Counting the places I have visited is probably my only concession to any appearance of being vain. I have a couple of counts going. One, well documented in this blog, is my opportunistic chase after World Heritage sites. The other is the count of different countries that I set foot…
My well-known affinity for sacred architecture did not translate into significant appreciation of Poblet Monastery. The World Heritage inscription mentions majestic architecture on more than one occasion and uses the word “important” with a variety of emphatic modifiers to describe its place in the history of Catalonia. I saw an…
An attractive city to the south-west of Barcelona, Tarragona’s claim to UNESCO recognition revolves around its Roman past, as evidenced by a significant number of architectural remains. The long history of the city means that the medieval, Renaissance, and modern architecture in the center coexist with remnants of Roman glory. Here is…
I have to give unqualified credit to my friend Arthur. He has made Costa Brava his summer home for twenty years. The law of diminishing returns suggests that he should find it harder and harder to come across something not seen before. But in fact, he continues to discover fascinating…
Our good friends who make Costa Brava their summer home have a business relationship with Pordamsa Porcelain. Pordamsa has been making innovative tableware in Catalonia’s Empordà region for 40 years. We toured their factory in the town of La Bisbal d’Empordà, which merits a separate entry in the recap of…
The first installment of the photo recap of our summer trip to Spain arrives in double-quick time. I will try to cover every distinct location that I have taken pictures at in more or less chronological order. Which brings us to Peratallada. Peratallada is among the most picturesque…
Another place that I think should be on UNESCO World Heritage list but isn’t, Pueblos Blancos is an area peppered with little villages all boasting distinctive white-washed look. Although this architecture is not exclusive to this part of Andalusia, the name of the area – “White Villages” – certainly reflects…
I love Barcelona nearly unconditionally and it contests with Paris and Rome the title of a European city that I know best aside from London. It has a lot to offer to any type of visitor but works of Antoni Gaudí are likely to feature on every itinerary, however brief…
We visited Toledo twice on day-trips several years apart and definitely left some places unexplored there even after two visits. Recognizing two millennia of history on display in Toledo, the UNESCO inscription mentions over a dozen sights by name, of which we can claim good familiarity with no more than…
The Royal Palace and Monastery of El Escorial attracts quite a bunch of superlatives on its UNESCO description, including an awestruck passage of “there is nothing [about it] that is not exceptional”. In my subjective view, all of those are well deserved. El Escorial is an architectural wonder of the…
Sevilla is probably at the top of my “been once, want to see again” list. Despite its magnificence, for me, it is not as impressive as Granada or Cordoba, which contributed to the fact that we only managed to visit it one single time. The World Heritage site, comprised of…
We have spent a significant amount of time on the Costa Brava over the course of a couple of summers, and know the region quite well. It is also one of the most-photographed locations in our archives, giving me a pretty large selection to choose from for the purposes of…
Segovia – within an easy day-trip distance from Madrid – is one of those picturesque locations, where every turn around a corner brings you to a great photographic spot. It boasts a few major can’t-miss sights, but it is the often flamboyant house ornamentation on its narrow pedestrian streets that…
It’s hard to avoid using Alhambra as a dominating topic when it comes to Granada. The magnificent palace and fortress complex is a must-see destination for any visitor to Granada. Not surprisingly, some of my most favorite sights of Granada are those found within the walls of Alhambra. Starting with…
Any visit to Cordoba will be first and foremost about the Mezquita, the enormous mosque-cum-cathedral that is one of the most accomplished monuments of Moorish architecture in the Western world. Its onyx, marble and granite columns crowned by double arches are a magnificent sight to behold. Access to…
Barcelona is competing with Paris for the title of “the city I know really well despite never having lived there”. But the lion’s share of my exploration of the city occurred on a trip where I wanted to be as non-touristy as I could, so most of our photo archive…
A second entry in a row brings me to a city that I undoubtedly like a lot, but somehow do not have a wide range of pictures of to share. With Madrid, the reason for that shortage is somewhat inexplicable, since we have hundreds of good-quality pictures taken there. But…
I have been fairly brief so far in my descriptions of the places that we stayed at during the big summer holiday. A more expansive overview is likely due. So, for those interested, here is an entirely subjective comparative look at L’Estartit on Costa Brava in Catalunya, Roquebrune-sur-Argens on French…