AUGUST 1987 – View into the R. Dom João II in Armação de Pêra, District Faro, Portugal. Photo © by Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com
The story behind the image
My very first real holiday trip brought me through France and Spain to Portugal. I was just 21 and had a couple of weeks to spend, so my girlfriend and I drove all the way from Northern Germany to the Algarve in Portugal. We did not worry about anything. The distance of 3,100 km (1,900 mi)? No problem. The money? We did not need much. What could possibly happen? So we took our old Mercedes Benz Diesel to Portugal and drove non-stop to experience a wonderful vacation in an exciting country at the end of the world (at least it felt that way.)
Our old, sturdy Mercedes Benz 200 D /8 had been manufactured in 1976 and was not fast by any means, but it was totally reliable. During this non-stop trip my girlfriend and I changed into the drivers seat every few hours while the other was taking a nap on the back seats. To save some Diesel, we drove very careful and “soft” and just stopped the engine at the petrol station. Finally, we arrived in Armação de Pêra. Our camping lot was situated outside of the town center (and not looking as good as today.) But we loved that place.
I took this photo while waiting for Susanne to make some purchases at the supermarket in the Av. Gen. Humberto Delgado. I was fascinated by the chaos in the street and the massive construction works happening at the end of the street. The street looked unfinished, and the cars under their grey protection covers added to this impression. Like these cars, Armação de Pêra was still waiting to be unveiled.
Recent images show that the chaos in the R. Dom João II has remained. Of course, the buildings at the end have been completed, but the overall impression is that the change is minimal. It’s different when one looks to the left, the portion of the Av. Gen. Humberto Delgado that leads to the beach promenade. This used to be a normal street in 1987 but has been turned into a pedestrian area. Access for vehicles to the beach promenade itself has been restricted as well. A good move.
The high resolution image
| Capture Date | August 1987 |
| Location | Armação de Pêra, Algarve, Portugal |
| Camera | Canon AE-1 Program |
| Lens | Canon FD 28 mm f/2.8 |
| Image Source | 13 x 18 cm Print |
| Digital Image Source | EPSON Perfection 4870 Photo |
| Digital Image Source Format | TIFF, 48 bits/pixel, AdobeRGB |
| Edited Image Format | JPEG, 24 bits/pixel, sRGB |
| Edited Image Dimensions | 5867 x 3884 Pixels |
| Copyright | © by Mark Zanzig/zanzig.com |
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