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Europe

Casa Patas, Madrid: Flamenco en Vivo (In Pictures)

by Dan Perez January 27, 2019

First of all, Happy New Year, everyone. Been a while since I posted any new posts but as some of you already know, I’ve had a rough past couple of months (more on that in a future post). So with the holidays coming up, I decided a trip to Spain with my daughter would be just what we needed to keep our spirits up. We started in Madrid, drove down to Córdoba, then continued south to Gibraltar, then up to Cádiz, Jerez de la Frontera, Seville, up to Salamanca, then Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain where we spent our first Christmas without my wife surrounded by “miña familia galega”. It was a most memorable trip and I’ve got plenty of photographs and video so let’s get started, yes?

Now when in Spain, I’m doing the Flamenco thing. Love the drama, passion and melancholy of it all. Flamenco is an artistic expression fusing song (cante), dance (baile) and musicianship (toque) and has been recognized by UNESCO as an ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity’. And there are few places in Spain where this artform is better represented than Casa Patas in Madrid. Founded in 1985, Casa Patas has been the cultural focal point of the Madrid flamenco scene from its inception.

So during my trip to Spain last month, I spent one night in Madrid and didn’t waste it. Made reservations (a must) a good month in advance (had dinner there before the show as well – highly recommended) and accompanied by my daughter and armed with the Fujifilm X-T3 and a few good lenses, I was ready to go. Oh yeah, because of all the buzz the Fujifilm X-T3 has received since it hit the market back in September of 2018 (especially the video capabilities), I rented the camera specifically for this trip (the good folks at Fujifilm made me an offer I couldn’t refuse). And wow. Nothing against my Lumix GH4 (it’s been very very good to me) but the autofocus on this camera is so far superior – especially in low light. Shooting at Casa Patas was the first real test I had with this camera and I wasn’t disappointed. I think the photographs speak for themselves.

Check out the full image gallery over at my new photography site DanPerezPhotography.com

January 27, 2019

Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid (In Pictures)

by Dan Perez September 12, 2017

written by Dan Perez

So, I’m finally (finally!) wrapping up my series of photographs from our family trip to Spain this past spring. If you’re not a subscriber to this blog (and why wouldn’t you be? SUBSCRIBE HERE), here’s what you missed: We flew from Miami, landing in Madrid, where we spent our first two days and visited the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. We then rented a car and drove about 70 miles NW to the spectacular Walls of Ávila (a UNESCO World Heritage Site). We continued driving another 95 miles SW to our first stop in Spain’s Extremadura region (our main area of exploration on this trip), the city of Plasencia.

From Plasencia, we drove 13 miles south through Monfragüe National Park, the largest and best preserved Mediterranean forest worldwide and a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, and then drove another 28 miles south to the medieval city of Trujillo. From Trujillo, we drove about 50 miles east to the Royal Monastery of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (another UNESCO World Heritage Site) in Guadalupe, and then another 78 miles SE to visit the Roman Theatre in Mérida (yet another UNESCO World Heritage site) then driving about 45 miles north to the the capital city of the province of Extremadura, Cáceres (and yet another UNESCO World Heritage Site). On our final day in Extremadura, we took a short 20 minute drive further west to visit the Natural Monument of Los Barruecos before embarking on a three hour drive NE back to Madrid.

Which brings us to the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía (Queen Sofia Arts Center), Spain’s national museum of 20th-century art which opened its doors in September of 1990 and is named for Queen Sofía, wife of King Juan Carlos I, who reigned from 1975 to 2014. The museum is mainly dedicated to Spanish art. Highlights of the museum include excellent collections of Spain’s two greatest 20th-century masters, Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí. Certainly, the most famous masterpiece in the museum is Picasso’s painting “Guernica”.

The original building was home to the San Carlos Hospital, opened by King Felipe II in the sixteenth century. The present building is the work of architects José de Hermosilla and Francisco Sabatini, who was responsible for a large part of its construction. Since then, the building has undergone many transformations with its final renovations occurring in the late 1980s. In 1992, King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia inaugurated the permanent collection, and thus named it the Reina Sofia after the Queen herself.

The museum, which we visited on our last day in Madrid before flying back home, has a collection of over 21,000 artworks from the 20th century as well as three permanent collections, one of them being “Guernica”, a stunning mural-sized oil painting on canvas by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, completed in June 1937. Regarded by many art critics as one of the most moving and powerful anti-war paintings in history, “Guernica” was created in response to the bombing of Guernica, a Basque Country village in northern Spain, by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italian warplanes at the request of the Spanish Nationalists. As I stood face to face with this powerful work of art, I found it very difficult to walk away from it. It alone is worth the price of admission to the museum (8€, about $9.50). Nuff said.

Now, you know I never visit a museum without a camera in hand, so here are a few images I snapped during our visit to this truly remarkable art museum…

We started out in the Guernica exhibit…

No photographs were allowed in the Guernica exhibit (and despite being tempted, I fought off the urge – barely) so here’s an installation view of Picasso’s Guernica by photographer Joaquín Cortés via artsy.net

A group of students gazing upon “Visage du Grand Masturbateur (Face of the Great Masturbator)” by prominent Spanish surrealist artist Salvador Dalí (1904-1989)

Mrs. Perez appreciating “Natura morta” by Salvador Dalí

“La verbena” by Spanish painter Maruja Mallo (1902-1995). Mallo was born Ana María Gómez González in Viveiro, Galicia, and studied arts in Madrid. She was a driving force in the flowering of Spanish culture through the 1920s and 1930s

“Le Bal” (The Dance) by André Lhote (1885-1962), French Cubist painter of figure subjects, portraits, landscapes and still life…

“Hombre con pipa” by Joan Miró (1893-1983), a Spanish painter, sculptor, and ceramicist born in Barcelona. Earning international acclaim, his work has been interpreted as Surrealism, a sandbox for the subconscious mind, a re-creation of the childlike, and a manifestation of Catalan pride…

“María la gitana” by Spanish sculptor Julio Antonio (1889-1919)

“La visita del obispo” by Spanish painter, engraver and author José Gutiérrez Solana (1886-1945)

My daughter Miranda puzzling over “La famille en état de métamorphose” by French artist André Masson (1896–1987)

A tour group gazes upon Picasso’s “Mujer en azul”

Young woman seems oblivious to “Os retirantes” by Cândido Portinari (1903–1962), one of the most important Brazilian painters as well as a prominent and influential practitioner of the neo-realism style in painting. This haunting painting was one of my faves…

Outside the museum is a lovely courtyard to sit and relax for a while, especially on a glorious day like the one we had during our visit…

In the courtyard, museum visitors gather around “Pájaro lunar” by Spanish painter/sculptor Joan Miró

“Carmen”, a monumental standing mobile, by Alexander Calder (1898-1976), an American sculptor known as the originator of the mobile, a type of moving sculpture made with delicately balanced or suspended shapes that move in response to touch or air currents…

Back inside, tour groups were a common site all around the museum…

“Portrait of Josette Gris” by Spanish painter and sculptor José Victoriano González-Pérez, better known as Juan Gris (1887–1927). Gris was closely connected to the innovative artistic genre Cubism, with his works being among the movement’s most distinctive…

“Nu” by Brazilian artist Ismael Nery (1900-1934)

“Bird Lady” by Dutch painter Constant Anton Nieuwenhuys (1920–2005), better known as Constant

“El hombre del cordero” by Pablo Picasso

“Pescadores” by Brazilian painter Emiliano Di Cavalcanti (1897–1976)

Interior of the Reina Sofía was spacious and modern – a beautiful museum…

“Cuerda de presos”, which received the gold medal in the National Exhibition of Fine Arts in Spain in 1901, by Spanish painter José María López Mezquita (1883-1954)

“El primer consejo” by Spanish artist and writer Antonio Saura, one of the major post-war painters to emerge in Spain in the fifties

“Três Orixás” by Brazilian painter, illustrator and engraver, Djanira (1914-1979). She was known for her naïve art paintings, depicting Brazilian common people, religious themes and landscapes…

Mrs. Perez and my daughter walking past “Equal-Parallel: Guernica-Bengasi”, a laminated steel sculpture by prestigious American artist Richard Serra

The Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía was well worth the trip and made for a great way to spend a few hours whilst in Madrid. Overall, our trip to Spain could only have been better if we had stayed another week. Besides our time in the cosmopolitan city of Madrid, we visited four UNESCO World Heritage Sites as well as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and a Natural Monument. We explored the mythical region of Extremadura and only wish we would have stayed an extra day (days!) in each city. Moreover, we had glorious weather every day of our trip (surely, the weather Gods will send rain every day of our next trip to Europe just to even things out a bit). As far as driving around Spain, it was easy like Sunday morning – very little traffic and plenty of eye-popping scenery along the way.

Madrid was great but I can’t recommend a trip to Spain’s Extremadura region enough. Visit turismoextremadura.com (and yes. the site is in English) to learn more and plan your trip to this historic region. We will hopefully return to Spain for another trip in the coming year, stay tuned…

Check out images from some of the other art museums I’ve visited in my travels abroad, starting with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the Museo Nacional de Arte and Museo Soumaya in Mexico City, the National Museum of Art of Romania, the National Gallery of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo, el Museo de Arte de Ponce in Puerto Rico, and the Norton Museum of Art right here in South Florida. If there’s an art museum in town, I’m there.

September 12, 2017

Blog Photography Places & Spaces

The Spectacular Landscape of Los Barruecos | Extremadura, Spain (In Pictures)

by Dan Perez August 22, 2017

written by Dan Perez

So, here’s the final post from my family trip to Spain’s mythical Extremadura region back in late May. If you’ve been following my blog (and why wouldn’t you be? SUBSCRIBE HERE), you’d know that we started in Madrid, made our way NW over to the spectacular Walls of Ávila (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), continued 154 km SW to our first stop in Extremadura, the city of Plasencia, and then a short drive south through Monfragüe National Park, the largest and best preserved Mediterranean forest worldwide and a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, and then to the medieval city of Trujillo, a short 40 minute drive south. From Trujillo, we visited the Royal Monastery of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (another UNESCO World Heritage Site) in Guadalupe, and then drove south to visit the Roman Theatre in Mérida (yet another UNESCO World Heritage site) before ending up in the capital city of the province of Extremadura, Cáceres (and yet another UNESCO World Heritage Site).

Our next stop was an “Oh, by the way” kind of trip to the Natural Monument of Los Barruecos. But first, a little history…

575 million years ago was when Spain was born. Well, the land mass that would eventually become Spain was born. Now, I’m not gonna bore you with the evolution of the Precambrian Era but let’s just say that over the past several million years there’s been a lot of molten rock which eventually cooled and became great masses of granite. Those great masses of granite were eaten away by wind, rain, and snow while others were progressively degraded over millions of years to create globular monolithic forms known as bolos, true sculptures molded by the hand of nature. One area of Spain managed to retain just a vestige of that original granite. You guessed right – Los Barruecos.

Los Barruecos is 575 million years old, formed at the time Spain’s bedrock solidified from the magma. It was declared Natural Monument (a designation that guarantees the protection of this space with the aim of preserving it for future generations) due to the nature richness it holds and because it is surrounded by spectacular landscapes. Water has played an essential part in creating this unique natural habitat. The many lakes provide a habitat for numerous animal species, such as white storks and the grey heron, which find this an ideal place for their colonies.

It was a short 20 minute drive west from Cáceres and we figured we’d stop there for a while before our almost three hour drive back to Madrid. We weren’t expecting much but this bizarre and beautiful place became one of our favorite stops on our trip. I’ll let the photographs speak for themselves on this one but needless to say that no trip to Spain’s medieval Extremadura region should be complete without a stop at Los Barruecos.

Yeah, even my teenage daughter thought it was pretty awesome…

As we were driving out, we had to wait on a herd of crossing cows.

Alas, we missed visiting the nearby Vostell Malpartida Museum which was founded in October 1976 by Wolf Vostell, a Spanish-German artist of recognized international prestige and a fundamental figure of peculiar postwar contemporary art. Vostell, who died in 1998 at 67 years old, was considered one of the early adopters of video art and installation art and in 1958 was the first artist in art history to integrate a television set into a work of art. The museum had already closed at 2:30pm the Sunday we visited Los Barruecos. Next time.

EPILOGUE

So our trip to Extremadura was now complete and our only regret in skipping the far more popular cities of Spain like Barcelona, Seville, Granada, Valencia and others, was that we couldn’t stay longer in this truly magical region of Spain. Extremadura is light on tourists but rich in history and charm. It won’t stay under the radar for much longer as more and more travel sites have listed this region as one of the hidden gems of Spain so get there now while it’s still one of Spain’s best kept secrets. Visit turismoextremadura.com (and yes. the site is in English) to learn more and plan your trip to this historic region.

August 22, 2017

Blog Photography Places & Spaces

The Historic Old Town of Cáceres | Extremadura, Spain (In Pictures)

by Dan Perez August 16, 2017

written by Dan Perez

Remember my family trip to Spain back in late May? Yeah, the one to Spain’s mythical Extremadura region. If you’ve been following my blog (and why wouldn’t you be? SUBSCRIBE HERE), you’d know that we started in Madrid, made our way NW over to the spectacular Walls of Ávila, continued 154 km SW to our first stop in Extremadura, the city of Plasencia, and then a short drive south through Monfragüe National Park, the largest and best preserved Mediterranean forest worldwide, and then to the medieval city of Trujillo, a short 40 minute drive south. From Trujillo, we visited the Royal Monastery of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (a UNESCO World Heritage site) in Guadalupe, and then drove south to visit the Roman Theatre in Mérida (another UNESCO World Heritage site).

Well, we saved the best for last (and that’s saying something). Allow me to present to you the Historic Old Town of Cáceres, the capital of the province of Extremadura.

The first evidence of humans living in Cáceres is from the Late Paleolithic era, around 25,000 BC(!). Cáceres as a city was founded as Castra Caecilia by Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius, a general who was Roman consul in 80 BC, and started to gain importance as a strategic city under Roman occupation. Remains found in the city suggest that it was a thriving center as early as 25 BC.

After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the city was occupied by the Visigoths (western branches of the nomadic tribes of Germanic peoples referred to collectively as the Goths) and entered a period of decline until the Arabs conquered Cáceres in the 8th century. The city spent the next few centuries mostly under Arab rule, although power alternated several times between Moors and Christians before being passed into Christian hands upon its reconquest by Alfonso IX of León in the early 13th century.

Cáceres flourished during the Reconquista and the Discovery of America, as influential Spanish families and nobles built homes and small palaces there. In the 19th century, Cáceres became the capital of the province of Extremadura, marking a period of growth which was halted by the Spanish Civil War. Because of the city’s blend of Roman, Moorish, Northern Gothic and Italian Renaissance architecture, the Old Town of Cáceres was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986. The Old Town also happened to be our last stop on our journey through Extremadura and boy do I wish we had allowed for more than just a day and a half. This city is truly magical.

We spent the better part of our one full day in Cáceres and we could have been there for three days at least to fully explore the Old Town and the surrounding region. I did have my Lumix GH4 in hand, so here are a few photographs taken around about one-third of the Old Town – enjoy…

PLAZA MAYOR

Let’s start with the Plaza Mayor and the Torre de Bujaco (Bujaco Tower) on left, an Arabic building that dates back to the 12th century…

Up the stairs, we come across the Arco de la Estrella (Star Archway), the main gateway to the walled enclosure since the 15th century, being the best known of the medieval city of Cáceres (more on this later)

LA SANTA IGLESIA CONCATEDRAL DE SANTA MARÍA

Walking the medieval streets to Plaza de Santa María and La Santa Iglesia Concatedral de Santa María (Cáceres Cathedral), which was erected in the 15th century in a Gothic style, with the main portal following the Romanesque architectural tradition…

The main altarpiece of the chapel, sculpted in cedar and oak wood, is one of the jewels of the church. Created by Dutch sculptor Roque Balduque and French sculptor Diego Guillén Ferrant, the work was completed in 1551…

The interior has notable artworks and sculptures including a priceless Black Christ sculpture, by an anonymous artist that arrived to Cáceres in the 14th century…

Up a spiral staircase takes you to the belltower of the Cáceres Cathedral…

From the belltower, you get some breathtaking views of the Old Town…

From the belltower you can see the Palacio de Toledo-Moctezuma, a medieval building of Renaissance style that was built during the fifteenth century although its current appearance is due to the restorations that were undertaken in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth century…

LA IGLESIA DE SAN FRANCISCO JAVIER

Our next stop was La Iglesia de San Francisco Javier, a Jesuit church in the Baroque style built in the 18th century by Spanish architect Pedro Sánchez Lobato. It is flanked by two quadrangular towers finished in pyramidal shape…

Inside La Iglesia de San Francisco Javier…

La Iglesia de San Francisco Javier also has a pair of nifty belltowers which you can go up, as evidenced in the above photograph taken from the belltower of the Cáceres Cathedral (see the young lady waving from the belltower on the left?)

View of Cáceres from the belltower…

From the belltower of the Iglesia de San Francisco Javier, we saw a wedding letting out of the Cáceres Cathedral and spilling out into the Plaza de Santa María so we went down to take a closer look…

PLAZA DE SANTA MARÍA

Stylish wedding party outside the the Cáceres Cathedral…

Bride and groom pose for a photograph outside the Episcopal Palace of Cáceres, which dates back to the 13th century and is the current residence of the bishop of the diocese of Coria-Cáceres…

ARCO DE LA ESTRELLA

Remember the Arco de la Estrella (Star Archway) I mentioned in my second photograph? Built by Spanish architect Manuel de Lara Churriguera, it’s the traditional entrance to the monumental city of Cáceres and replaced the New Gate building during the fifteenth century. Oh, and it was featured in the upcoming season of Game of Thrones…

Iglesia de San Mateo was built upon the ruins of an ancient Arab mosque, which is cited in a document dating back to 1345. It was rebuilt and completed in the 16th, 18th and 20th centuries…

El Convento de San Pablo is a convent of Franciscan nuns that dates back to the 15th century…

Cáceres is the perfect city to just get lost in. Wish we had stayed a few more days in this truly magical city. Next time for sure. Learn more about the wonderful Extremadura region at turismoextremadura.com (and yes, the site is in English).

One more post on our trip to Extremadura coming up – SUBSCRIBE HERE to not miss it…

August 16, 2017

Blog Photography Places & Spaces

The Royal Monastery of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe | Extremadura, Spain (In Pictures)

by Dan Perez July 24, 2017

written by Dan Perez

Continuing now with another set of photographs from our family trip to Spain back in late May. If you missed the previous posts (and there’s really no good excuse to have done so, SUBSCRIBE HERE), we started in Madrid, made our way NW over to the spectacular Walls of Ávila, continued 154 km SW to our first stop in Extremadura, the city of Plasencia, and then a short drive south through Monfragüe National Park, the largest and best preserved Mediterranean forest worldwide, and then to the medieval city of Trujillo, a short 40 minute drive south.

All caught up? Good.

Our next stop was Guadalupe, a historic village set on the foothill of Sierra de Altamira and just over an hour drive east from Trujillo. It is home to the Royal Monastery of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1993 and was one of the most important monasteries in the country for more than four centuries.

The monastery had its origins in the late 13th century, when a shepherd from Cáceres, named Gil Cordero, discovered on the bank of the Guadalupe River a statue of the Blessed Virgin, which had been apparently hidden by local inhabitants from Moorish invaders in 714. On the site of his discovery a chapel was built, dedicated under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

King Alfonso XI, who visited the chapel more than once, invoked Santa Maria de Guadalupe in the Battle of Rio Salado. After gaining the victory, he ascribed it to the Madonna’s intercession, declared the church at Guadalupe a royal sanctuary and undertook an extensive rebuilding program.

In 1389, the Hieronymite monks took over the monastery and made it their principal house. It remained the most important cloister in Spain until the Confiscation of monasteries in 1835 (the Spanish government’s seizure and sale of property, including from the Catholic Church, from the late 18th century to the early 20th century, to obtain money to pay off the public debt securities). In the 20th century, the Royal Monastery of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe was revived by the Franciscan Order and Pope Pius XII declared the shrine a “Minor Papal Basilica” in 1955.

We didn’t have the time for the 5 euro tour of the monastery (which I hear is pretty awesome) but I did shoot several photographs outside and inside this remarkable structure. Enjoy…

Behold! Royal Monastery of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe!

A few different looks from outside the monastery…

View of the Plaza de Santa María from the top steps of the monastery…

The altarpiece in the main church contains sculptures by Jorge Manuel Theotocópuli, the son of Doménikos Theotokópoulos, painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance most widely known as “El Greco” (“The Greek”)

From the altar looking to the back wall of the main church…

Views from inside the main church…

Back outside, here’s another view of the plaza from the top steps…

In the central Plaza de Santa María, the fountain of Tres Caños is where the first Indians brought by Columbus from his second journey to America were baptized.

More photos of our trip to Extremadura, Spain forthcoming so please SUBSCRIBE HERE to our blog so you won’t miss a future post. You won’t be sorry. Promise…

July 24, 2017

Blog Photography Places & Spaces

Monfragüe National Park, UNESCO Biosphere Reserve | Extremadura, Spain (In Pictures)

by Dan Perez July 13, 2017

written by Dan Perez

If you’ve been following our blog (and there’s no good reason why you shouldn’t be), you’d know that last month I took the family on a vacation to Spain. Our goal was to explore Extremadura, a western Spanish region bordering Portugal. So after a few days in Madrid, we began our journey west first stopping at the magnificent Walls of Ávila, then continuing SW to our first stop in the Extremadura region, the city of Plasencia.

Now, our next stop was a 40 minute drive south to Monfragüe National Park, the largest and best preserved Mediterranean forest worldwide. The park, which occupies an area of 18.118 hectares (2.471 acres = 1 hectare) and is surrounded by the Tagus and Tiétar rivers, is situated in the center of a triangle formed by Plasencia, Trujillo and the city of Cáceres (every one of which was on my travel itinerary).

Monfragüe was declared a Biosphere Reserve (areas of terrestrial and coastal ecosystems that promote solutions to reconcile the conservation of biodiversity with its sustainable use) by UNESCO in 2003 and is one of the most popular birdwatching sites in all of Spain with black storks, vultures, Egyptian vultures and imperial eagles making their nests in the cliffs. In particular, about 250 black vulture couples nest here making it the greatest black vulture reserve in the world.

Within the park there is only one town, Villarreal de San Carlos, a municipality of Serradilla, which is small and completely connected to the park, accommodating the visitor centre and centre of interpretation. There are numerous winding roads and color-marked routes (some of them 3 hours long) that can be driven by car as well as several hiking trails. It would have been best to have hired a tour guide but being that we were on a pretty tight itinerary, we just drove through the park on our way down to our next stop, the city of Trujillo.

Here are a few photographs I shot as we drove the winding roads of Monfragüe National Park, a must-see attraction in Extremadura…

The most symbolic and most-photographed spot in Monfragüe is the incredible rocky cliff of the Salto del Gitano (whose name is derived from a legend of a gypsy robber who jumped over the Tagus River from the highest stone to the next to avoid capture from the Civil Guard).

The castle of Monfragüe is a ruined fortress located in the heart of the Monfragüe National Park. The Arabs conquered these lands in the year 713, and called them Al-Mofrag which means “the abyss”. They built the fortress in 811 with five towers and two perimeters of walls. Through the years, this watchtower has been used by Celtic, Roman, Arab and Christian orders as one of the main defensive points due to the privileged location of the hill on which it rises, just over the Steep and rugged terrain that originates on the banks of the Tagus River. What is visible today are remnants of multiple restorations after military orders conquered it for King Alfonso VIII, with a round tower from the twelfth century and a pentagonal one from the fifteenth century.

Views from the lookout area near the castle of Monfragüe are stunning…

Going back down the stairs from the castle to our car was a bit easier than going up. Just a bit.

We will one day return to this remarkable national park and we’ll make sure we get a tour guide and spend a full day. Visit turismoextremadura.com for more information on Monfragüe National Park as well as the beautiful region of Extremadura.

July 13, 2017

Blog Photography Places & Spaces

The Ancient Cathedrals of Plasencia | Extremadura, Spain (In Pictures)

by Dan Perez June 25, 2017

written by Dan Perez

If you’ve been following this blog (and why wouldn’t you be?), you probably know that I took the family on a vacation to Spain last month with the goal of visiting the historic Extremadura region of this remarkable country. Our first stop from Miami was Madrid and then 108 km NW to the medieval city of Ávila. From Ávila, we continued 154 km SW on the scenic N-110 to our first stop in Extremadura, the city of Plasencia.

We arrived late and tired and checked in at the charming Hotel Exe Alfonso VIII. We then ventured out for a late dinner at Plasencia’s Plaza Mayor, the city’s main square. Plasencia was inhabited by Romans and Arabs until the 12th century, when King Alfonso VIII reconquered it. I was only able to spend a few hours the next morning in the main square and I shot a few images of the cathedral, which actually consists of two buildings which are built back to back: the “old” (Catedral Vieja) and the “new” (Catedral Nueva).

Construction on the “old cathedral” began in the 13th-century in a mostly Romanesque style. The 15th-century New Cathedral of Plasencia (or Catedral de Asunción de Nuestra Señora) was built in Gothic architectural style with high ceilings. Alas, I didn’t have time to go inside (a shame because the old cathedral contains a museum featuring the works of Jusepe de Ribera, a 15th century Spanish Tenebrist painter and printmaker) or stray too far from the Plaza due to a tight itinerary that day. Due to its location, however, Plasencia makes for an excellent first (or last) stop on your Extremadura itinerary.

Plasencia’s charming Plaza Mayor on a glorious morning…

Images from Plasencia’s “New Cathedral”

Bell tower behind the new cathedral…

Here’s the front of the smaller “Old Cathedral” to the right of the newer cathedral. The harsh sun limited my composition options (never forget to pack your lens hood!)

Top of the western façade behind the original church…

Walking the streets of Plasencia’s old town…

One last look at the Cathedral from our hotel on Avenida Alfonso VIII

Our next stop was about a 30 minute drive to Monfragüe National Park. Check for the photographs in my next post…

June 25, 2017

Blog Photography Places & Spaces

The Magnificent Medieval Walls of Ávila, Spain (In Pictures)

by Dan Perez June 21, 2017

written by Dan Perez

If you’ve been following my blog (and why wouldn’t you be?), you know by now that last month my family and I traveled to Spain for a nine-day vacation. Our first stop was the cosmopolitan city of Madrid (check out the photographs HERE) where we stood for our first two days (and visited the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum). Our next stop on our way to Extremadura was a 90 minute drive to Ávila, a Spanish town located in the autonomous community of Castile and León.

This ‘City of Saints and Stones’ is the birthplace of Saint Teresa of Ávila (a 16th century prominent Spanish mystic, Roman Catholic saint, Carmelite nun, author and the female patron saint of Spain – more on her later) and burial place of the Grand Inquisitor, Tomás de Torquemada (whose name has become synonymous with the Christian Inquisition’s horror, religious bigotry, and cruel fanaticism in the 13th century).

The symbol of the city is the wall, one of the best preserved walled sites in Europe. Its perimeter is two kilometres and a half, with about 2,500 battlements, 100 towers, 6 doors and 3 secondary entrances. Ávila’s long history begins with the old Celtiberian settlement of the Vettones (a pre-Roman people of the Iberian Peninsula of possibly Celtic ethnicity) around the year 700 BC. When the Romans arrived in the 3rd century BC, the first wall was built and Ávila became an important defensive location. After several centuries of decadence, the city was repopulated and rebuilt in the 11th century. For all these reasons, the entire Old Town of Ávila has been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Before we entered the medieval city, however, we stopped off at Los Cuatro Postes (The Four Posts), a little shrine 1.5km outside the walled city of Ávila. A cross covered by a four-posted canopy marks the spot where seven year old Teresa of Ávila and her brother Rodrigo were caught by their uncle when they were on their way to the south to spread the word of God to the Moors, not concerned by the fact that they might be killed in the attempt since that would turn them into martyrs. The sight offers a spectacular view of the walled city as you can see…

In the distance, behold! The walled city of Ávila!

After our time at Los Cuatro Postes, we spent a bit more time than I’d care to admit just trying to figure out where to park and how to get into the city. As we drove around the perimeter of the wall, I stuck a GoPro camera on the side of our car and shot some video to illustrate just how magnificent it is, especially at first sight:

We finally realized you can actually drive right into the city and park. Then it was a matter of finding an entrance to get up to the wall (it’s possible to walk upon the walls themselves for roughly half their circumference). Once we found an entrance up, we were there. And it was an absolutely gorgeous day…

Our trip to the walled city of Ávila was a memorable one. I mean, it was almost unreal gazing upon that wall. Alas, we ended up with less time than we thought and some of Ávila’s other sites like the Ávila Cathedral, which was commissioned by Alfonso VIII in 1172 and is considered as the first Gothic cathedral in Spain. There’s also the Basilica of San Vicente, which stands on the traditional site of the martyrdom of St. Vincent at the hands of the Romans and dates back to the 12th century. We did see the main thing and that by itself was pretty awesome.

Visit avilaturismo.com to learn more (or plan your visit) to this magnificent medieval city. Our journey (and photographs) to the Extremadura region of Spain will continue in future posts so why not subscribe so that you won’t miss a thing? You won’t be sorry. Promise.

June 21, 2017

Blog Photography Places & Spaces

My Trip (and Travel Itinerary) to Beautiful Extremadura, Spain

by Dan Perez June 8, 2017

written by Dan Perez

Last month, I took the family for a vacation in Spain and decided to skip the tourist-laden cities of Madrid, Barcelona and Seville in favor of Extremadura, an autonomous community of southwestern Spain bordering Portugal and comprised of the provinces of Cáceres and Badajoz. The region, which is home to three UNESCO World Heritage sites as well as a Biosphere reserve, is one of Spain’s best kept secrets.

In Roman times, Extremadura was an important part of the Iberian peninsula. it lay astride the Via Delapidata, a major trade route for the commerce of tin and copper that crossed Roman Iberia from the north coast to the south. With a population density of under 30 inhabitants per sq. km, Extremadura is one of the least populated areas of Spain – meaning that it has plenty of empty spaces and open countryside.

Extremadura’s capital city (and a UNESCO World Heritage site) is Mérida which once was a Roman Colony founded as Emerita Augusta by Roman Emperor Augustus in the year 25 B.C. There’s also the old Town of Cáceres (another UNESCO World Heritage site), Plasencia, Trujillo, and Guadalupe, the home of the Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe whose foundation dates back to 1337 (yet another UNESCO World Heritage site).

MADRID

We started our trip in Madrid and stayed there for two days (at a rather disappointing Airbnb considering what we paid). Madrid reminded me so much of New York City (where I grew up). There were times where I thought I was walking the streets of the Lower East Side and others where I felt I was on the Upper West Side. Yeah, Madrid has a nice Plaza (feturing the statue of some king on a horse that you can find in just about every European plaza), some great architecture and monuments but the feeling of being in New York was hard to shake. Not to say we didn’t enjoy my stay there (we did), we just wanted to feel like we weren’t meeting my brother at Cafe Reggio in Greenwich Village.

We did get in to Corral de la Morería to see their nightly flamenco show. Listed in the New York Times bestseller “1000 Places to See Before You Die”, Corral de la Morería was so worth visiting. Put it on your bucket list. Now back to my Extremadura trip.

ÁVILA

We rented a car with AutoEurope (great experience) and drove out of Madrid on the morning of our third day in Spain. Our first stop (because it was kind of on the way) was the medieval city of Ávila (about 70 miles northwest of Madrid), a city with a history that dates back to 700 BC. Ávila has a magnificently well-preserved city wall which was built in the 11th century to protect the Spanish territories from the Moors. Ávila’s Old Town has been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

PLASENCIA

From there, we drove into Extremadura to the ancient city of Plasencia (approximately 2.5 hours driving) where we had a late dinner in the city’s Plaza Mayor. I was only able to spend a few hours the next day in the main square and I shot a few images of the cathedral, which actually consists of two buildings: the old (Catedral Vieja) and the new (Catedral Nueva). Construction began in the 13th-century in a mostly Romanesque style. The 15th-century “new” church (New Cathedral of Plasencia or Catedral de Asunción de Nuestra Señora) was built in Gothic architectural style with high ceilings. I didn’t have time to go inside due to a tight itinerary but I wish I had spent more time walking the old town. We did have a lovely stay at the Hotel Exe Alfonso VIII.

MONFRAGUE

Next stop was a 30 minute drive to Monfragüe National Park, the largest and best preserved Mediterranean forest worldwide. Surrounded by the Tagus and Tiétar rivers, Monfragüe takes its name from the Romans, who called it Mons Fragorum, the fragmented mountain. It was declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2003 and is one of the most popular birdwatching sites in all of Spain with black storks, vultures, Egyptian vultures and imperial eagles making their nests in the cliffs. We drove through it making a few stops along the sightseeing route (look for more photographs in an upcoming post).

TRUJILLO

Our next stop was supposed to be Guadalupe for a few hours, then to Trulillo for the night but we were spent and headed straight for Trujillo (about a 40 minute drive). After being occupied by Romans and Visigoths, Trujillo remained under Arabic dominion for over 500 years, during which time it underwent notable development. It then passed into Christian hands after being conquered in 1232 by King Fernando III, and it was monarch Juan II that gave Trujillo the title of city in 1430. The city was the home of two great conquerors: Francisco de Pizarro, discoverer of Peru, and Francisco de Orellana, who founded the city of Guayaquil in what is now Ecuador.

I’ll be posting more photographs of this lovely city in a future post but we loved Trujillo. Dinner at sunset in its beautiful plaza was one of the highlights of our trip. If you happen to visit this wonderful place, check out Esther’s Airbnb apartment right in the plaza.

GUADALUPE

The next morning, we headed for Guadalupe (about 90 minutes driving) to visit the Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe, which was stunning. There are tours that take you into the monastery (alas, they don’t allow photographs) but the exterior and interior were enough for us (I’ll be posting additional photographs in a future post).

MERIDA

From Guadalupe, we headed south to Mérida (about 90 minutes driving) which was was founded in 25 BC, with the name of Emerita Augusta (meaning the veterans – discharged soldiers – of the army of Augustus, who founded the city; the name Mérida is an evolution of this). There was much to see in Mérida but we only visited the Roman Theater, Europe’s best conserved and the only one which, after being reconditioned, continues to be the setting for theatrical representations and recitals. The theater dates back to 16/15 B.C. and was a nice spot to end our day before heading back to Trujillo (more photographs forthcoming).

CACERES

The following day, we waved goodbye to Trujillo and headed to Cáceres (40 minute drive), a city that was founded by the Romans in 25 BC. Cáceres was declared a World Heritage City by UNESCO in 1986 because of the city’s blend of Roman, Moorish, Northern Gothic and Italian Renaissance architecture. The Plaza might not have been as enchanting as in Trujillo but walking the Old Town was one of our trip’s highlights (you can count on more photographs in an upcoming post). Oh, and Casa Don Fernando right in the heart of the plaza is a great place to stay.

LOS BARRUECOS

The following day, before the 2 hour and 40 minute drive back to Madrid, we headed 20 minutes west to Los Barruecos, a weird and wonderful slice of nature declared a natural monument by the Board of Extremadura in February of 1996. The unique landscape is adorned with great masses of granite that have been progressively degraded over millions(!) of years to create globular monolithic shapes known as bolos, true sculptures molded by the hand of nature. We weren’t expecting much from our trip here but we ended up spending hours walking and taking pictures. Alas, the quirky Museum Vostell Malpartida which houses works by German artist Wolf Vostell closed at 2:30 on Sunday (the day we visited). Like with the other locations, I’ll be posting more photographs of our time in Los Barruecos soon.

After our five-day stay in Extremadura, we drove back to Madrid and spent our last full day there (had a terrific dinner at Musa Malasaña). Overall, I’m glad I took the time to explore this historic region of Spain. I’d recommend renting a car and driving through this area because the scenery is absolutely breathtaking. And as far as tourists go – the word hasn’t got out yet that this region is so magical so get there before it’s no longer a secret.

Stay tuned for more photographs…

June 8, 2017

Blog Photography Places & Spaces

Beautiful Bosnia and Herzegovina (In Pictures)

by Dan Perez October 18, 2016

written by Dan Perez

As some of you may know by now, Mrs. Perez and I recently traveled to Bosnia and Herzegovina to attend the screening of one of my films at the Jahorina Film Festival. This once war-torn country has become one of the most beautiful places (and one of the most economical) to visit in Europe. I have already posted a video I shot walking around the capital city of Sarajevo (as well as a set of photographs) and a short video of the breathtaking Kravice Waterfall. So, today, I’m posting a few photographs taken while visiting several key attractions around this beautiful country (thanks to our tour guide Ahmed Lavić from toursbylocals.com).

We’ll start at our first stop, Konjic, a town and municipality located in northern Herzegovina, around 31 miles southwest of Sarajevo. The city is one of the oldest permanent settlements in Bosnia, dating back almost 4000 years. It’s main attraction is the Konjicka Stara Cuprija (Old Bridge), which was built between 1682 and 1683. The arches were destroyed by the retreating German army in March 1945 but was rebuilt in its original state between 2003 and 2009. The bridge is now proclaimed a National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

We then drove from Konjic to Mostar, a city and municipality in southern Bosnia and Herzegovina. I stuck a camera to the hood of the car during the drive to capture the remarkable landscape…

We finally arrived in Mostar, the most important city in the Herzegovina region and its cultural capital. Mostar was named after the bridge keepers (mostari) who in the medieval times guarded the Stari Most (Old Bridge) over the Neretva River. The Old Bridge, built by the Ottomans in the 16th century, is one of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s most recognizable landmarks, and is considered one of the most exemplary pieces of Islamic architecture in the Balkans.

The Old Bridge stood for 427 years until it was destroyed on November 1993 by Croat forces during the Croat–Bosniak War. Subsequently, a project was set in motion to reconstruct it, and the rebuilt bridge opened on July 23, 2004. In July 2005, UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) inscribed the Old Bridge and its closest vicinity onto the World Heritage List (sites are selected on the basis of having cultural, historical, scientific or some other form of significance, and they are legally protected by international treaties).

Diving off the bridge is actually legal. There is a diving competition that takes place in Mostar every July. Here, a daring diver waits as his partner collects any donations from tourists eager to see someone take the plunge (I mean, if you’re gonna dive, why dive for free?). The collection took too long and we were on a tight schedule so we missed it (if it ever really happened).

Walking over the bridge into the Old Town…

Walking through Mostar’s charming Old Town, you’d never know that Mostar endured more bombings than any other Bosnian city during the siege of 1993 (when the bridge was destroyed). Plenty of quaint restaurants and cafes and plenty of souvenirs for sale.

A man prays in the Koski Mehmed-Pasha Mosque in Mostar which was built in 1617.

After Mostar, our next stop was Pocitelj, a village in the Capljina municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina. There, you’ll find the fort of Pocitelj, a silo-shaped fort overlooking the village from the top of the hill. It was built between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries and used to house watchmen and military as a guard against possible intrusions from the Neretva valley.

Pocitelj is home to the The Hajji Alija mosque, which was was built in 1563 by one “Hajji-Alija, son of Musa”; as recorded on the inscription above the entrance door. The mosque was bombed in 1993 leaving the dome and minaret demolished and the rest of the building badly damaged. It was, however, rebuilt to its original form.

After Pocitelj, our final stop of the day was the beautiful Kravice waterfall (whose official name is really Kravica), a large tufa cascade on the Trebižat River in the heartland of Herzegovina. Its height is about 80 ft and the radius of the lake in the base of the waterfall is 390 ft. It’s about a 15 minute walk down to the waterfalls from the parking area (trolleys are available – I recommend taking one back up the rather steep climb to the parking area). Here are a few photographs but you can check out an even better video HERE

The Jahorina Film Festival was held in Pale, a town and a municipality located about a 20 minute ride southeast of Bosnia’s capital Sarajevo. Shot this photo outside Hotel Damis on a lovely afternoon day…

We started the following day on a ski lift in Bjelašnica, a mountain in central Bosnia and Herzegovina. During the 1984 Winter Olympics, Bjelašnica hosted the men’s alpine skiing events, where USA’s brash Bill Johnson won the downhill after boldly predicting victory, overtaking Swiss ski legend Peter Müller who took silver.

Our next stop was Umoljani, a village in Bosnia and Herzegovina which, according to preliminary results of the Bosnian census of 2013, is populated by only 43 inhabitants. On the territory of the village of Dolovi, the Umoljani necropolis houses 53 Stecci (medieval tombstones known for their unique decorative symbols and carvings). Although different theories exist on their origins, they are often linked to the heretic Bosnian church. The necropolis is one of 22 sites with Stecci offered by the country for inclusion in World Heritage of UNESCO. The sights here were simply breathtaking…

We then stopped in a small family-run restaurant/B&B called Pansion Umoljani located on the slopes of Bjelašnica. There we ate Burek, a popular meat-filled pastry made of a thin flaky dough known as phyllo. It might look a bit charred on top but this may have been the best thing I ate during our time in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Delicious.

View from the outdoor dining terrace…

During our stay, we stayed in Sarajevo’s charming Old Town. Here are a couple of additional photographs of this scarred yet resilient city starting with Ferhadija, Sarajevo’s popular walking street, which dates back to the 16th century…

A game of chess being played in Trg Oslobođenje (Liberation Square) in the center of Sarajevo…

The place to be (especially if you have a camera in hand) is Baščaršija, Sarajevo’s old bazaar and the historical and cultural center of the city. It’s also heaven if you happen to be a pigeon…

Hope you enjoyed the photographs. Needless to say, Mrs. Perez and I had an unforgettable time in this truly beautiful country (and did I mention it was economical?). Put Bosnia and Herzegovina on your bucket list – you won’t be sorry…

October 18, 2016

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