The Journey's End, Andalusia, Spain

To conclude a long trip, I sometimes puzzle over the final blog post. What's a good visual summary that evokes the location? We've been here in Spain for about two months - in good weather and bad, in good times and in bad, in health and in sickness.

I decided that the final image should include the nation's iconic animal - the land of the bull! The quartet above was most obliging in posing.

Goodbye Spain, thanks for the wonderful memories and sights along the way. I look forward soon to sleeping in my quiet bed, in quiet Manomet, in a land where I can speak the language. Travel is a strange and magical and unpleasant and wonderful thing all at once.

Each time I travel I am struck by what a strange thing it is that people all over the world speak different tongues. It is amazing that there isn't even more strife in the world with the challenges and nuance of communication and miscommunication.

Not being a linguist, I must rely on others and my few wits, and pointing, and smiling, and hoping for the kindness of strangers. When I am home and pass a stranger, lost, confused, non-English speaking, I try to stop and help. Maybe I'm not much help but, the kindness and the gesture can make an incalculable difference in someone's journey along their road as a visitor in a strange land. I want to return the thousand kindnesses others have shown me.

So, in case you are wondering, maybe there is a fence between me and these four bulls - and maybe there isn't - I'm not telling but, let's just say I can still move pretty fast for an old guy...........Addios! Spain!

A Last Walk About Town, Jerez de la Frontera, Andalusia, Spain

Our time in Jerez (and in Spain) is nearly over so I made a last walk about on a beautiful sunny day. This bandstand is in the park next door to the Alcazar in central Jerez.  The Cathedral is peeking through the trees at the center of the image.



A sun-dappled plaza getting ready for the lunch crowd to arrive.



Wandering a quiet pedestrian-only street in the old town section of Jerez, I came upon an Italian restaurant.



I was ready for some different culture food. It has been difficult as a vegan finding restaurants that offer many options for someone who doesn't eat ham, cheese, or seafood - seemingly the mainstays of local cuisine.



This is a color combination I wouldn't think of but, they manage to make it look like it belongs here - it does.



A jacaranda jungle with a zoom-burst effect. Goodbye, Jerez!

The Cloisters of Santa Domingo, Jerez de la Frontera, Andalusia, Spain

Dating from the 1400's, the Cloisters of Santa Domingo were a photographer's delight to visit in the long slanting rays of a late afternoon sun.



A dapple here and there, a long line of shadow,,,,,,



....a hatted head shadowed through a blurred Moorish arch......



.....light dancing in unexpected places and unexpected patterns - it just takes an eye to notice it, a camera to record it, and a blog to share it.

Random Sights in Jerez, Jerez de la Frontera, Andalusia, Spain

A new town reveals itself slowly - good parts, bad parts, scenic parts, curious parts. This building is, for example, in great disrepair but was a powerful eye-catcher for me as I wandered around town - it has character. Its progressive layers of deterioration create a fascinating story of a life that I can only imagine.



Most folks walk by without even noticing it.



Layer upon layer of rock, brick, stucco, paint - lifetimes of use and stories of lives within.



Did the owner fall on hard times, or, pass away, or, is waiting for the market to turn?



Elsewhere, a downtown fountain and statuary in central Jerez.



Not every place can successfully paint their exterior in such bold blues and golds but this restaurant managed it quite well.



A cobblestone street, a red dedicated bike lane, and some doorway graffiti caught my eye.



This archway of jacaranda trees on Calle Porvera will turn a blazing purple later in the year.  What a sight that must be! It takes foresight and vision to plant trees for how they might look 50 years in the future.

Home in Jerez, Jerez de la Frontera, Andalusia, Spain

After our stay in Seville, we headed south and stayed in this house in Jerez de la Frontera for three weeks during which Amy hosted her photographer friends to share in the wonder and joy of Andalusia. This is the main entry looking towards the back courtyard....... Although it was too cold to use in April, I bet the splash pool feels great on a blistering hot summer's day in August.



This is the opposite view toward the front door. It was difficult to find a large enough house suitable for a group that would be centrally located in Andalusia but, as always, Amy, the master of research, found a winner in this Moorish inspired design. Jerez made a great central location from which to visit surrounding locations such as Seville, Arcos de la Frontera, Medina Sidonia, Gibraltar, Cadiz, Morocco, and many other wonders of the area.



Each and every day began for me with a taste explosion of a Spanish orange. A sweetness and ripeness and freshness that defies description. That juice we buy in a cardboard carton in America - not a very strong contender for second place.



Jerez is known for Sherry, Horses, and Flemenco.  These old bottles of sherry are on the wall of a local bar. The barman, a third generation owner, showcases these 1810 bottles in a case crusted with dust and leakage - hundreds of years of life and work spent in this very spot - generation to generation - it is hard for me from a more transient society to comprehend working in the same bar that my father did that my grandfather did that his grandfather did and that my son will - their entire lives spent walking back and forth along the marble bar serving customers for a lifetime.

Seeing and hearing about different traditions across the world is a sweet treat of travel - as sweet as a fresh Spanish orange still slightly warm from the sun.

Loose Ends, Seville, Andalusia, Spain

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As we prepare to leave the city of Seville to move to Jerez de la Frontera for a few weeks, I found a few good images that I had neglected to publish in earlier blog posts.  Whether through oversight or lost in the shuffle, I include them now.

Above, during the Semana Santa week of religious celebration, a random penitent (Nazareno) walks along the bicycle path across from Seville University.



Another penitent walks across a busy boulevard pedestrian crossing.  No more nor less eye-catching that any other person. It is uncanny how commonplace such an uncommon sight has become.



At the Plaza de España, a couple enjoys a leisurely row along the moat.



The Plaza de España, built in 1928 for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929, is a structure of such grandeur and scale that we visited many times - and each time, the light and shadows and angles brought great visual photographic pleasure. A remarkable vision of the architects of that time.



This subterranean restaurant in the Barrio Santa Cruz looked like a wonderfully inviting place to have dinner, alas, we never made it......perhaps next time? A wonderful cool, Moorish feeling.



One of the many hundreds of men (thousands?) whose job it was to unstack and set up the wooden folding chairs along the procession route for Semana Santa.



A penitent walks along Avenida de la Constituctión enroute to his procession starting point. He'll be out walking for the next twelve hours or so - perhaps barefooted in the cold night.



And none of the penitents wear shoes like these. Sevillianos do love their shoes - shoe stores are seemingly on every corner, and, men and women alike seem to relish seeing and be seen in exciting and interesting footwear.

Goodbye Seville! A wonderful city of light, and music, and dance, and faith, and kindly, friendly people.

Carmona, Andalusia, Spain

Dating back from the time of Julius Caesar, the town of Carmona perches on a promontory less than an hour east of Seville in the Andalusian region of southern Spain. We visited a few weeks ago as a storm passed through town and here's the link to that earlier blog post.

Carmona feels like one of those timeless places where the crenelations of centuries-old battle walls still stand and people still walk daily through the main arch without a second thought.

Although the whitewashed walls are most typical in modern construction, (whose purpose is to keep places cool in the blistering heat of summer), it is not uncommon to round a corner and see a peek-a-boo view of the former castle battlements towering overhead, instantly a reminder of a past long gone.



The Moorish influenced design arch is also an ever-present reminder of the town's long history. It is a town where people live their lives as they have for centuries.  Where sitting at a warm table on the sunny town square sharing a moment of food and drink and friendship is common and expected - where "hurry" is not a welcome trait.

Where at midday, a number of elder gents congregate to lament their ailments, sadly share news of someone's passing, or argue over the latest futbol match.  Rituals performed in this town for centuries, unchanged but for the names and faces.



An occasional palm frond still graces a window, a remnant of the recent Semana Santa celebration over the Christian Holy Week.



Where the whiteness of the town walls can best be seen with just a splash of color by the ever-accommodating Amy the model. (One of the advantages of both spouses being photographers is that each has to sometimes model-on-demand without too much complaining.).

A red hat and/or umbrella should always be in the suitcase of a traveling photographer.



Dating back to the 9th Century BC, the Carthaginians first designed this archway. Subsequent Roman improvements were made  through the 12th century. Even thousands of years ago, builders had discovered the secret to a keystone shaped arch to support a broad opening through which troops and goods could pass efficiently and be easily defended against marauders.



At midday, the central mercado is quiet, most locals having gone home for lunch and siesta.  Only a few shopkeepers (with children in tow) are still out and about.



Whether this boy grows up to be a shopkeeper himself or, a renowned flamenco guitarist, only time will tell but, he handled the instrument with a reverence that suggests music courses deeply through his veins.

Blue Hour at Barrio Santa Cruz, Centro, Seville, Andalusia, Spain

Before sunset and blue hour, I made this baseline image for comparison.  This view is from Calle Gago looking at the Giralda Tower and Seville Cathedral area.



As the sky turns blue, lights come on and more diners find a table. (You can tell they are tourists because they are eating so early - it's barely 8pm.



I was lucky to catch a vehicle-free appearance. Usually this street is full of cars, taxis, and motos. I love the lighting and silhouettes in this image! One of my favorites.



A typical tapas bar with outdoor tables on the sidewalk. Note that everyone has their own trash can. A typical practice at outdoor tables.



Another odd trapeziodal shaped bar on a corner.



A nice place to settle in for some early snacks/tapas.

Music in Triana, Seville, Andalusia, Spain

In Triana today for lunch, I enjoyed a new duo of street musicians. This guitarist/vocalist was filled with a particular joy and pleasure in making and sharing his music.







This little guy liked them, too!






Back home, the sunset from the window was extraordinary, complete with a rush of swallows enjoying their evening meal of bugs.