Favorite pictures
Take a look at the selection of my favorite shots from around the world and click through to my extensive galleries on Flickr.
A morning with Gaudí
Once a trip – hardly ever more than that – I decide to get up early enough to photograph famous vistas in the serenity of dawn. A single night in Barcelona at the conclusion of our recent Costa Brava vacation gave me an opportunity to improve my portfolio of Gaudí masterpieces (my past limited selection
Re-visiting World Heritage: #58 (Domenech i Montaner, Barcelona)
Think “Barcelona architecture”, and the first name that comes to mind for majority of people is likely that of Antoni Gaudí. It is well-deserved, since a number of Gaudí’s creations are veritable symbols of Barcelona. But there are other tremendous architects who also contributed to this fantastic urban landscape. Among them is Lluís Domènech i
In Madrid to see a soccer game
Fun trips are coming thick and fast in the second half of this year for me. I am still several photo-essays away from completing the story of our summer trip to Catalonia, I just returned from a jaunt around California wine country, and there I am in Madrid for a somewhat uncommon reason. Although this
Girona
I have been to Catalonia and Costa Brava many times in the last dozen years but never visited Girona until this year. I have to admit I was underestimating it as a destination to my own loss. It is incredibly colorful and agreeable to walk around. And visual perspectives such as this one are to
Back from Napa
Those who follow my lovely wife’s Facebook updates are probably aware that we just spent an extended weekend in the California Wine Country. This particular destination was significantly overdue in hosting us, given our affinity for wine in general. It gave us fantastic weather, breathtaking and romantic vistas, and of course a variety of wine
A girl on a carousel
One of those pictures that turn out great through no skill of the photographer.
Chasing World Heritage: #97 (Carcassonne)
French town of Carcassonne, a little bit over an hour from the Spanish Catalan border, is fairly laconically recognized on the World Heritage list as an excellent example of a medieval fortified town. It truly is very impressive in this aspect and we took a day on our recent stay in Costa Brava to explore
Palamós
The town of Palamós is home to the only remaining commercial harbour in the Catalan province of Girona. The fishing boats come back in with their catch between 4 and 5pm, in time for the fish auction ahead of the influx of hungry diners looking for fresh seafood. If you come to the port at
Castell Gala-Dalí, Pubol
Salvador Dalí was born in Catalonia and the province boasts three major attractions that celebrate the painter’s life and art. The most famous of them is Dalí Theater and Museum in Figueres – day-trippers from Barcelona make it a very popular and slightly overcrowded destination. We visited it once in 2009. The second of the
Besalú
Besalú announced itself as a contender for the title of the most attractive little town the moment I caught the sight of it from across river Fluvià. It definitively has one of the most impressive approaches, highlighted by its famous bridge that dates from 12th century. My photographic skills do not properly convey the majesty
Chasing World Heritage: #96 (Madriu-Perafita-Claror)
There are properties on the World Heritage list that have words “cultural landscape” in their name. These sites are relatively large areas whose history and development was directly influenced by the features of the landscape. The Andorran valley of Madriu-Perafita-Claror is one such site, offering an insight into how people survived and even prospered in
The Cloisters, New York City
It pains me to admit that until just a few years ago I was not even aware of the existence of Met Cloisters. Its comparatively remote location near the northern tip of Manhattan island played a role in my never being able to set aside time for a visit. Only this past Sunday, my lovely
A decade of blogging
We interrupt the current stream of travel vignettes in order to celebrate a truly momentous occasion: the 10th birthday of my online journal. It is no testament to either perseverance or superior writing that the blog, started as the written record of our expatriate experiences, has survived our subsequent repatriation, periods of little to no
Andorra La Vella
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 on. Seeing as Costa Brava
Chasing World Heritage: #95 (Poblet Monastery)
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 impressive enough complex with little
Chasing World Heritage: #94 (Tarragona)
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 a not exactly successful attempt
Monells
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 places every year. One of
Tour of Pordamsa Porcelain factory
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 our recent trip. First, the
Peratallada
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 villages in the proximity of
Back from Costa Brava
We always have memorable vacations. Whether it is through mixing detailed planning and potential for spontaneity, combining specific destinations and experiences with periods of pleasant idleness, or simply being lucky with hitting mostly the right notes, we are hard pressed to recall a trip that did not leave positive impressions. We occasionally experience days that