We feature some of the brightest Instagram storytellers in the Passion Passport community through our Instagram Spotlight series. This week, Reinaldo Diaz (@reeyco) shows off photos from his feed around Europe and New York City.
Dubrovnik, Croatia
I will always remember entering the walls of the Old Town for the first time. As I walked through the main gates, the first thing I noticed was how unchanged and well-preserved the town’s original structure is. I started to imagine how the city must have looked hundreds of years ago, and it felt like I was going back in time. It truly is a city stuck somewhere in the past. It’s no surprise that the producers of “Game of Thrones” picked this location to represent the mythical city of “King’s Landing.”
Plitviče Lakes National Park, Croatia
This park feels like it was taken straight out of a fairytale. I’ll always be amazed by the energy of preservation that surrounded Plitviče Lakes National Park while I was there. It felt like a sanctuary that every visitor was respecting and preserving for the future. As a photographer, I feel like I have a small role in helping maintain this beauty by capturing it for others to see.
Iceland
I’ve been lucky enough to have the opportunity to travel to some amazing places, but I can easily say that Iceland has been my favorite. As the entire world gets mapped, and more and more locations become geotagged, it is harder to find places where you can truly feel the traditional sense of exploration and freedom. During my time in Iceland, I felt this on countless occasions — whether running up a hill on a foot race with friends, or simply looking through the car window at the passing landscape. Iceland brings out the spirit of discovery in everyone.
New York City
New York City will always be my second home. I lived there for five years and during that time, an interest in photography became my life’s passion. There’s a source of inspiration everywhere due to the diverse nature of the city. I would head out with my camera, with no specific destination in mind or idea of what I wanted to shoot. Then, along the way, I would encounter the most interesting individuals and unpredictable moments. My favorite pictures are from days like those.
Congost, Spain
This was, to date, the most pleasantly surprising hike I’ve ever done. I was staying in Barcelona for a few days when my friends and I made the spontaneous decision to rent a car and go on a road trip to the famous Montserrat, 45 minutes away from the city. When we entered the park, someone saw us unpacking and told us that the main hiking route had been closed for the day because of a rockslide. We were incredibly disappointed, but this friendly fellow told us about another hike he was heading to, a couple of hours north. Since we were already in the hiking spirit, we decided to give it a try, too.
We didn’t know what to expect, but we were greeted by an incredible surprise as soon as we arrived at Congost — a mesmerizing rock valley with a green river running through its middle. The walls of the gorge reach vertical heights in excess of 500 meters at certain points. The hike is one to remember, and anyone with a day to spare in the Cataluñan area should pay Congost a visit.
