Frames of Summer 25'
I have a feeling that every year around the summer period I loose all my inspiration - for anything, except staying tucked inside my house with the A/C on full blast and a book in my hands. Im not a fan of summer, I don’t remember ever liking summer as a kid too. The humidity, the hot and sticky air, the burnt skin, the blazing sun in my eyes are far from joy to me. Now don’t get me wrong, I do like sunny days but only when the temperatures are not above 20°C degrees.
I sometimes feel like a bear, they sleep throughout the winter, waiting for the spring to come. That’s how I am, but in my case I wish I could go to sleep throughout whole summer and wait for the autumn to come. Something like the song “Wake me up when September ends” by Green Day.
Now I still can’t wrap my head and think how I survived living in the UAE for 7 years. January was my favourite month there, I lived for that month!
So, this year’s summer is no exception. If you follow me on insta you might have noticed that I kind of disappeared since June - this disagreement between me and summer is the cause of it. I hardly take my camera out, or actually I hardly drag myself out of the house.
But, my husband and daughter love summer, love swimming and love the beach. So, I had to negotiate and go for a holiday to a summer destination. Which this year that was Malta. Little island in the Mediterranean, tucked between Sicily and Tunis. At times when we walked around and explored the island it reminded me of the old Abu Dhabi city, but at times of Italy. It’s such a blend of those 2 cultures. The taxi drivers that took us to the hotel from the airport told us that his house looks very similar to an Egyptian house. Most of them can speak up to 4 languages, Maltese, English, Italian and Arabic. Crazy right!
During our time in Malta we stayed at a hotel in the Al Qawra area, but we did explore Valletta a bit too.
Majority of the photographs I took were from the day we visited Valletta or from the evening walks at Al Qawra. During the day I was hiding at the indoor pool or under a shade with a sunscreen of SPF 150 because I burn even in winter.
It was our first time in Malta, but most definitely not last.
Sanïa Spiri is a Documentary Photographer based in Hyogo, Japan.
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