Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Windows
Windows for Cee – gigantic formats from Madrid’s old railwaystation and Bilbao’s Guggenheim museum.
Byggnader
CFFC: Roofs
Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Roofs
Cannot resist Spain, of course…Dalí’s home in Figueras and Gaudí’s Casa Battló, Barcelona.
Travel theme: Dark
For Ailsa – Dark. As a child I was afraid of the dark. I read many books and had a vivid imagination. Today I can still be afraid sometimes…
In the header, a beautifully lit sky on my own doorstep an early morning.
The darkest country I have ever visited was Tibet. But high above Lhasa there is a soaring, shining light – the Potala Palace.
CFFC: Commercial or Industrial Buildings
WPC: Transmogrify
WPC this Friday – Transmogrify.
Transmogrify into something distorted and ugly or into a work of art? This house in Bilbao reflects and mirrors a bridge where a red car is passing.
Cee’s B&W Photo Challenge: Looking Through a Window
Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Looking Through a Window
The first two from Bilbao – Guggenheim museum. You see through the the first window glasses – but also see behind you mirrored. The second you only see through.
And a lovely little cat…
…from Greyfriars’, Edinburgh.
The Evening Charms of Lerma
We spent an evening walking in Lerma, in Castile and León, Spain. A little village the size of my home town in Sweden, but Lerma has important monuments dating from the 17th century, which were built by the Duke of Lerma, the King’s favourite.
To me, the greatest attraction here was the two main streets. One of them in the header, and in the very old part, I found this remarkable house.
Its façade and its colours caught my eye – and held it there for longer than just a moment.
The unevenness was made even more beautiful in the stray rays of the setting sun.
And further on, down the road, I also found a little door into the unknown…maybe 45 cm wide and 1.50cm high – No key. A stray…uncomfortable bench in a dark alley and some dry thistles on a stone fence…
I do love these things…
…as I loved the stork nest on the church and the lonely dog in the lonely street…
…and the charming restaurant waiting for its bustling guests arriving by 9 p.m.
I do love odd places and odd things and – almost everything about Spain.
Thursday Thoughts – The Fairy – Castle
We were driving along the road from Bilbao to visit Gernika this day, when suddenly, out of nowhere, without any road sign – we saw the pinnacles above the dense forest. A castle. This castle is located in Gatika, in the province of Biscay, in northern Spain
We turned left off the road and decided to have a closer look at it – and after some twists and turns of narrow roads – we found it.
The castle has a fairy-tale look about it, and as we started walking around it, we realised that the place was abandoned and nobody lived there. Further down the road we found pictures of knights and horses, together with a closed down, dilapidated café. The premises had probably been used for games or jousting.
A look at Wikipedia tells us that the present building was created as a hobby for its then owner and to create something visually spectacular rather than to produce something for people to live in. ” In fact it would be quite inconvenient as a home as the towers have little useful space and various parts of the castle have exterior connections which are not particularly apt for the wet Basque weather.”
The building is surrounded by an overgrown park which includes palms and exotic plants. We thought the forlorn castle must be totally unknown, but in fact it seems this is not the case…As any other little girl, Kate Middleton’s dream once was to get married in this fairy tale castle. (Said in a BBC interview with David Ferald.)
Back in Bilbao again in the evening, we learned from our host that the castle is named Castillo de Butrón . (He even had a painting of Butrón on the wall.) It dates originally from the Middle Ages, although it owes its present appearance to an almost complete rebuilding, inspired by Bavarian castle models, begun by Francisco de Cubas (also known as Marqués de Cubas) in 1878.
The castle fell into disuse, was later renovated and opened again, but the building was finally closed to visitors although the grounds remained open.
In November 2005 the building was purchased by INBISA (Grupo Empresarial) for about 1,6 million euros, but it remains under the general protection of Spanish law in respect of historic buildings in Spain.
Burgos – the Cathedral of Cathedrals
Burgos (founded in the year 884) in Castilla y Léon is strategically set on the main road Madrid – France and also on the road to Santiago. The city has always had a prominent position in Spain.
We entered the old city through Arco de Santa Maria.
The Cathedral of Saint Mary of Burgos is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Its construction began in 1221, and the style of the cathedral is the Gothic, although it has, in its interior, several decorative Renaissance and Baroque elements. The construction and renovations were made with limestone.
The design of the main facade is related to the purest French Gothic style of the great cathedrals of Paris and Reims, while the interior elevation as a reference to Bourges Cathedral.
The characteristic pinnacles with crab ornaments can be seen in the header.
El Cid (Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, born 1043) was a charismatic, brave and courageous warrior who conquered the Mores and took Valencia for the Christians (and ruled the city until his death). He earned his name, El Cid, from Arabian Sidi (Lord) because of his great courage, but was made immortal by the poem El Cantar de Mío Cid (1180). His (and his wife´s) grave is just beneath the magnificent star dome. A dream place to be buried…
In the cathedral are preserved works of extraordinary artists, and the numerous architectural, sculptural and pictorial treasures inside include:
The Chapel del Constable, of Isabelline Gothic style, which worked the Colonia family, Diego de Siloé and Felipe Bigarny
The Spanish-Flemish Gothic altarpiece by Gil de Siloé for the Chapel of Saint Anne
The Sacristy in Baroque style
Under restoration
Lace…?
Serene vaults to rest under
15th century art work – now being restored
Mild colours …
…create harmony
The Cathedral could have been built yesterday…or restored the day before…that magnificent is its beauty. Every detail exquisite – I have never seen anything like it. And, I have seen many Cathedrals and churches… We enjoyed these treasures for more than two hours, and we could have stayed longer…
The Renaissance Golden staircase by Diego de Siloé, covers a whole wall – and in my opinion, this is the most outstanding gem in the cathedral. In fact, it became so famous, that it served as a model for many other famous staircases. Among others, the one of the Paris Opera.
West facade
Door of the Sarmental
The cathedral was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO on October 31, 1984. It is the only Spanish cathedral that has this distinction independently, without being joined to the historic center of a city or in union with other buildings.
Thursday Thoughts: Cool Indoors – Guggenheim, Bilbao
Unfortunately we were not allowed to take photos of the exhibitions – except the Andy Warhol one. The permanent collection ”A Matter of Time” by Richard Serra, I took photos there before realizing this – but I will have to keep them to myself on my computer…
This morning promised the same kind of heat as the day before, but we went early to catch some more photos from the surroundings as well.
A clash of new and old but very much of the new.
A walk up the steps and a
tour around the building once more
Almost 20 years ago this museum for modern and contemporary art was inaugurated, and I have wanted to visit ever since I read about it many years ago. Arkitect: Frank Gehry
The entrance hall is impressive. The exhibitions are just as many as you manage without getting exhausted. Not many great museums can boast that…Le Louvre or Prado or Reina Sofia for example, are not easy to visit properly in one single day.
When you walk out of the elevator and look down, you are even more impressed.
A totally unprecedented visit. If possible, just go there and enjoy!
Leya 
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