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The Menai Straits, that thin ribbon of water that separates the island of Anglesey from mainland Wales, is a place of sensory wonder.
Parked up on the road that runs along the water's edge on the Anglesey side of the Straits, quite apart from the views (more later) your ears quickly become attuned to hearing nothing but the quiet lapping of the waves and the odd cry of a lonely seabird wheeling overhead.
Take a deep breath of air and that wonderful seaside smell of salt water and seaweed washes over your olefactory senses, sweeping away the stale, fume laden odours that accompany so much of human civilisation.
And then there's the views.
To the south, over the water, lie the snow capped peaks of Snowdonia rearing majestically above the thin ribbon of humanity that clings precariously to the coastline.
To the southwest lies the city of Caernarfon with its medieval castle commanding the entrance to the Straits themselves, while further west the Seven Sisters mountains of the Llyn Peninsula make their presence felt as they march towards the distant horizon.
On this occasion, I'm looking along the Straits as the sun sets behind the southwesternmost corner of the island.
The world is holding its breath as day fades inexorably into night and the water in front of me is perfectly flat as a thin sea mist diffuses the dying rays of the sun into an orange glow that's picked up by the glassy sea.
I do take a few photos for form's sake, but I know that in reality a two dimensional single sense representation of what's all around me will only ever be a poor substitute for the real thing.
Still, I think this collection of pixels does, in some subtle way, convey a little of what it was like to stand on the edge of the Menai Straits on that most sublime of winter's evenings.
Filename - sunset reflection 01.jpg
Camera - Nikon D3100
Lens - 18-55mm zoom @ 18mm
Exposure - 1/500sec @ f8, ISO100
Location - Menai Straits, Anglesey
This image - 800x533px JPEG
Conversion - ACR & PS-CS2
Comments - Fast shutter speed used with handheld exposure.
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