I’ve been a bit missing lately. I have spent a few days in Madrid, Spain. I can’t call it holidays, as we have just been visiting family. With the Covid still spreading everywhere, we limited our social interactions to just our closest ones, avoiding friends almost completely. I missed them! But it was nice to spend a few days with the ones we love, knowing that they are well and healthy. I want to think that things will improve and we’ll be able to see all of our friends again soon!
This time, we didn’t travel around. I didn’t even take my camera with me, as I knew that, between the restrictions and the scorching temperatures of Spanish summer, I wouldn’t go out too much to take photos. I also missed it! I think it’s the first summer in a long time that I didn’t take photos somewhere in Spain… It is such a weird summer in so many ways!
But, fortunately, I still have a few photos from last year’s Málaga trip. Last year I posted some photos from the day we spent in Costa del Sol, walking the beautiful streets of Frigiliana and Nerja. Our next stop in Málaga took us to the mountains in the interior of the province, to the beautiful town of Antequera and Sierra del Torcal, two places I was really looking forward to photograph!
The origins of Antequera, also known as the “heart of Andalusia” because of its central location among the main cities in the autonomous community, can be dated as far as the year 3000 BC, when its Dolmens (Bronze Age burial sites) were built. Since then, Romans, Muslims and, more than any other, Catholics have left an impressive cultural heritage in the city. Walking through the beautiful white streets of Antequera’s old town, you find numerous impressive churches and monasteries and, at the top of the hill that dominates the city, stands the beautiful Alcazaba (Muslim castle). But Antequera is not only famous for its arquitectural heritage, but also for the nearby El Torcal, a natural mountain reserve known for its unusual rock formations and its colony of Spanish Ibex (the smaller Spanish version of the Swiss Steinbock).
Here are some photos I took during our day in Antequera and El Torcal in a very hot summer day last year. I hope you like them!
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV 41mm f/7.1 1/500sec. ISO100
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV 70mm f/2.8 1/80sec. ISO2000
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV 24mm f/11 1/15sec. ISO2000
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV 39mm f/11 1/320sec. ISO200
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV 24mm f/11 1/320sec. ISO200
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV 38mm f/11 1/200sec. ISO200
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV 70mm f/11 1/640sec. ISO200
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV 67mm f/11 1/1250sec. ISO200
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV 61mm f/11 1/500sec. ISO200
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV 45mm f/2.8 1/8000sec. ISO200
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV 70mm f/11 1/1000sec. ISO200
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV 70mm f/2.8 1/8000sec. ISO200
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV 100mm f/5.6 1/640sec. ISO200
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV 24mm f/9 1/400sec. ISO200
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV 400mm f/5.6 1/500sec. ISO200
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV 100mm f/5.6 1/1000sec. ISO200
I can see the heat searing off your photos! It reminded me of my country. I can tell by the light it is a very hot day, as I know the light of a hot summer well.
The church – well it is so ornate abd I was also intrigued by the beautifully romantic enclosures around the balcony windows! Is that a Spanish thing?
Thanks a million, Amanda! Yes, it was hot that day, hehehe is not easy to walk around in an Andalusian city during August! But it was totally worth the heat… We almost had the town for ourselves 🙂
I would say Antequera is a nice representative of South Spain architecture… the white buildings, the light coloured bricks, the enclosures of balconies and windows and all those plants and flowers around them… Even if every town has its own variations, all of them have these similar features! And they look so pretty…
And yes, there are a lot of churches in Antequera. The exterior look very humble in most of them, but once you step inside, oh, my! The interiors are just stunning!! Too baroque, profusely adorned, all of them are impressive! I recon I didn’t expect them to be like this and it was a wonderful surprise to explore some of them! 🙂
Como siempre preciosa fotografía, tenemos que ir juntas a ese Antequera y enseñarte mas sitios y preciosos que puedes visitar. Espero estéis bien y cuídate mucho
Mil gracias, Maria!! Como me gustó conocer al fin tu tierra!! Y sí, me encantaría que algún día me descubrieras los rincones más bonitos de toda esa zona! 🙂
Preciosas fotos Mer, como siempre
Mil gracias, Isaac! Qué ilusión que te hayan gustado! 🙂
So good to have you back posting again and your images are wonderful. I love the architecture. I’m glad you had time with your family. Take care!
Thanks a mil, Anne! It feels like it’s been years since I last posted, not only a bit more than a month… But this year I really needed to disconnect from everything for a few weeks. Now I have to catch up with a lot of things, including your photos!! I’m sure I’ve missed a lot of beautiful things here… 🙂 Hope everything is better there in California these days (although I read about the fires…. it’s so so sad to see everything burning again there…)
Lovely. It even looks hot in those pics!! The streets so empty. Glad to hear you were able to visit your family now. Take care xx
Thanks a million, Snow!! Yes, it was super hot that day… but hot days have their perks too and we had the town almost for ourselves!! So I enjoyed a lot taking photos of empty streets… 🙂
Yes, we went to Spain and spent a few days with our families. So nice and tranquilizing to see they are all well!! And we came back just when things were getting worse there. Now I am again worried about the situation in Spain, but knowing that my family takes care makes things a bit easier.
Hope things are better now in Finland! How was summer there? I have to catch up with your blog!!
Summer was short and not very warm, in other words normal! Just hanging at home and washing laundry, I’m afraid… at least I didn’t have to open the work computer for a few weeks so that was okay. Over here, no one wears masks and people gather at events as normal, but most people who can work from home are doing so. Waiting for the 2nd wave. And there?
I can’t believe I didn’t reply you yet! Well, your summer looked very much like mine! No much laundry, but I spent almost all my summer lying on the bed and sofa and back again to bed, even if weather was incredibly hot and sunny here in Switzerland… But between my nauseas and tiredness and the covid running free in Zurich, I wasn’t very eager to go out these past weeks!! Now Autumn, very punctual this year, has even brought the first snowflakes in the mountain already! I’m so looking forward to going soon somewhere far and photographing the Swiss Autumn! 🙂
Were you ill all summer? Are you better now? 🐻
Not ill, on the contrary! Those were the symptoms of very good news 🙂 Still feeling a bit the nausea, but things are improving now :)!!
Oh, wow!! You’re pregnant? Congratulations and big hugs!!!!!!! 🤗🤗🤗🤗💕💕💕💕🐻🐻🐻🤩🤩🤩 Is this your first baby? 😘
Yes and yes! Thanks a mil, Snow!! It implies a year of less photos and posts and that I rarely come here to read and comment other posts (I try, but sleep and tiredness is stronger than me when I open my laptop, hahaha) but it is something I was so looking forward! Now I’ll read your posts about your little ones experiences with even more interest, they’ll be like a small glimpse into the future experiences of my little one 🙂
Less photos? I have a feeling you’ll keep taking zillions of photos, but not of mountains anymore… 😉 I have thousands of baby pics of my boys! 🥰 Good thing too, because time passes so quick and the baby phase has become a haze, photos help to remember. So, be sure to take plenty! Do you know yet if the baby’s a boy or a girl? When are you due? Get some rest while you can! 😘 💕
Yes, California is on fire again. This time via lightening strikes without rain! I’m not near any of the fires but the air quality is so poor because of the smoke. I didn’t even walk the dog yesterday, and this morning just a short walk since it didn’t smell like a barbecue out there!