spain

sevilla: cathedral

8 November 2011
architecture, sevilla, spain

Spain, España, Sevilla, catedral, cathedral

Think about Spain for a moment… go ahead, I’ll wait.

Most of the images that come immediately to mind are in fact typical of the south & of Sevilla, in particular. Sevilla’s spirit —partially through clever marketing— has captured everyone’s imagination. But the city truly lives up to its reputation. An ambiance exists in Sevilla, even when crowded with tourists, that is difficult to put into words. I imagine every visitor goes there to feel a bit of the city’s special vibe for themselves.

11 August 20119 March 2023
4 Comments
food & wine, spain

Spain, España, San Sebastián, Euskal Herria, cod, bacalau

Every foodie should make a pilgrimage to the Basque Country at least once in their lifetime. And go with an appetite. When I guided one-week tours through the entire region, not a day went by that I didn’t have a fantastic food experience. Portugal cuisine is hearty, nurturing fare I adore while Basque cuisine is almost beyond description.

8 August 20119 March 2023
spain

País Vasco, Euskal Herria, Donostia, 31 de agosto

After transforming into a posh seaside resort & cuisine capital during the 20th century, San Sebastián‘s humble beginnings as a border outpost can be difficult to imagine these days. Thank goodness for a scale model of Donostia in the city museum to demonstrate how it appeared 200 years ago:

[Digging through the archives again… originally published as “subway my way” on 11 Aug 2007. Was that really 4 years ago?? As always, I’ve updated a few items to reflect changes since then.]

There may not be much anyone can do about the slow pace of subway construction in Buenos Aires, but how we visualize the network can be easily improved. The firm Diseño Shakespear came up with the subte map used for most of the 00’s. With a black background, it was like some early-80’s vision of BsAs… a bit scary & not particularly useful:

14 July 201114 October 2021
photo essay, spain

Spain, España, Andalucía, Granada, Alhambra

Buenos Aires, Caballito, El Cid Campeador, Anna Hyatt Huntington

Nestled into the center of a busy intersection in Caballito, surrounding buildings dwarf a statue of El Cid Campeador by American sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington. Traffic noise also prevents any quiet contemplation of my personal favorite statue… but that can be avoided by going early on Sunday mornings for a look at this fantastic piece of public art, cleaned & restored in 2006:

18 August 20109 March 2023
2 Comments
found, spain

Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, poster, afiche, Aníbal Tejada

Part of the permanent collection of the Museo de Bellas Artes in Bilbao. Displayed during the excellent 2009 exhibit Novecentismo y Vanguardia (1910-1936).