Passeig de Gràcia, 92

Barcelona (Catalunya), Spain

Casa Milà - La Pedrera - Modernist building by Antoni Gaudí - 1906-1910

just beyond the High Atlas

Ait Benhaddou (Ouarzazate), Morocco

Looking out to the High Atlas mountains in the distance, this fortified city is full of kasbahs.

life in the kasbah

Ait Benhaddou (Ouarzazate), Morocco

one way of life

Ait Benhaddou (Ouarzazate), Morocco

dusk

Guimarães (Norte Region), Portugal

 

the start of a new day

Guimarães (Norte Region), Portugal

Ait Benhaddou

Ait Benhaddou (Ouarzazate), Morocco

This spectacular fortified city (ksar) full of kasbahs has been used numerous times to shoot films and TV series such as Lawrence of Arabia, The Jewel of the Nile, Gladiator, Babel, and The Game of Thrones, just to name a few.  The ksar was founded in 757 with one family and over time more families joined in.  It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987.

It really is something you think only exists in the movies!  Amazing!

Baltic Sea

Stralsund (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern), Germany

Taken from Rügen Island, the Baltic Sea in between...  Stralsund was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002.

hanging on the edge...

Cuenca (Cuenca - Castilla la Mancha), Spain

Remarkable views of Cuenca from afar.

more than just nature...

Cuenca (Cuenca - Castilla la Mancha), Spain

Not only is the historic walled town of Cuenca surrounded by natural beauty sitting high above a gorge formed by the river Júcar and its tributary, Huécar, but its architecture and numerous museums also make this town worthy of a visit.  The Cathedral of Cuenca began construction in the late 12th century, built where a mosque once stood, and is said to be one of the the first Gothic style cathedrals in Spain, mixed with elements of the previous Romanesque period.

This UNESCO World Heritage Site is a magical place to be explored. If you have never visited Cuenca, I highly recommend it.  It ranks high on the list of places I have visited in Spain.

for eternity

Batalha (Centro Region), Portugal

This simple, but moving tomb can be found in the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Monastery of Batalha - 15th century King Duarte of Portugal and his Spanish wife Leonor de Aragón.

Las Médulas

Las Médulas, (León - Castilla y León) Spain

This unique area of Spain used to be the most important gold mine of the Roman Empire more than 2000 years ago.  The landscape you can see in this picture is the result of mining some five million Roman pounds of gold over a period of 250 years.  The Romans used a system of hydraulic mining by boring a series of narrow cavities into the mountains and subsequently using the pressure of large quantities of water, supplied from area streams and rivers brought in through a series of aqueducts, to break up the rock and extract the gold.

This area was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.

(Click on the picture to see it bigger.)

Door at the Alhambra

Granada, (Andalucía) Spain

This magnificent and mind-blowing UNESCO World Heritage Site (1984) is one of the most visited in Spain.  It was originally constructed as a fortress in 889 and then converted into an Islamic royal palace for the Muslim Emirs in Spain.  Their reign ended in 1492 when the Catholic Monarchs took it over.

Praça do Giraldo

Évora, Portugal - Region of Alentejo

Évora is a fascinating town full of history which dates back more than 2000 years.  Its old city center, surrounded by medieval walls, has been considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986.  The 16th century Renaissance fountain, made of local pink marble, contains eight jets symbolizing the eight streets leading into this square - Praça do Giraldo.  In times of the Inquisition, several autos-da-fé were witnessed here.

This square is usually buzzing with people, but I arrived quite early in the morning, something unusual for me, and was able to take in the peace and quiet of the moment.