Category Archives: Spain

Travel theme: Sparkle

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I was in Barcelona in the spring on a particularly bright day with blue sky showing behind some fluffy clouds.  I took a long walk along La Rambla and ended up by the water.  The Rambla de Mar was ahead and I continued my walk.  There was a sidewalk where I saw a large sign describing the area.  As I looked around there were many rows of boats in the sparkling water.  It seemed to me that the water and the blue sky were exceptionally bright that day.  It was a peaceful scene.

Barcelona

Barcelona

Barcelona

Look here for more sparkle.

Travel theme: Arches

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These pictures of arches are from around the Plaza Mayor in Madrid.  The actual reason that I took some of them was to remind me of which way I entered the plaza so that I wouldn’t get lost!  Many times when I travel I become so interested in seeing everything that I forget to notice which way I walked to get there.  To keep from getting lost I’ll take pictures of street corners, pedestrian signs and unique buildings or landmarks so I can retrace my steps later.  It works quite well and I end up with some interesting pictures of subjects other than the expected ones.  I also took some of these pictures simply because I liked them and they are not just reminders of where I had walked.

An arch to remember
A lively scene
This looks familiar…
A series of arches

This is one of my souvenir pictures from Madrid.

Madrid

 

You can find more arches here.

Signs

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One of my favorite things about traveling is looking for signs while I’m walking.  When they are directional signs they can be very useful because as a visitor I’ve noticed that it isn’t always clear how to get to a place.  I also appreciate signs for food and treats, especially gelato.  When I was in Madrid I thought that the ceramic tile street signs were very decorative.  Later I saw replicas of these signs for sale as souvenirs at gift shops.  There were a variety of signs that I remember from Madrid and here are some of them.

Where to go next…
A welcome sign
Outdoor sign
Tiled street sign
Souvenir sign magnets

Signs and their reflections can also be seen.

Madrid

Learn more about this topic here.

Unpacking Travel Souvenirs

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Since my recent move to a new house I’ve been busy unpacking a lot of boxes.  Although this has been rather overwhelming today I was absolutely delighted to find a box with the intriguing label “travel souvenirs.”  Suddenly I didn’t care how long it might take to unpack everything.  I carefully looked inside to find all kinds of fun souvenirs.  There were postcards, key chains, scarves and jewelry as I sorted things out.  But how to begin – by country, type or just random?  Before I actually started putting things away in different drawers I took the time to get pictures of some of my favorites.  They all have wonderful memories of past trips and I’m looking forward to adding more in the future.

From Italy (cute)
Souvenirs from England
Fan from Seville, Spain
Cameo from Italy
Lavender from France

Here is a dish towel from Provence that I will never use!

souvenir

 

Weekly Photo Challenge: Reflections

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It was an afternoon in May when I was taking a walk where I saw the Puerta del Sol in Madrid.  The weather was changing from rain to sunshine and some blue sky was beginning to show.  I noticed a glass domed metro entrance and these reflections.  This is what I saw.

MadridYou can see more reflections here.

A Look Back at this Year

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Now that it is the end of the year I’m remembering all the places that I visited in 2013.  It started in January with a trip to Seattle.  A few months later I had a wonderful visit to Spain and France.  During the summer I was in Chicago, and then in July there was a stay by the beach in Maine.  In September I was in England and spent time both in London and Cornwall.  And last month I got to see Hoover Dam in Nevada.

Tulips
tile sign in Madrid
cafe in Paris
lighthouse in Maine
Paddington Station, London
Cornwall
Hoover Dam

Next year I’m making plans for more travel, including an upcoming move to Virginia.  I’m looking forward to lots of new adventures.  Happy New Year!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Unexpected

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I was in Spain this spring and while walking across the Puerta del Sol in Madrid I passed a metro entrance covered by a glass dome.  There were reflections of the surrounding buildings that I really liked.  Although it looks stormy the clouds were actually thinning out and blue sky was visible.

Madrid

Later I noticed that my red camera is in the bottom right hand corner of the picture. Although it was unexpected I think that it makes a nice souvenir showing I was really there!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Layers

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One of the most interesting places I visited in Barcelona was La Boqueria.  The displays of fruits and vegetables were very appealing and many were in layers.  I had a difficult time deciding what to buy.

Barcelona

fruit display
Neatly stacked oranges
quite a variety

Flowers are Everywhere

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I am happy to say that I’ve seen lots of flowers this year and they are a welcome sight.  It started in January when I was in Seattle.  Although it was winter there were buckets of flowers at Pike Place Market.  In late April I took a walk in the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee in time to see some dainty wildflowers growing along the trail.  Next I saw cheerful flowers in Barcelona followed by late spring blooms in Paris.  And just recently I was in Maine.  Even though flowers differ by season and climate they are always beautiful.

Pike Place Market in January
springtime in Gatlinburg
Great Smoky Mountains
May in Barcelona
Paris flower with a bee…
Maine in July

A colorful flower display in Maine:

flowers

Weekly Photo Challenge: Focus

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When I was in Barcelona I took a day trip to Montserrat.  It was quite an adventure going up the mountain and there were a lot of visitors.  I was careful to stay on the sidewalks and not look down too much but I really admired this view.

Spain

Here are more pictures for this week’s theme.