Scotland on May 2008

On May of 2008 I went to Scotland just before to leave England and come back to Spain for future plans. This was one of my last chances to visit Scotland. I knew that, this region, this country, wouldn’t disappoint me.

Lost Valley at Glen Coe (Southern Highlands)
This was one of my long up walks in Glen Coe, after a tired walk, you can get a true lost valley between these mountains. No words…

You could see last winter defrosting yet.

It’s amazing the colors and the huge size of these mountains.

Loch Lomond

Some place of loch Lomond, perfect to catch some lazy fish

Horses in sunset

Close to loch Ness, I could enjoy them some evening.

Loch Ness

No Nessie anywhere, but impressive landscapes with true nature.

Urqhart Casttle

One of the most wellknow Casttles in Loch Ness

Break stop

Eilean Donan Casttle

This casttle is one of my favorites thanks to The Highlanders film

The Scotland Colors

Fisherman working one sunset

Crossing main Glen Coe road

Twin peaks? (Glen Coe)

This region is spectacular, the main door to Southern Highlands.

Introducing Scotland Moon

Ursa Major is coming this night

Golden Horse

We stayed a couple of days in a Horse Farm with gorgeous horses

Way to Orkney Islands

Introducing Highland cattle

Their hair is better than mine!

Duncansby Head at John O’Groat

This is the best point I ever seen on the most northen region of England. It remains me The Goonies!

Hundreds of Guillemots

Guillemot’s nesting close to Duncansby head

Sighting first Orkney Island of about 70!

Myst and Fog in Orkney I.

Iceland Gull

West Coast of Marwick head

Kitchener Memorial

Erected in memory of Lord Kitchener

First ground texture (Marvick Head)

Second ground texture (Brough of Birsay)

Cormorant

This bird I guess it’s beautiful!

The Little Prince

Puffin

Look at his sad eyes

Razorbill

Third ground texture (Brough of Birsay)

Brough of Birsay

This is a true mystic place

Isle of Hoy and Graemsay from Stromness

Isle of Hoy

Common Seal

Grey Seals

Discovered beach way to Durness

More impressive landscapes in the Durness road from Gills bay

Lonely Beach close to Durness

Spanish ghost in Durness

Enjoying with waves

Durness coast

Cawdor Casttle in Nairn

Romantically related to Shakespeare with Macbeth.

Old wagon

Scottish wild Deer

Japan on March 2008

TOKYO SUBWAY

First photo with my new camera in Minamisenju, our subway station.

TOKYO TEMPLE DOOR
Sara, my trip fellow! standing in front of a temple main door in Tokyo.

BIG DESIRE TREE
Small wood pieces containing hundreds of people desires.

SARA’S DESIRE
Desiring or voting?

WALKING TO SHIBUYA
Sara, just waiting for green light in some Tokyo street.

CITY MIRROR
This is the most common frame you can find in Tokyo.

ENJOYING
Complicity between Sara and me enjoying first hours in Tokyo.

TRYING MACHA LATTE
Like Latte but mixed with dust of green tea called Macha.

GIRLS WORKING IN FASHION
But looks like other subjects.

SHIBUYA PEDESTRIAN CROSSING
It’s the most crowded place of Tokyo.

STUDIO GHIBLI’s SCULPTURE
This is a sculpture of Lapuntu Movie (Hayao Yimazaki).

STUDIO GHIBLI’s GUARD DOG
Studio Ghibli it’s a magic place, you can find unexpected things.

STUDIO GHIBLI’s DECORATION
Keekps a classic old vintage style such as their movies.

GINZA IN TOKYO
Beautiful corner building mirror to please.

SPECIAL BUILDING
I’ve never had seen something similar.

LIGHT COLUMNS AND COLUMNS
You can feel a big mess inside these streets.

MORE GINZA
Comparing this with NY Times Square, there’s no words.

NAUTILUS BARBECUE
This place looks special, you can eat a Japanese Barbecue, most of it, Fish.

RESTAURANT IN GINZA
It’s quite difficult to choose your food in Japanese menus.

EMPEROR PALACE GARDENS AND LAKE
The palace it’s not opened to public, just only for Emperor’s Birthday.

JAPANESE TILE ROOF
It’s awesome and you can find different reliefs.

ROPPONGI HILLS SKYSCRAPER
The left building is perfect to see Tokyo.

TOP OF THE SKYSCRAPER
A nice design, this tower is quite young, only 3 years.

LOOKING TOKYO
You can seat to observe this amazing city.

OBSERVATION ROOM
I guess Tokyo isn’t a real Touristic city yet. Just 8 sofas on the Tokyo Sky!

MAIN CITY AREA
This is 12,790,000 of population.

TOKYO TOWER
Japanese red version of Effiel.

SIM CITY ?
Have you played some time to Sim City? It reminds me…

APARTMENTS
With a lovely sightseeing.

MONTE FUJI CLOUDY
Unfortunately, we didn’t see Monte Fuji from Tokyo, just far away.

FISH MARKET IS COMING
This picture says welcome to the Biggest Fish Market of the World.

CUTTING FISH WITH GINZU KNIFE!
This is a big slice of fish.

SCALE IN THE MARKET
That fish has to be really cut to enter in this scale.

ORDERS
Lot’s of orders to be packaged for customers.

THREE HEADS
Maybe to do some soup?

SALE
So silver and so alive.

MY FIRST BUDDHA
This photo gave me the opportunity to meet with Buddha, a beautiful golden Buddha.

NICO’S BRIDGE
This bridge gave access to a magnificent temple region.

SMALL TEMPLE
This was my favorite smallest temple in Nico.

WATER FOUNTAIN
These fountains are always close to an Altar allowing to clean your hands and mouth before enter.

DESIRES AND PRAYERS
I love these white papers, specially when they’re crowded. I tried to find it over a tree, but I hadn’t fortune.

HANG WHAT YOU WANT
It’s allowed to hang anything to wish your desire or prayers.

SIR MONTE FUJIYAMA
In spite of some clouds finally we met Sir Fuji.

WINDY DAY
Was easy to see Fuji between clouds with variety of shapes.

SUMO
We went to see the first Spring Sumo Match of the Season in Osaka. Here one player is launched by other direct out of the ring.

OSAKA
This city contains lots of building with special features like this free falling for people on the facade.

ZEN GARDEN IN KYOTO
This was my first Zend Garden in Japan, this had a peaceful lake and a lot of harmony.

FANCY WALK ON THE TERRACE?
There’s no more to say.

DUCKS AND TOTEMS
As you can see, Zen garden means Nature and Buddhism as a Balance.

KYOTO SUNSET
Walking beside the river in Kyoto.

JAPANESE CROW
Just a crow flying over Kyoto.

ORIGAMI PRESENTS
Paper folding is really common in Japan as an offering to Buddha.

PAPER CRANE
The Crane is a religous bird represented in lots of Japanese art works.

PAPER LAMPS
Red paper lamps surrounding one small Buddha altar.

ALMOND TREES

ALMODN TREE FLOWERS

MY FIRST BEE
This is quite special, it was the beginning of the Spring in Japan.

NARA
Sara enjoying a walk over this wood made bridge with terrace.

LAKE IN NARA
Nara was really quiet and you could enjoy the walk in this peaceful town.

NARA’S DEER
Japanese Bambi, looking for food!

THE NEW PRINCE
Well, Nara is full of Deers, they have a long story inside this Town and now people respect them as a sacred animal.

BIGGEST BUDDHA OF JAPAN
In Nara, and he’s made of metal. Gorgeous.

PUPIL’S HAT
I found this hat in Nara’s park, some children forgot it playing with a Deer!

JUST ANOTHER DEER
I’ll send this to National Geographic… he he.

LAMP TO PRAY
This lamps are everywhere close to temples, for me are really mystic.

WOOD BOARDS

To get entering in a temple and write your prays in the back side.

HANGED LAMPS SURROUND A TEMPLE

Simply mystic balance.

DEER EMBEDDED IN STONE LAMP
As I told you, the deer is related with the religion.

TWO BIG GUARDING LAMPS

SCARING CROW

GEIKO SAN
For me was really emotive to see these Geiko San in Nara. We saw other ones in Kyoto.

CHERRY BLOSSOM
This temple is sharing the frame with a splendid Cherry Blossom and a Japanese stone lyon.

SMALL BUDDHAS

KYOTO SUNSET

TWO GEIKO SAN RETURNING AT HOME

WET TILE ROOF

HIMEJI CASTLE
This is the best Wood Castle existing in Japan. Incredible.

BREATH THE MISTERY

OLD EVIDENCES
It’s normal if we consider the age when it was built (1333-1346).

MIYAJIMA TEMPLE
This was a temple located in the island of Miyajima, close to Hiroshima, where the tide changes the landscape in a fascinating way.

BIG HEAD DEER
Testing my new fish eye lenz, amazing.

MIYAJIMA TORI DOOR
These doors signs the beginning of a sacred area, this is the biggest of Japan.

KAMAKURA BUDDHA
This Buddha is located in Kamakura and it’s quite special because he is in a opened space.

JAPANESE SQUIREL
I guess this Squirrel was less scared than English Squirrels!

United States on December 2007

In December 2007 I went to Chicago and New York, between them I took a train Amtrack to do 19 hours of land travel and allow me to se how is 1/3 part of the United States,
Probably other route could be better, because this one was to much flat, but in any case, it was lovely and really dramatic discovering lots of forests, rivers and small typical American towns!

CHICAGO SUBWAY WITH CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

These americans are crazy, they have trains full of christmas lights running by the city.

FLAMINGO, ALEXANDER CALDER

Monumental stabile, Flamingo, which stands in the Federal Plaza in Chicago.

THE BEAN

The highly polished Cloud Gate is know affectionately to locals as “The Bean.”

UNDER THE BEAN

MICHIGAN AVENUE

Chicago was my first America city, so I was like a child discovering my first Skyscraper personally.

UNKNOWN SKYSCRAPER

In Michigan Avenue

WATER TOWER PLACE SHADOW AND OTHERS

In fact this was my highest building I’ve ever been, 74 floors, 262 meters or 859 feet. In front the lake Michigan gives mean at the Tower name.

SHADOW PROJECTION OVER LAKE MICHIGAN

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF CHICAGO

This are 2 real size elephant sculptures shining in the Museum hall copied from other 2 real dissected elephant.

FIRST IMAGE OF MANHATTAN

Going to Staten Island by Ferry

NEW YORK SUNSET

INTRODUCING LIBERTY STATUE

SOME PART OF TIMES SQUARE

THE ROOF OF ROCKEFELLER CENTER

EMPIRE STATE WITHOUT KING KONG

Maybe he’s taking a break…

NEW YORK CITY SHINING

5TH AVENUE IN CHRISTMAS IS A MESS!

Everything are carols and red color everywhere you are in NY by Christmas.

CHRYSLER BUILDING WITH SOME FOG

1,2,3 SPLASH, WHAT’S YOUR NAME?

You don’t have a name, so, maybe Madison!

THIS IS AWESOME, INTRODUCING GTA 4 IN LIBERTY CITY!

This street is selected with good idea ‘cos looks exactly to gta streets video game.

GOING TO NEW JERSEY

MANHATTAN LOOKS GORGEOUS

From New Jersey this is one of my favorites skylines, maybe in a close future looks better!

Costa Brava last 7 years (2000-07)

The Catalan “Costa Brava” is a magic place to enjoy specially the beach and nature. I’ve been there lots of times in the las 7 years, but I’ve never shotted to many photos because I was relaxed listening the sea waves and having a sun bath. Anyway, here you have my small collection of Costa Brava.

PORT DE LA SELVA SUNSET

This a small bar where you can drink your last beer looking the sunset over “Cap de Creus”.

LLAÜTS I SENYERAS

These are the Catalan flags of a typical catalan ship called “Llaüts”

PORT DE LA SELVA SEA WALK

PORTLLIGAT BOATS

This is close to Cadaques, Portlligat was the fisherman’s town where Dalí lived for lots of years.

DOG FROM EMPURDÀ

CADAQUÉS BUILDING STYLE

This is an example of a beautiful terrace close to the sea.

ART SHOP IN CADAQUÉS

It’s quite common find lots of art shops and handmade stuff in Cadaqués.

NIGHT ATMOSPHERE

You should to be there to feel this atmosphere in Costa Brava with the well known wind called Tramuntana.

CAP DE CREUS

In the north of Costa Brava you can find a big cape called Cap de Creus.

PORTBOU BEACH

This is a special beach without sand, there’s only small stones, in this case, my Menorca shoes are great!

FUNNY UMBRELLA

LLANÇÀ BEACH

These stones are in all this beach, and they are super back relaxing!

LLANÇÀ SUN BATH

LLANÇÀ BEACH

LOOKING AT TOSSA DE MAR CASTLE

This was my last day in costa brava, this beach is Tossa de Mar last June of 2007, just some days before come to live in UK, Bristol.

TOSSA DE MAR, STONES AND SHIPS

TOSSA DE MAR CASTLE

MY FAVORITE TERRACE IN CADAQUÉS

CADAQUES HANDMADE CHAIR

Is lovely to see an old woman sitting in this chair, but maybe she’s cooking something now?

LOOKING CADAQUES

I’m looking to Cadaques from the small square in front of the main Church.

CADAQUES & CAP DE CREUS IN BACKGROUND

FISHERMAN HARBOR IN CADAQUÉS

HOUSE STREET LAMP

EVENING MYSTERY IN CADAQUÉS

STREET LAMP 100%

STREET LAMP 50%

CADAQUÉS IN THE NIGHT

CADAQUÉS IN THE DAY

Senterada on October 2006

This was a gift of my girlfriend Sara, stay a weekend in a Town called Senterada close to National Park of Aigues Tortes, North West of Catalonia.

INSIDE NATIONAL PARK

This region surrounds the Lake of Sant Maurici.

GREEN NORTH OF CATALONIA

I love to see this green in Catalunya, we need lots of rains always and this is a gift for us.

SARA VS LA VACA QUE RIE

That cow didn’t like the Sara’s red trousers.

ESTANY DE SANT MAURICI

This is the lake of Sant Maurici in a Higher part of the this national park.

WATERFALL

Going up by the footpath you could find this beautiful waterfall.

THAT’S ME ENJOYING MY BIRTHDAY’S GIFT

CATALAN DONKEY

This Donkey is a symbol for Catalan people, usually used to define us against the Spanish Bull.

Oliana on July 2006

This was one of my extreme sensations of my life. In a first moment I never thought it would be so difficult to climb a “Via ferrata” of 400 meters, but being serious, it was awful and amazing at same time.

OLIANA SWAMP

This is the visible area since the “small mountain” that we climbed.

CLIMBING FIRST TRACK

As you can see, it seems easy

NACHO LOOKING OLIANA SWAMP

This was the first break point, and our first sightseeing of the swamp.

NORA DEFYING GRAVITY

If you have a look, you can see where is the left foot of Nora, lots of tracks of this climb had this kind of handles / nails to help the ascending.

FIRST TOP

A little tired and still happy unknowing the rest of the way.

DIEGO AND ME ON FIRST TOP

ME BEFORE TO CROSS A CURIOUS BRIDGE

This was some scaring, thinking some seconds before to cross.

CROSSING A 250 METERS PRECIPICE

Take note that I did the whole climbing with my adventure red Converse All Star!!

CHEERING FOR THE LAST TRACK

50 minutes of down walking was our last track, here I was exhausted. No more water for this part, I know take more water for next time.

THE CLIMBED MOUNTAIN

Menorca on May 2006

This was a trip to define Menorca as my favorite Balear Island. This place is a mixture of Nature and Beach concluding with a paradise for you eyes. This is part of Catalonia territory and I’m sure to suggest anyone to visit this Island to live a peaceful experience specially on the Spring to avoid the crowded season of Summer.

MENORCA COUNTRYSIDE

This is a farm door, looks so vintage, all farm regions are segmented with small walls and wood doors like this one.

COAST ROAD

In many times you can find lovely roads like this.

END OF THE ROAD

This road finished in front of that lighthouse

LOCKED DOOR FOR CARS

Fortunately, pedestrians could enter to the area and enjoy the lighthouse landscapes.

MAHÓN

This is the main town of Menorca.

MACARELLA

The beaches in Menorca look like this one.

“TURQUESA”, IT’S WONDERFUL

MACARELLETA

White sand and crystal blue water, nothing better than this.

CATWALK IN THE BEACH

That’s me joking with Sara in Macarelleta.

DAFNE EXISTS!

This tree is amazing mythologic, you can find it in Macarelleta beach background.

MACARELLA

EL TORO MOUNTAIN

Top of this place, you can enjoy a big sightseeing of Menorca, this mountain is in the middle of the island.

FAVÀRITX LIGHTHOUSE

This is a moon land region, all the sand is black and it’s full of “pizarra” black rocks.

BINIBÈQUER

Whitest town I ever seen before. This place is magic in the sunset.

BINIBEQUER MODERNIST DETAIL

Florence on December 2000 (revival)

This was my first Italian city, and I was extremely impressed for 2 things, Renaissance art everywhere and lots of motorbikes!!

In any case, the city looks awesome with their old architecture and I could see some Michel Angello’s work like David and others.

FROM CAMPANILE BELLTOWER

You can see a perfect image of Santa maria del Fiore.

FLORENCE

BAPTISTRY

CLOSE TO PONTE VECCHIO

This is one of my favorite parts of Florence, it reminds me some buildings in the oldest region of Girona.

INSIDE PONTE VECCHIO

Crowd of people, everything are touristic shops of hand made art and food.

PONTE VECCHIO FROM OTHER BRIDGE

It’s original thanks to the embedded buildings over the bridge. Over the bridge, years ago, this bridge had and private corridor for Uffizi Nobility and this corridor crosses some part of the city connecting multiple buildings.

INSIDE UFFIZI GALLERY
This is quite special, is the window landscape from one corridor inside the gallery.

UNKOWN BRIDGE

But beautiful…

WALKING FLORENCE IN DECEMBER

NON REMINDED BIG PARK