Last Year in Photos | Spain
Last year was a memorable one—so much happened! I moved to California, got married, visited so many places and probably took more photos than ever before. Even though I like to keep my blog posts up to date, I would be doing a disservice to the whole blogging experience by not sharing most memorable moments and travels from last year. Therefore, instead of writing a massive, image heavy post, I decided to do a chronological mini series Last Year in Photos. So, in the words of Lando Calrissian—here goes nothing!
I love Spain and to be able to visit two years in a row was truly a blessing I’m thankful for. Thanks to the Erasmus+ projects for teachers my former school was involved with, we got the opportunity to travel to Andalusia for a week and revisit familiar locations we loved so much first time around. To keep things exciting, we decided to explore beyond what we already had visited. One of the new places was El Rocio, a small village we stumbled upon almost by accident, searching for flamingos. It’s a gorgeous place, known for the annual Catholic pilgrimage Romería de el Rocío. Besides that, it is a legit horse riding town with sand covered roads and horses being the most used type of public transport. It gives the village this beautiful nostalgic feel. The nearby lake is the home to flamingos we were initially searching for. Unfortunately, none of my prime lenses could capture the flamboyant birds. I wish I had a telephoto lens as there were hundreds scattered along the mudflats.
One of the places we revisited was Punta Umbria, a tourist community on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. Although we walked along same the coast before, it certainly didn’t feel like old news. It was off season so all the beach houses were empty and the streets gave a bit of a post apocalyptic feel (in a richy looking neighborhood, mind you). However, some fish restaurants were still opened and we took the opportunity for nice dinner overlooking the ocean. The beach didn’t seem as desolate because of the surfers and people enjoying the sunny winter day. The moment I enjoyed the most was the hazy sunset later on.
If you’re a fan of historic and fantasy looking towns, then visiting Ronda is a must. Its location is quite story like—sitting on a cliff with deeply carved canyon bellow. If you suffer from acrophobia, don’t go too close to the ledge because looking down does feel a bit overwhelming and, for the lack of a better word, trippy. Besides epic architecture and landscape around, Ronda is mostly known for its history of corrida or bullfighting. I know it’s a controversial topic, but history is history. Plaza de Toros de Ronda is the oldest bullring in the world, dating back to late 18th century.
And lastly, you can’t go to Andalusia without stepping onto the good old UK soil—in Gibraltar! It’s always a fun trip. Seeing the meeting point of two continents, Europe and Africa, never gets old. Or the Pillars of Hercules, a location you might appreciate if you’re into the whole finding the Lost City of Atlantis lore. For all the others, it’s officially known as the Rock of Gibraltar. God bless and visit Spain!
All photos were taken with a FujiFilm X-T3 + Fujinon 23mm 1.4.
