Cádiz, Cádiz, Cádiz

We’ve been wandering round Cádiz, Cádiz, Cádiz today. That’s what you call the city if you live in the ancient town. Once names the province, twice the whole city, modern bits and all. Three times, and you lay claim to living in the oldest continuously occupied city in Europe, founded by the Phoenicians in 1100 BC.

Only doesn’t it sound more immediate to say ‘founded by the Syrians and Lebanese’? Because that’s what Phoenicia has become. And Cádiz had its place too in one of the twelve labours of Hercules. It was here that our hero was tasked with separating Europe from Africa. As you know, he succeeded.

We went on a walking tour of the city. How I love these. Local guides love to help you poke your nose into those parts of the town that the guide books don’t reach.

We explored pre-mediaeval Cádiz, the vast fish market and flower market, and got a flavour of La Viña, fishermen’s Cádiz, severely flooded as a consequence of the Lisbon earthquake on November 1st 1755, but now a laid–back, cheerful place to go and party and eat freshly cooked fish caught only hours before.

Cádiz, Cádiz, Cádiz. Love it.

A bright sight to invite appetite!

Moonlight. Street lights. Reflected lights. The Cathedral of Cádiz in the twilight.

January Squares: January Light

The Day the Kings Came

Finally, those kings came. A day of bright delight shared with Miquel’s wider family: feasting, talking, laughing, sharing, and exchanging presents as ‘invisible friends’ – that’s Spanish for ‘secret Santa’.

This photo of my daughter’s reaction to her gift may not be filled with yellow light. But it expresses completely the brightness of heart of a day when Malcolm and I, for all our language limitations, once again felt accepted into the heart of this joyous Spanish family.

January Squares: January Light

Cavalcada de Reis: the Kings are Coming!

Tomorrow, the Three Kings who once visited the infant Jesus will be busy delivering gifts to children all over Spain.

Tonight, they are in exhuberant and joyful processions in just about every community in the land. We’ve been to Barcelona’s spectacularly impressive city offering for several years. But those crowds …

Awaiting the local procession

This year, we decided Small is Beautiful. We went to the small community event covering just a handful of streets round Emily and Miquel’s flat. It was cosy, homespun, atmospheric and fun.

Drummers escorted the kings, dancers too. We worried that Emily’s community wouldn’t be able to deliver King Balthasar, traditionally black. But Queen Balthasar stepped up. There were fire-eaters accompanying a Heath Robinson contraption belching smoke.

And sweets for anybody who could catch them as eager elves and helpers chucked them from the floats. Even we caught some, before wandering off home, relaxed and cheerful.

A Day in Vic

You may have realised we’re in Barcelona with Emily and Miquel, looking forward to the Three Kings arriving tomorrow. But yesterday, we left the Big City, caught a slow local train, and trundled off to the foothills of the Pyrenees, to Vic, 45 miles away.

The Romans knew Vic. The bridge they built here is in daily use. There’s a temple too.

The early Christians knew Vic. An important bishopric was established here, and a seminary, the basis of the present university. It was the most important market town in the area. This was the mediaeval town we’d come to see.

Look! Here’s the busy Market Square.

I’ve taken this photo from one of the covered arcades, built tall enough to allow a man on horseback to ride there. Many town doors are big enough to allow this horseman through.

Nowadays, Vic is assertively Catalan. If you look, you’ll see banners on the buildings supporting their political heroes. Slogans are everywhere.

But here is the Olive Tree of Peace. Hang your hopes here.

Most of my photos are in my camera. Here are phone snapshots of our walk round this delightful untouristy town, going about its market day business.

Jo’s Monday Walk

2019: a Year in Photos

Oh it’s hard, summing up my year in a few photos.  Are these good ones?  Or good memories?  Or both?

Here’s a miscellany of memories.  Yet the high point of my year, the Belated Birthday Celebration hatched by my entire family in Spain in June isn’t recorded here. Those personal snapshots don’t qualify here.

A weekend with my daughter-in-law’s parents in Horton near Bristol, August.
The Leeds-Liverpool Canal near Gargrave, North Yorkshire, June.
The early-morning beach at Alnmouth, May.
A Painted Lady at Beningborough Hall, Yorkshire.
Sunset in Granada, March.
Black-tailed godwit, Slimbrdge, August 2019
Sutton Bank, August.
Staithes, April.
Liverpool Central Library, September.
A heron in Cordoba, March.
Sunday’s sunset, North Stainley.
Near Rothbury, Northumberland.
Ducklings near Pateley Bridge, April
Let us be Heard! The Yorkshire Remain Voice Choir and Band at the People’s Vote March, October.
Taken from the Hull-Zeebrugge ferry, July

 

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #77: Favourite Photos of 2019

A Sunday Walk, Accompanied by Thirteen Dogs

Our good friends Gill and Dave host a mid-winter walk for all their friends after Christmas every year.  We’re invited, and we’re never sure why.  We’re not known for showing much interest in horses, and we don’t own a dog.  As you can see from this shot taken just as we set forth, fortified by bacon sandwiches and coffee, having a dog in tow is pretty much expected.

Boots, wellies and dogs organised.

We love this post-Christmas event, and this year I was especially keen.  I’ve not been able to go on a decent hike for six months now because of a knee condition, but today was the day to begin to put all that behind me.

So here we all are.  Here are the dogs, here is the mud, here are the woods and the local views – understated, pleasant good old rolling English countryside.  I’ve deliberately overstated the mud for dramatic effect – it really wasn’t bad at all, and with enjoyable company we didn’t notice it anyway.

Back home with Gill and Dave, we ate and drank, laughed and talked for most of the afternoon.

The human friends are all inside eating, drinking and making merry. It’s a dog’s life.

And on the way home, this was the sunset.

Another entry for Jo’s Monday Walk.  It’s been such a long time since I’ve had the chance…