of results day was completely blanked out until August hit which is pretty impressive considering I finished exams in the end of June. Because I had so much free time I managed to do quite a bit of travelling which means the photos in this post are from Madrid, Venice, London, Gibraltar, Marrakech, Casablanca and Ceuta. I still vividly remember finishing my last exam, texting my mum and Katie with something like "I'm freeeeee" and then walking to Argos to pick up my disposable camera.

Anyway, I hope you like scrolling through these photos, it's been nice to dig these prints out and have a look through them again. My initial plan was to hang them up in my uni room but I can't think of anywhere good and I'd quite like my deposit back from my land lord tbh. So even though these photos are stowed away in my drawer, I still love looking through them and being reminded of past summers which it only makes my excitement for the coming one even more intense.

One more thing- I apologise for the weird caption formats. The different sized photos has made it so hard to get the captions into one uniform size so some might be smaller fonts than others. Also, count how many times you see my little yellow bag in these photos and comment it down below (or take a shot each time, your choice)

Churros con chocolate and fresh orange juice in Madrid. There were two men playing the guitar just out of the shot and to this day I rewatch the *one* video clip I took of them playing and hope that some day I'll be able to know the piece they were playing

The mountains in Ouzoud falls. Aside from being the site of the stunning waterfall, this place is also a village with quite a substantial civilian population. Our tour guide was a Moroccan guy who was born and raised here and it was interesting to think about what life must be like living here

Mint tea at a cafe overlooking the sea in Rabat with my cousin. I come to this cafe anytime I visit Rabat, I feel like it's so hidden and unknown by any tourists which is a shame as it is such a good spot for a glass of tea or coffee

Courtyard in Bahia Palace (which took us 2 hours to find) but was very worth it

The actual waterfalls!

Our 32p orange juice which we drank way too much. It's so fresh (you can see the oranges behind me!) and squeezed right in front of you. I tried pomegranate juice when I went back to 'kech in December and it is wonderful

Le Jardin Secret in Marrakech, a nice and calm hideaway from the chaos

On the way to Ouzoud Falls. It's so interesting to see how the Moroccan countryside differs to the English one- significantly less green but way more hilly (and that's coming from someone who lives in Exeter)

One of the many rooftops in Marrakech, this one is the Photography Museum's one which has a small cafe/restaurant if you couldn't tell from the menu 

Another one from Le jardin secret. I couldn't have asked for a better travel partner ;) Also, my arm looks insanely long (wooo!)

A photo I took whilst balancing on a bike which is as hard as it sounds. This was taken on a random street lol and it felt so old and typically Italian, the whole town gave off that vibe

The Bridge of Sighs, Venice. Venice was super crowded but for a very good reason...t'was stunning!

Another photo from my mum and I's rowing endeavours in El Retiro park in Madrid 

A failed mirror selfie in the riad 

View from outside Venezia Santa Lucia railway station- we'd missed out train and had to wait 40 minutes for the next one but that was totally fine with me because it was golden hour and the sun's reflection onto the grand canal was insane. I also love how all the warm coloured buildings were super illuminated too. I'd happily miss more trains if I got a view like this every time

St Mark's Square, Venice. Super packed and honestly slightly underwhelming ha 

The YSL gardens which everyone and their mum has visited

Reading in the rooftop pool in Marrakech. The best way to escape the midday heat and have a few hours of calm. The pool was tiny but it was more than enough and such a treat when you've been out in 36+ degrees 

Iconic electric blue house in le jardin majorelle- I'll never tire of the colours in this place

Yet another photo of the waterfall ;) Clearly couldn't get enough of it!

A photo of the sea in Ceuta. The land/mountains you see in the far left are actually Morocco. Ceuta is a Spanish enclave in Morocco so you enter it through border control and are officially in Spain but Morocco is obviously still physically visible- it's really cool. Also this beach was wonderful and I'll be returning when I'm next in Ceuta

And finally, a pic of me sat on a bench taking in the aura of El Badi palace, a ruined 16th century palace in Marrakech. I love how this picture shows just how huge this place is, even if it is just the ruins!

And there we go! 

I hope you enjoyed these photos and that it has encouraged you to use a disposable camera when the summer time rolls around. At the time of writing this, I've bought my camera for the year, albeit way too early, and I can't wait to use it in the coming months to document the rest of my time as a fresher at uni. I'll probably have to buy another one for the actual summer but I'm more than okay with that. I'm already excited to develop the photos which I haven't yet taken...

-Dalal