CBBH Photo Challenge: Bridges

Posted on August 1, 2014 by Marianne under CBBH Photo Challenge, Challenges

Today is the second anniversary for the CBBH Photo Challenge, beginning as it did on August 1st 2012. Since then we’ve covered many subjects from Repetition and Reflection to Street Art and Simple Pleasures. I’ve learned a lot about photography over the past two years and featured some wonderful blogs to link to. But, in the true time-honoured fashion, all good things must come to an end, so this month’s CBBH Photography Challenge will be the final one.

As a result, I’m going to indulge myself with one of my favourite subjects – BRIDGES.

According to Wikipedia a bridge is “a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle.” Of course there are many different designs, from the most natural – such as a log across a stream, through to the most complicated of modern bridge designs we currently see around the world. Cantilever, arch or suspension and made of iron, brick or rope, there’s something about bridges I just can’t resist. I love to look at them, be on them and take photos of them.

My first photograph this month (above) is of the Roman bridge spanning the Rio Guadalquivir in Córdoba. To capture this shot, I walked over the bridge from the old part of the city, just as the light was fading. The building you can see in the background is the Mezquita.

Further along the Rio Guadalquivir as it flows towards the Atlantic Ocean is the capital of Andalucía, Sevilla (known to English-speakers as Seville). This shot of Triana Bridge was taken from the river as I was enjoying an early evening cruise. It’s a very pleasant way to spend part of an evening in Seville before making your way around the many tapas bars, for which the city is famous.

My final photograph is of another bridge in Seville, but this time a much smaller one. This ceramic tiled bridge spans the moat at Plaza España, a well-known local landmark and tourist attraction. If you’ve got the desire and the muscle-power, you can hire a boat and row around the moat, though on the last occasion I was there, most visitors were laughing at a couple who hadn’t got the hang of rowing at all, and were entertaining the crowd by going round in circles just a few metres from where they rented the boat! If you are visiting Seville, Plaza España features plaques for each province in Spain, all beautifully decorated in tiles and should be high on your list of places to see within the city.

So, will you join me one final time in this month’s CBBH Photo Challenge: Bridges?

Don’t forget that the CBBH Photo Challenge is a little different from some other challenges, in two ways. First, it’s only once a month – giving you lots of time to consider your entry before the end of the calendar month. Second, and most important, this is a BLOG HOP (after all, it is the CBBH – Conejo Blanco Blog Hop, conejo blanco means white rabbit in Spanish), so DON’T FORGET that in your post you need to add links to two blogs that you have visited and commented on during the past month.

That way, when we visit each other, we can HOP OVER to your links, connect with others and share a little blog love around!

Coincidentally, my Featured Blog Links for this month are both called Sue:

*** Living in Alberta, Canada and married to her best friend Dave for over thirty years, Sue Slaught hopes that her Travel Tales of Life will still entertain anyone who will listen when she is an old lady sitting in a nursing home. Still many years away from that situation, Sue always has me spell-bound with her adventures around the world – whether it’s a tale of a ghost in the lobby of the Banff Springs Hotel, getting stuck in the rush hour of gondolas in Venice or being chased by dogs while cycling in Turkey.

*** Sue Judd, on the other hand, has recently been re-defining who she is – transforming from scientist to very talented photographer and award-winning poet. Sue’s Beauty in Decay series has truly made me look at flowers through new eyes. I’m fortunate also that she seems to love peonies as much as I do! But, how can you not fail to be moved by Sue’s poem Am I Still the Same?, written in response to her diagnosis with Multiple Sclerosis, expressing her view on how it affected her.

Please HOP over and say HELLO to both of these ladies, and tell them Marianne sent you!

So that´s the final CBBH Photo Challenge folks 🙂

Remember, all you have to do is post your entry by the end of the month, tag your entry ‘CBBH Photo Challenge’, link back to this blog and, most importantly, don´t forget to add links to any two blogs that you´ve commented on during the past month, so that we can all HOP OVER and have a look.

For more information on how the CBBH Photo Challenge works click here.

CBBH Photo Challenge: FLOWERS

Posted on July 1, 2014 by Marianne under Axarquía, CBBH Photo Challenge, Challenges

I was surprised to see that I had never used the flower theme for the CBBH Photo Challenge before, because I take so many photos of plants, trees and flowers. So, I thought I would remedy that situation by sharing with you some of the flowers that grow here in my garden in southern Spain, at different times of the year.

The first photo (above) is a waxy-flowered stephanotis, which creeps along my fence and gives off a delicate fragrance.

I sometimes find it difficult to photograph the purple agapanthus, as they flower at the end of long stems, so I got in close for these shots. I like the effect of the first photo, in particular, but what do you think? Here is a photo of the first delicate blossom on one of our 47 almond trees, in January this year. ….and these beautiful wild Butterfly Orchids also make their appearance each year, heralding the arrival of Springtime in Andalucía. I’m a huge fan of the colour purple, so this plant is a favourite of mine, and it was only thanks to some of my readers that I finally found out its name. Hardenbergia comptoniana, a native of Australia, is a vigorous climbing plant and the arching flowers look so beautiful after the rain.

So, I’ve shown you mine – now it’s YOUR turn to show me YOURS!

That way, when we visit each other, we can HOP OVER to your links, connect with others and share a little blog love around!

My Featured Blog Links for this month:

*** Travel writer Annie Bennett spends most of her time Mooching around Spain, researching articles for national newspapers and magazines, but often just sitting in cafés, reading the paper and drinking wine. Not only does Annie love writing about her travels, she also loves writing about food. So, if you want to know where in Lanzarote you can buy the best cheese, or exactly where you can find a traditional shop in Menorca that sells everything horse-related, then Annie is your woman!

*** Another blogger I always enjoy visiting is Tamara at A Foot in Two Campos who, two years ago, bought a beautiful old house in the village of Colmenar, in Málaga province. She had me worried for a while when she admitted in one of her blog posts to stalking me – but fortunately, what she meant was that she was inspired to visit three places that I had blogged about! Tamara has thrown herself into village life in Colmenar and also into learning Spanish. Indeed, at the end of each of her blog posts she discusses a particular language point, which always proves helpful.

Please HOP over and say HELLO to both of these ladies, and tell them Marianne sent you!

So that´s the CBBH Photo Challenge for July, everyone.

Make sure you follow this blog so you don´t miss next month’s exciting challenge!

For more information on how the CBBH Photo Challenge works click here.

I hope everyone taking part enjoys the exposure the CBBH Photo Challenge offers to featured blogs and, who knows, you may end up finding a new favourite!

I´m looking forward to seeing your interpretations.

[CBBH logo Image credit: (cc) Mostly Dans]

CBBH Photo Challenge: FOOD

Posted on June 1, 2014 by Marianne under CBBH Photo Challenge, Challenges, Photo challenges, Recipes

We all need it. Most of us love it – some maybe a little too much! But, whatever your relationship with it, FOOD is the subject of this month’s CBBH Photo Challenge.

Is there a food typical of your country or area where you live? How about your favourite recipe or something you once ate that you would never try again?

Well, show me with a photograph!

Most people know that Spain is well known for it’s tapas – the tasty treats offered along with your drink. I enjoyed these delicious prawns and tuna in the Atarazanas market on a trip to Málaga city, recently. There are two tapas bars, one at either end of the market, both offering ultra-fresh ingredients, cooked to perfection, from the market.

During May, I’ve been following the tapas route around Torre del Mar. One of my favourites has been this vegetable stack with a cranberry jus. Yummy!

Talking of yummy, how about this dish made with fresh figs plucked straight from the tree, stuffed with goat cheese and wrapped with smoked bacon?

And, to finish, a piece of my easy, chocolate fudge that will make you drool, which you might remember I took on a recent trip with friends when we rode on Mr Henderson’s Railway!

So, now it’s YOUR turn.

That way, when we visit each other, we can HOP OVER to your links, connect with others and share a little blog love around!

Before I move on to my two featured bloggers for this month, I want to offer my CONGRATULATIONS to Maggie Woodward who’s blog The Trepidatious Traveller I featured in May. Maggie was about to commence walking the Camino Portuguese from Lisbon, Portugal to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. I can report that during the month of May, she has walked a total distance of 669.9 km, completing her Camino walk on May 28th, and is now safely back home in Spain, only a few kilometres away from me. I know that a few of you have been following Maggie’s progress as I’ve seen your comments on her blog posts. VERY WELL DONE, MAGGIE – you are an inspirational woman!

My Featured Blog Links for this month:

*** Christine of Dadirridreaming, lives near to the sea in Australia, surrounded by bushland and beautiful wild beaches. Kangaroos and wallabies graze all around her house and red bellied black snakes hunt the frogs in the dams nearby. Christine takes time to explore the spiritual side of life, which is reflected in her lovely blog posts, all of which have stunning photographs. She is currently exploring my part of the world, and has visited Ronda, Seville and Córdoba, amongst many other places. We will be meeting up in Málaga city on Thursday June 5th. Can’t wait!

*** Another blogger I always enjoy visiting is Kathryn at Vastly Curious. Her recent post in the WordPress Photo challenge had me amazed! She showed a photograph of the buds of a plant that looked like liquorice twists and wanted to identify it. It was only when I looked at Kathryn’s later photos of the flower fully opened that I realised that I have one!! She has also been travelling recently to The Netherlands, from where you can see her wonderful photos.

Please HOP over and say HELLO to both of my featured links, and tell them Marianne sent you!

So that´s the CBBH Photo Challenge for June, folks.

Remember, all you have to do is post your entry by the end of the month, tag your entry ‘CBBH Photo Challenge’, link back to this blog and, most importantly, don´t forget to add links to any two blogs that you´ve commented on during the past month, so that we can all HOP OVER and have a look.

Make sure you follow this blog so you don´t miss next month’s exciting challenge!

For more information on how the CBBH Photo Challenge works click here.

I hope everyone taking part enjoys the exposure the CBBH Photo Challenge offers to featured blogs and, who knows, you may end up finding a new favourite!

I´m looking forward to seeing your interpretations.

[CBBH logo Image credit: (cc) Mostly Dans]

CBBH Photo Challenge: Looking forward, looking back.

Posted on May 1, 2014 by Marianne under Axarquía, CBBH Photo Challenge, Photo challenges, Photographs I love

White rabbits! Conejos blancos! Yes, it’s that time of the month again ….. soon comes round, doesn’t it?

I got lots of comments about my snow photographs in the CBBH Photo Challenge for April: FULL CIRCLE – but there was the grand total of one entry, apart from mine. Thanks Le Drake Noir – even though something did get lost in translation!

What was it you didn’t like, I wonder? Did the challenge involve taking too many photos – or couldn’t you find the right place to spin around?

Well …. I had fun, anyway – in fact, I enjoyed it so much, I have a similar challenge for this month, except that this time only two photos are involved.

This month’s CBBH Photo Challenge is LOOKING FORWARD, LOOKING BACK. All you have to do is take a photograph and then turn round and take another of what is behind you.

Not too difficult, is it?

This is the gorgeous natural beach area of Playa de Los Lances, near to the town of Tarifa on the Costa de la Luz. At exactly 36 degrees latitude, this is the southernmost point of the European continent, situated even further south than both of the African capital cities of Tunis and Algiers.

If you look carefully at the first photo, you can see the mountains of Africa on the horizon – while the photo below shows the much closer Spanish mountains.

I love these kind of walkways – especially with the shadows of the rails forming such a distinct pattern.

So, now it’s YOUR turn.

Don’t forget that the CBBH Photo Challenge is a little different from some other challenges, in two ways. First, it’s only once a month – giving you lots of time to consider your entry before the end of the calendar month. Second, and most important, this is a BLOG HOP (after all, it is the CBBH – Conejo Blanco Blog Hop, conejo blanco means white rabbit in Spanish), so DON’T FORGET that in your post you need to add links to two blogs that you have visited and commented on during the past month.

That way, when we visit each other, we can HOP OVER to your links, connect with others and share a little blog love around!

My Featured Blog Links for this month:

*** Have you ever thought about walking the Camino de Santiago? Maggie, the Trepidatious Traveller, only lives a hop, skip and a jump from me in La Axarquía, and yesterday she flew to Lisbon in Portugal to begin the Camino Portuguese. Last year, Maggie walked the 950 kms of Camino Frances from St Jean Pied de Port to Finisterre with her daughter over five week period, so at least she knows what she’s letting herself in for. You can follow Maggie’s daily posts (she sets off from Lisbon on May 2nd) or donate to the two charities she is raising money for (Cudeca, which is the Spanish cancer charity or Action for Animals). Buen camino Maggie!

*** Writer, Patricia Sands, says that everyone has a story and her’s involves Antibes in the south of France. Through her blog you can join The Bridge Club – Patricia’s acclaimed debut novel, or simply become immersed in her love of writing and escape to her beloved France. If you love writing, you’ll find lots of information about writing here, as well as having the chance of winning prizes that are regularly offered.

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Please HOP over and say HELLO to both of my featured links, and tell them Marianne sent you!

So that´s the CBBH Photo Challenge for May, everyone.

Remember, all you have to do is post your entry by the end of the month, tag your entry ‘CBBH Photo Challenge’, link back to this blog and, most importantly, don´t forget to add links to any two blogs that you´ve commented on during the past month, so that we can all HOP OVER and have a look.

Make sure you FOLLOW THIS BLOG so you don´t miss next month’s exciting challenge!

For more information on how the CBBH Photo Challenge works click here.

I hope everyone taking part enjoys the exposure the CBBH Photo Challenge offers to featured blogs and, who knows, you may end up finding a new favourite!

I´m looking forward to seeing your interpretations.

[CBBH logo Image credit: (cc) Mostly Dans]

CBBH Photo Challenge: Full Circle

Posted on April 1, 2014 by Marianne under CBBH Photo Challenge, Places

During March I visited the Sierra Nevada Ski Station in the neighbouring province of Granada, Spain.

The Sierra Nevada (Spanish for “snowy range”) is Europe’s most southerly and sunniest ski resort with more than 80% of sunny days each year. There are more than 104 kilometres of trails, 116 ski runs and 22 ski lifts to ensure you enjoy the biggest snow park in Spain!

I thought we could have a bit of fun with the CBBH Photo Challenge during April, so I want you to choose a position to stand and then turn a FULL CIRCLE, taking photos as you go.

My first FULL CIRCLE spin was in the main square, at the lower end of the resort village, Pradollano, which lies 2100 metres above sea level. The village has a full-range of hotels, restaurants, shops and holiday apartments and caters for every taste and budget.

From this square I jumped on board the ski-lift to the top station, Borreguiles, situated at 3300 metres above sea level – where I did my second FULL CIRCLE spin!

In the first of the next set of photographs, you can see the village of Pradollano far below. The highest peak of the Sierra Nevada range is Mulhacén (appearing in the fourth photograph, below), which at 3,481 metres is also the highest point of the Iberian Peninsula.

So, now it’s YOUR turn.

Don’t forget that the CBBH Photo Challenge is a little different from some other challenges, in two ways. First, it’s only once a month – giving you lots of time to consider your entry before the end of the calendar month. Second, and most important, this is a BLOG HOP (after all, it is the CBBH – Conejo Blanco Blog Hop, conejo blanco means white rabbit in Spanish), so DON’T FORGET that in your post you need to add links to two blogs that you have visited and commented on during the past month.

That way, when we visit each other, we can HOP OVER to your links, connect with others and share a little blog love around!

My Featured Blog Links for this month:

*** The Barsetshire Diaries follows the everyday adventures of “Lord” David Prosser, an author and retired Local Government Officer from North Wales. Quite apart from a penchant for car-boot sales, charity and antique shops, David regales us with hilarious tales of his day-to-day life as a member of the landed gentry. His Blog Cast List is so long that it now has a page of it’s own, so as not to confuse newcomers and non-regular visitors! After a difficult past year, David’s writing has kept him busy on the straight-and-narrow – and he is one of my most regular commenters. OOHHH and I nearly forgot …. you MUST pop over and see Reuben’s photo page 🙂 So cute!

*** Spanish Scribbles is all about Wendy Kate’s journey into sketching and drawing, in and around her adopted hill-top pueblo of Jimena de la Frontera in Andalucía. Unlike me, who can’t draw a straight line with a ruler, Wendy has produced the most wonderful illustrations of the tower in the main square, and the best cats in Jimena, as well as the cork oak trees in the nearby Parque Natural Los Alcornocales, which are harvested every nine years. Over the weeks, it will be fascinating to see just how much her drawing comes along. What a talented lady!

Please HOP over and say HELLO to both of my featured links, and tell them Marianne sent you!

So that´s the CBBH Photo Challenge for April, folks.

Remember, all you have to do is post your entry by the end of the month, tag your entry ‘CBBH Photo Challenge’, link back to this blog and, most importantly, don´t forget to add links to any two blogs that you´ve commented on during the past month, so that we can all HOP OVER and have a look.

Make sure you FOLLOW THIS BLOG so you don´t miss next month’s exciting challenge!

For more information on how the CBBH Photo Challenge works click here.

I hope everyone taking part enjoys the exposure the CBBH Photo Challenge offers to featured blogs and, who knows, you may end up finding a new favourite!

I´m looking forward to seeing your interpretations.

[CBBH logo Image credit: (cc) Mostly Dans]