Photography & travel

BARCELONA 2024#2

First time i visited the Sagrada Familia was in 2001, and a revisit in 2012. I still remember well how much of a construction site it was in 2001. The nave itself was not accessible, but climbing the Bell towers on the Passion façade, or Nativity, was possible in small groups. The progress that has been made in 23 years is simply amazing. (and not to forget that the first cornerstone was laid in 1882)The photo of star of this blog post is the ‘Star of the Virgin Mary’. A true milestone of the construction in November 2021. Was Antoni …

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BARCELONA 2024#1

It was only two months ago that we were driving around Spain, and now we’re back again.But this time it’s just for a long weekend. We had promised to show Karen’s nieces Barcelona because they had never been there before. And was is the easiest way to show people around? Yes, a velocipede, and a lot of walking… Some of the highlights we included in their planning. Plaça de George Orwell, Plaça Reial, Plaça de Calalunya, Las Ramblas, Gothic Quarter, Parc de la Ciutadella, La boqueria, Casa Milà, Sagrada Familia and more. We have a busy schedule, but we included …

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MADRID#3

Visit Madrid and not go to the Prado? Impossible. As a Belgian, you can’t obviously pass up the opportunity to admire a Rubens. The Prado owns one of the largest and one of the best collections of Rubens’s paintings thanks to the connection with the Spanish monarchy. There was one painting in particular that I definitely wanted to see; ‘The Adoration of the Magi’. I first came across it when I was nine years old in a Suske & Wiske comic strip. ‘De raap van Rubens’ or Rubens’ apprentice. What I didn’t know is that different versions were painted. The …

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MADRID#2

Parque de El Retiro really is a gem, a green lung in the middle of Madrid. A place to slow down, stroll, lie down on the grass, read a book or breathe in the sweet scent of roses. You can do the latter to your gusto in La Roseleda, a rose garden designed by Cecilio Rodriguez in 1915. The park has several highlights.To our disappointment, we were not allowed to enter one of them, the Palacio de Cristal due to renovation work. Built in 1881 for the 1883 National Exhibition of Mining, Palacio de Velázquez is now a museum and …

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MADRID#1

We have already been to many places in Spain, but never to the capital Madrid. Do we like it more than Barcelona? Yes. No. It’s different. Where’s the sea? Madrid is a vibrant city with great food, sangria, a nice atmosphere, lots of trees, nice parks, gardens with fragrant flowers, elegant boulevards, intimate squares & big squares, flamenco, beautiful museums, a partnership with Brussels [Belgium] and of course; Jamon! Since we like strolling around to soak up the atmosphere of the city we never took the metro. We stayed at Room Mate Alba next to Plaza de Santa Ana, which …

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VALENCIA

On our way to our next sleepover we planned to stop at Valencia to visit La Ciutat de les Art I les Siències. A project described as a ‘white elephant that the country could not afford’. I must admit, it’s something special, and megalomaniacal. Calatrava at his best and his second most expensive project. Calatrava designed the project together with Félix Candela. As the site is close to the sea, and Valencia is so dry, I decided to make water a major element for the whole site using it as a mirror for the architecture Santiago Calatrava Is it worth …

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PEACE & QUIET

Since we were in Spain anyway, we decided to stay a little longer and turn it into a holiday. When we left Zaragoza we agreed to drive direction Balearic sea with no given destination. We stopped at Alcañiz, an old sleepy town located on a steep hill, bordering the Guadalope river, surrounded by mountains and olive groves. You can see The castle of the Order of Calatrava from far away. In reality there was not much to see at Alcañiz. After a light lunch on the terrace of a tiny tapas bar, we drove on to our destination of peace …

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ZARAGOZA

Zaragoza? Why do you plan a trip to Zaragoza?Well, because of the famous cuisine. And that brings me seamlessly to the real reason. Our son Mathijs, a newbie chef, is doing an internship at restaurant Quema, and we’re going to visit him. We were pleasantly surprised by the city. Like Antwerp, Zaragoza is located on a river, the Ebro, adding a special vibe to the city. Having a personal ‘local’ guide when visiting a city is always an advantage. Mathijs did a great job guiding us around, unlocking the secrets of the Zaragoza gastronomic street food. The absolute starting point …

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LagOmar

Lanzarote

Looking for a place to set free your mind? Book yourself a ticket and fly to the moon. You won’t see earth from there but you will be spoiled by plenty of other stunning views.And that is thanks to César Manrique. He loved his island and fought to preserve it for the future.I’m glad he did. Although the island is not that big it presents you with endless views.Beaches, lava fields, hills and old volcanos… but stay away from Timanfaya park. It’s a tourist trap.For those who like to cycle, it’s a cycling paradise. Given the numerous cycling companies. We …

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ABC Salamanca

Strolling around Salamanca we stumbled upon an ABC film scene. This meant that we couldn’t enter the cathedral as there was a shooting going on. But in return i got to photograph some of the beautifully dressed walk-ons. Local people were tailor dressed for this production. Update: Still Star-crossed, a sequel to William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, got cancelled by ABC already after one season.

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