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SEPTEMBER 2009 : SPAIN
MADRID: the Palacio Real from the Sabatini gardens. It's unbelievably hot.
The Plaza Mayor, a large square formerly used for bullfights and executions...
...but now just full of tourists to be fleeced or pickpocketed.
Monument to Cervantes' Don Quixote in the Plaza España. That book has languished unread on my shelf for over twenty years...
I get the 'inspired' idea to have my photograph taken holding the donkey's tail, then realise from the bare bronze that everyone's done it.
Pin goes for a less obvious choice of backdrop in the Plaza España.
First taste of the Metro - no gangs of gypsy pickpockets in sight...
In the Reina Sofia museum of modern art I spot this gem which includes a bloke pissing against a wall, just like those old Teniers paintings.
Can't remember who the artist is, but the colours and odd perspective are appealing.
This one attracted me immediately and left me with a great sense of optimism, despite their being on closer inspection some streaks of blood on the circular rainbow coloured thingy.
Pin in serious 'art contemplation' mode.
Outside in the museum courtyard were various iterations of this intriguing installation, the central character joyously pushing his friend down some steps. I thought it would be cool to make this black and white, since I screwed up the white balance in the original photo.
More courtyard installation art.
The most popular tourist attraction in Madrid - the little bald gnome womaniser's depiction of the destruction of the Basque town of Guernica by the bombers of the Nazi Condor Legion.
Madrid's beautiful Atocha railway station, within which is a whole steamy jungle of palm trees in this overgrown glasshouse.
Nearby is the botanical garden, and I'm a sucker for all things arboreal. Hey, let's go from Japan to Spain to look at Japanese trees in a Spanish garden!
A quick stroll up the road through Madrid's poshest area brings us to the Plaza de Cibeles.
TOLEDO: Next day the amazing AVE high-speed train brings us to this ancient city for a day trip.
The imposing alcazar or castle, dominates this hill-top town. I later found out that the buggers had shut it for renovation, so we couldn't go in.
Time to get that new 55-200mm zoom lens out, I suppose...
...and then pose in front of it to show off my new beard. Pin actually manages to take a half-decent photo here.
Crossing the bridge into the historic city, brushing aside the annoyingly slow-moving tourists, and getting some good use out of a polarisation filter (the dark sky!).
Detail on the gate.
Toledo is the catholic capital of Spain, and idolatrous images abound.
Nice bit of frontage, sir.
More modern, but just as nice.
Pin takes another good one in the centre of town.
The colours, the lines!
Toledo's streets are so narrow it's difficult to step back for a panoramic shot - just as well I'm a 'details' man.
This shows clearly just how narrow and congested things really are, which made navigation very difficult, although in this case we are guided by the spires of the enormous cathedral.
More Idolatry. Not Moor idolatry, although Toledo was for some time part of the Islamic world.
Finding a good restaurant is often difficult. Here we get lucky as the food is good, but I screw up by ordering randomly and finding that all my dishes are variations on the humble potato.
A medieval pop star commemorated on a ceramic tile.
The street on which we found the small church containing El Greco's The Burial of Count Orgaz (1586-88). Thanks, doc!
A stone knob. Yes, it could have been anywhere, but it wasn't, it was on some statue somewhere in Toledo, and not in Hull, honest. I like stone knobs, how about yous?
The dramatic ravine surrounding Toledo that would have made the town hard to assault, should you have wanted to do such a thing.
MADRID: back in the capital, and we spend all day in the fantastic Museo del Prado, one of the world's greatest art galleries and home to my favourite gear by Bosch, Brueghel, Velazquez and Goya. Unfortunately, cameras were only allowed in the restaurant. Tuna pie and gazpacho, yeah!
Mr.Velazquez himself outside the Prado. The moustache allegedly inspired that of Dali.
Bandera de España con escudo de España.
In Madrid's huge Parque del Buen Retiro where the madrileni hang out in the evening.
The pond in the park provides a good chance to get the zoom lens out and invade other peoples' privacy.
Put some back into it, you miserable sod!
Pin in front of the Retiro park pond.
The imposing monument to Alfonso XII, who was some sort of King bloke, I think.
Pin does the customary 'arms out' silly gesture which she always does abroad.
The last rays of the sun illuminate some church or other as we head back to the hotel.
SEGOVIA: the next day trip, again by AVE train, out to this stunning historic town containing this 2,000 year old Roman aqueduct.
Who is this suave fellow?
It's even more amazing that this antiquity still stands, given that it is constructed without mortar or clamps...
...so what holds up the chunks of stone on the undersides of the arches - art?
Disgraceful racist logo on a Segovia electrical shop - teeheehee!
Segovia's imposing cathedral - and some half-dead leaves.
Even the unfamous churches in Segovia are fantastic.
Through the arches: note the arid treeless countryside on the horizon.
What on earth are those kids doing with that giant phallic fish? Disgusting.
Oh yeah, and it was seriously hot. Again.
Is that a Romanesque church, or you just pleased t...oh, forget it. Actually, I don't thnk it's Romanesque - let's take a closer look.
No, it's not.
Segovia's cathedral, hard to fit in the camera it's so big.
The facade of a shop specialising in... whatever these things are!
Well, it's a door, innit?
The disadvantages of the sundial - if you want to know the time between 6pm and 9am you're buggered. Notice also that Spain has many more sundials than Salford.
Ah, the totally fake deep blue of the sky, courtesy of the polarisation filter.
Street of the bombardiers? As we will see later, Segovia seems to have a connection with artillery...
We approach the Alcazar (every Spanish castle is called the Alcazar), an old Moorish term....
The fairy-tale looks were apparently the inspiration for Walt Disney's effort - yuck!
Unlike most of Segovia, the Alcazar is a bit of a fake in that, although parts date from the eleventh century, a lot of the turrety bits were only added considerably later.
Spanish soldiers prior to a castle visit - apparently the Alcazar was once a college of artillery and contains a museum dedicated to that pursuit.
Inside the castle.
Buenos dias! May I seee your ticket, señor?
To be at the rear end of a horse - nice!
The local American Football team at half-time.
Do you think he's got a metal codpiece under that cute skirt?
Pin breaks out into another spontaneous arms-out gesture and tries not to fall down the well.
The teepees of Sioux Indians on the plains of Dakota.
The castle well again. Don't even think about having a crafty piss in it, you yob.
Lichen under the Castillian skies - is there anything finer?
Back to them teepees...
Inside the Royal apartments...
...a built-in chapel.
Pin is caught in the reflection of the plastic that is preventing me from falling out of the window...
Rare trees give way to the typical scorched earth of central Spain.
A ceiling of gilt egg cartons made to stop everyone else from hearing the Queen's deafening snores.
Back in the chapel to contemplate...the Royal huskies?
The player in the middle has got five of a kind - cheat!
A stunning view of miles and miles of bugger all...
Yeah, window and stained glass, we get it!
An early robot horse.
Where's your plume, mate?
Yes, sometimes the most mundane thing can look like a work of art if the lighting is right.
From the top of the Alcazar looking back towards the town, dominated by the cathedral.
Pin didn't fancy the lengthy climb up to the top of the tower, and actually curled up and fell asleep on the floor under the first few stairs.
Now you can see why Sergio Leone could get away with filming those Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns in Spain.
Thanks, cloud, for kindly aligning yourself with the pointy bit.
On our way back to the station, and this famous son of Segovia is either bedecked with a wreath or wearing a stork's nest.
If I'd read more I would be able to tell you what this is...
...but I suppose the colours and lines will just have to speak for themselves.
Saying goodbye to the cathedral.
Still time for another gratuitous shot of that aquaduct as we leg it for the last train out of Segovia.
SALAMANCA: dispensing with day trips, we train it out to Spain's renaissance gem and stay for a couple of nights. A detail of the Plaza Mayor.
Salamanca's Plaza Mayor is said to be the finest in Spain, its sandstone positively glowing in the sun.
Time for a bit of zoom lens perving, but instead of a sexy señorita emerging in sexy lingerie, I just get this git in a vest.
Yep, Salamanca's got one of them cathedrals, too.
First we enter the sublimely relaxing monastery of San Esteban to find lots of indecipherable scrolls everywhere.
...and there was this bloke called Bernie, see.
Okay, enough arty shots already!
San Esteban is graced with fewer tourists than most attractions, making it a real gem.
I couldn't resist making use of the mirrors for arty purposes, although I think they had been startegically placed to enable people to glimpse the ceilings without breaking their necks.
Inside the chapel, a laid-back atmosphere and no proscriptive rules about photography as in Toledo's cathedral.
Out the side door, up to the next floor...
...and then we're in the top part thingy of the church, the technical name for which escapes me .
Look! Barely a bugger in sight! (Sorry, that wasn't a reference to certain practices of the Catholic clergy..).
The delightful cloisters in their full glory.
I'm a great fan of manhole covers, how about you?
The cathedral again, this time from the Roman bridge.
Even muddy green rivers can look nice if you catch 'em right.
Pin on the Roman bridge.
We enter the cathedral, climb up on the roof, knee-deep in bird crap, then all of a sudden the pigeons go nuts. Luckily enough my trigger-finger was quick enough to capture the scene.
Gazing down from the cathedral...
...I just can't resist getting the old 55-200mm out again for a bit of cleavage-viewing.
Also did a few non-pervy shots, too.
This is one of the few cathedrals where they actaully let you wander around up in the precarious balconies.
Looks a bit like Florence, eh?
Salamanca was in the midst of its festival, and every square was buzzing with activity from concerts to binge drinking.
Salamanca - posh and staid though it looks, it is actually a university town with thirty thousand young idiots.
Okay, get off the damn cathedral roof, that's more than enough from up there.
Young Spanish dudes decorating their buddy's car, who is inside the church getting shackled to some bird. What japes!
Back in the cathedral again, this time on the ground floor...
...and there's no entrance fee or camera ban - do you hear that, Toledo?
Folk enjoying a festival 'happening.'
The proud wearer of a Bathing Ape t-shirt. If you don't know what they are, you're not half as cool as you thought you were.
This must be important because of the flags. Perhaps paella was invented here
Outdoor stand-up food 'n' drink stalls to fuel the festival goers.
Back to the monastery of San Esteban to capture its ornate plateresque decoration in the late afternoon sunlight.
No, I don't know what plateresque means, either.
Going back into the city after the siesta to get a glimpse of...
...the very silly Casa de las Conchas. Yes, someone actually wanted conch shells stuck all over their house.
A large sandstone building. In Salamanca. That's all I know.
Decoration on the cheery Casa de las Muertes. OK, I kind of like those conch shells now.
As Pin retires to bed, I can't resist one more jaunt into town...
...to capture everything once more...
...under floodlights.
Here, in a nice juxtaposition, a local punk band bash out there wares amid the architecture of antiquity.
Narrow streets with trendy restaurants...
...then back to those conches - I just can't get enough of 'em!
I'm beginning to flag now (as undoubtedly are you the viewer)...
...so just a quick nip into the Plaza Mayor for one last slightly blurred shot, and we're done.
All images © 2009 Andy Lightfoot: no unauthorised reproduction without the author's prior consent. Enquires to that effect should be directed here.
07/2010 : Recent Photos
05/2010 : Tokyo, Japan
01/2010 : Ujina, Hiroshima
01/2010 : Recent Pictures
09/2009 : Spain
05/2009 : Kyoto, Otsu and Shiga, Japan
03/2009 : Hokkaido, Japan
09/2008 : Britain and France
04/2008 : Chubu, Japan
10/2007 : France
03/2007 : Kyushu, Japan
10/2006 : Norway
08/2006 : Kansai, Japan
03/2006 : Australia
09/2005 : Czech Republic
08/2005 : Tokyo, Japan
03/2005 : Australia
01/2005 : Hiroshima and Kyoto, Japan
09/2004 : Britain, Finland and Germany
03/2004 : New Zealand
09/2003 : France and Switzerland
03/2003 : New Zealand
12/2002 : Hiroshima, Japan, Denmark and Sweden