The Cinchado rock, one of the most famous rocks in Tenerife.
Los Roques are one of the most attractive results of the volcanic eruptions.

Close up of part of a Banana leaf in the botanical garden of La Orotava.

This sculpture shows an emigrant leaving (or returning to?) Garachico, a pleasant village on Tenerife.
Garachico lost its economic importance when the harbour was mostly made unusable by a volcanic eruption.

Fountain, originally uploaded by laurenz.

A fountain in La Orotava, Tenerife.
I tried lots of different exposures with and without flash, but liked the silhouetted version best.

The statue depicts (well, I don’t think anybody knows what she actually looked like) princess Dácil, the daughter of the “mencey” Bencomo, who defeated a Spanish Force.

Turtle head, originally uploaded by laurenz.

Shot with a tele lens in the botanical gardens of Puerto de la Cruz (tenerife, Spain).

Due to bad weather the main carnival event had to be postponed.
So the procession in Santa Cruz took place in the evening which completely changed the atmosphere.
I had the chance to see the other big corso in Puerto de La Cruz today (in broad daylight) - photos from that event later…

Yesterday, I visited Loro Parque - a zoo that once specialised in parrots but now also has a huge penguin area and a spectacular dolphin show.
Beautiful and a good choice if one can’t be too sure about the weather.

Tenerife rain, originally uploaded by laurenz.

My first day on Tenerife - not quite as sunny as I had hoped, but fortunately the weather has improved a lot already!

One of the spires of the Sagrada Familia, the new cathedral-to-be of Barcelona.

Barcelona harbour in the late afternoon. Minolta Dynax 9, Fujichrome Velvia.

This is just one of several windows decorated with origami paper insects. the windows and their “inhabitants” belong to a pub opposite the Barcelona Wax Museum.

One of the bridges of Salamanca.
Salamanca is said to be the place where the “purest” Spanish is spoken and therefore many foreigners are inscribed in one of the many language schools.

A small tower in Torremolinos. The sign says “Hidroelectrica del Chorro”.
This was the first company producing electricity in Málaga.
“El Chorro” is a small village near the dam and hydroelectric plant in Antequera, but the name also refers to the whole “Andalusian lake district” with its famous climbing opportunities.

Like the other famous Andalusian cities (Granada, Córdoba…), Sevilla also has an “Alcázar” - a Moorish fortress.
The one in Sevilla dates back to the 8th century, but much of the current site was actually built after the reconquista in the times of Pedro the cruel who nevertheless employed Moorish architects and artisans.
The palace-fortress has beautiful gardens and right next to them are some vaulted baths.

The Sagrada Familia, Barcelonas newest cathedral, has been a building site ever since 1882.
It is foreseen that carrying out the plans of Antoni Gaudí, even using materials not available at his time, will take another 80 years or so.
On the other hand, the first restoration works are already taking place.
The church itself is a peculiar mixture of Gothic and modern elements.
Definitely worth a visit - after all where else can you see a cathedral in the making?

Antoni Gaudí (1856-1926= is one of the most important modern architects. In Barcelona, it is hard not to come across at least some of his works: Parc Güell, Palau Güell, many private houses and, of course, his most important project, the Sagrada Familia.

Lush green in Sevilla.

Salamanca is known as the city where the “purest” Spanish is spoken. This may partly explain the large number of language schools.
However, there are many other facets of this city that attract culturally interested travellers from all over the world: the city itself is very beautiful with its traditional architecture that made it a world heritage site and there is always something going on in the historic setting. At the same time, Salamanca with its 180000 inhabitants is not really a big city, but rather a pleasant town. The famous university certainly is a factor - and explains the many pubs, bars and restaurants.

another shot of the bridge at Mérida.
This time, I digitally eliminated a distracting crane in the background.

Bridge in Mérida, Spain.

View over the Gardens of the Generalife, Granada (Southern Spain)

The elaborate tiles are omnipresent in Southern Spain and Portugal: you find them as decorative elements on houes, but also as street sign, on park benches, in churches and many other likely and unlikely places.
The plaza des España in Seville is full of them and even the “Torre del Oro” (Golden Tower) gets its colour from gilded azulejos!
Usually, azulejos are mostly blue, as the name seems to indicate (azul=blue), but just about all other colours may be present as well.

As to the origin of the name azulejo: although the connection to the Spanish word for “blue” seems obvious, experts come up with a different etymology - from Arabic “Al Zulai” meaning brick.
Now, these tiles are neither completely blue nor bricks, but in any case truly photogenic!

Agave plants in Torremolinos (Southern Spain)

The famous lion yard in Granada

A view from the gardens of the Generalife in Granada, Andalusia.
The Alhambra and the Generalife actually make up one complex, but the summer palace of the Nasride dynasty is much less known than the Alhambra.
A pity as the beautiful garden are exactly the right spot to relax a bit and recover from the stress of the multitudes visiting the palaces. This place has water basins, fountains, palm, cypress and orange trees, abundant flowers and a breathtaking view.

The Mezquita (mosque) of Cordoba is an architectural wonder, even today, although building a Cathedral in its center did not exactly improve it.
Even the emperor Carlos (Charles) V is said to have commented as follows: “You have destroyed something unique in the world and built something that can be found anywhere.”
Well, nice quote, but after all it was Carlos himself who had ordered the construction of the cathedral.
Still, the maze of columns is breathtakingly beautiful.

An aloe plant in Nerja, Andalusia.

Nerja, a pretty town in Andalusia (Southern Spain). Most buildings are still in the traditional style, but there already are many new bungalows built by foreigners.

Granada, seen from the Alhambra.

Nerja, a very romantic place in Andalusia (Southern spain)

Fish, nicely decorated in front of a restaurant in Torremolinos, Andalusia (Spain).

Travel pictures from Northern Spain at the main gallery.

Sunset in Torremuelle, Andalusia.