Every year, when the Spring awakes, more than two million cherry trees open their flowers coming into blossom in the Jerte Valley (Extremadura, Spain). This beauty transformation of the valley usually lasts only about ten days, starting around the second fortnight in March but depending the exact date on the severity of the weather.

Cherries from Jerte Valley are highly appreciated, not in vain Spain is the largest producer of cherries in Europe and the seventh in the world.

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Photo details: Sony A700, SAL-2470Z, Exposure 1/200 sec., f/9, Focal Length 24mm, ISO 100

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Valdecorneja Castle is located in the village of El Barco de Ávila, in the southwest corner of the Spanish province of Ávila (a two-hour drive from Madrid).

The castle was erected over the remains of an ancient Vetton settlement, probably during the XIV and XV centuries judging by its architecture and medieval style. After several restorations over the years today is well preserved and is used to hold cultural events, mainly during the summer.

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Photo details: Sony A700, SAL-2470Z, Exposure 1/200 sec., f/6.3, Focal Length 24mm, ISO 100

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The Sanctuary of Montserrat is located at the the summit of the most emblematic mountain in Catalonia (Spain), in a unique natural park about one hour from the city of Barcelona by train.

Montserrat is one of the favorite destinations in Catalonia for its significant religious and cultural importance, receiving more than two million visitors each year. The natural beauty of the surroundings give the Sanctuary an atmosphere of meditation and intimacy that welcome to pilgrims.

The main buildings are the Basilica together with the adjacent Benedictine Monastery that houses about 80 monks. The atrium that provides access to the Basilica (shown in one of the photos) is from the 18th century while the Basilica architecture is a mixture of the transition from Gothic to Renaissance.

Inside the Basilica you can admire the statue of Our Lady of Montserrat, proclaimed Patron Saint of Catalonia in 1881 by Pope Leo XIII. The highly venerated statue represents Saint Mary as God’s Mother and is one of the black Madonnas of Europe, thus its popular local name as La Moreneta (the little dark-skinned one in english). The image is a 12th century Romanesque polychrome carving that has been slowing darkening with the past of time as the wood and the paint was not originally black.

Furthermore, the Sanctuary of Montserrat also hosts one of the oldest presses in the world still running (with publications from 1499) and one of the oldest and renowned kids choirs in Europe from 13th century.

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Photo details: Sony A700, SAL-2470Z, Exposure 1/200 sec., f/10, Focal Length 24mm, ISO 100

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Raluy Circus has arrived in Barcelona!

Photo details: Sony A700, SAL-2470Z, Exposure 1/200 sec., f/6.3, Focal Length 24mm, ISO 100

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Port Vell is the older area of the Port of Barcelona, one of the largest harbours in Spain and Europe’s ninth container port. Before the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, the Port Vell was an obsolete harbour with empty warehouses and refuse dumps, but was them transformed as a part of an urban renewal program that opened the city up to the sea and contributed to the nomination of Barcelona as the world’s top beach city in 2011, according to National Geographic.

The article’s front photo is from the main building that today houses the Port Authority of Barcelona, which was built in 1907 and now is classified as an historic and artistic heritage architecture.

In the second photo of the series you can see the splendid wooden pedestrian bridge over the harbour waters, known as the Rambla de Mar, which connects La Rambla, the most famous and often crowded street in Barcelona, with a complex with shops, cinemas, bars and restaurants.

Another important attraction of the Port Vell is the largest aquarium in Europe, containing more than 8,000 fish and 11 sharks. Some of them can be observed from a 80 meters long tunnel under a basin filled with sea water.

The last photograph features the aerial tramway connecting the Port Vell with the nearer hill of Montjuic, an attraction built for the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition.

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Photo details: Sony A700, SAL-2470Z, Exposure 1/200 sec., f/9, Focal Length 28mm, ISO 100

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The City Walls of Urueña, a small village around 230 inhabitants located in the province of Valladolid (Spain), were finished in XIII century during the reign of King Alfonso’s VII of Castile. Nowadays the city walls are largely reconstructed but the castle is in bad condition.

Urueña is also a member of the International Organisation of Book Towns, a network of small rural towns with an important number of antiquarian and second-hand bookshops.

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Photo details: Sony A700, SAL-2470Z, Exposure 1/200 sec., f/11, Focal Length 70mm, ISO 100

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The Collegiate church of Santa María la Mayor in Toro (province of Zamora, Spain) was started around 1179 and completed during the mid-13th century in Romanesque style with Gothic features. Cycle through images to see more pictures.

Photo details: Sony A700, SAL-2470Z, Exposure 1/400 sec., f/6.3, Focal Length 24mm, ISO 100

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I don’t feel comfortable around alligators, although on land they generally move slowlly they can lunge short distances very quickly and have the strongest bite of any living animal (measured in laboratory conditions). Furthermore alligator bites are serious injuries due to the high risk of infection, even with  medical treatment.

American alligators (Alligator Mississippiensis) are mostly spread out across the Southern United States, with Florida and Louisiana both holding an estimated population around 2.5 million. An average adult male is 10 to 15 feet (3 to 4.6 meters) and weighs between 500 and 600 pounds (227 to 272 kilograms).

I was under no risk because this american alligator was photographed in captivity at Loro Parque facilities in Tenerife (Spain).

Photo details: Sony A700, SAL-100M28, Exposure 1/100 sec., f/5, Focal Length 100mm, ISO 200

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Enjoying a fun show with dolphins, trained to perform jumps, twists and a variety of tricks, in the modern facilities at Loro Parque in Tenerife (Spain). Cycle through images to see more pictures.

Photo details: Sony A700, SAL-100M28, Exposure 1/500 sec., f/6.3, Focal Length 100mm, ISO 250

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The Castle of San Miguel dates back to 1575 when it was built to protect the small town of Garachico, in the northwest coast of Tenerife, from the island’s frequent pirate raids.

The harbor of Garachico was the most important port in Tenerife during the 16th century, but the eruption from the nearby volcano in 1706 engulfed the town and destroyed the harbour which became unsuitable for commercial shipping. One of the notable survivors of the eruption was the Castle of San Miguel, from where you can enjoy the natural pools formed the the lava met the sea.

Photo details: Sony A700, SAL-2470Z, Exposure 1/250 sec., f/8, Focal Length 24mm

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