On Explore

Taken at Christmas 2019. I should have saved it for an HFF shot, but never mind!

My local park again.

Cornish coast at Treen North, Zennor Parish, West Penwitth. Yes, I've posted this before but I have no new Cornish shots to show.

Mum's garden. Saint Day, Cornwall.

La Sierra de La Cabrera - typical granite scenery in these mountains. Possibly better on full screen.

A popular meeting place, with many bars and restaurants. I held many private classes here until online classes became de rigeur four months ago! Typical central Madrid architecture seen here too. Once the site of an ocatagonal steel indoor market - much vaunted when constructed in 1927 as a triumphant avant-guard masterwork, It was demolished in 1974 and this public space was created here instead.

I don't know what this is. All I know is that it is in the grounds of the Isabel II water company.

In the public gardens of Nuevos Ministerios. Near the Ministry of Transport and Public Works. There must be a clue in that! After several comments ... Now I see it! It must have been used to break up old road surfaces prior to the laying of new roads. So anywhere between about 1920 and perhaps 1960. Hard to tell!

Heather and gorse. A sunny day but a bit of sea mist (or 'fret') came in from time to time.

Palm and fence. It's not a private garden but in the grounds of the Employment Ministery, so I had no qualms about privacy issues.

Yes, I've posted a few from here before now but it's such an arresting place and it makes your trigger finger itch!

I know the white tower (Torre Picasso) well, having given 100s of classes there over the years, but I know nothing about the building in the foreground except that I like it! CORRECTION! I looked in Wikipedia and found out that it is called Castellana 77, and was a novelty in its day. Built between 1973 and 1977 by architect Manuel Aymerich Amadiós, its facade is 100% glass and it incorporated these curving solar panels making it the first building fully self-sufficient in energy in Madrid. It was considered 'ultra-modern' at its inception. I think it still looks very modern!

In the Nuevos Ministerios gardens, Paseo de La Castellana, Madrid (open to the public but, as usual, no-one there!)

Plaza de Lima and the Estadio de Santiago Bernabéu (undergoing reconstruction - desecration in my view - but who am I to decry 'progress'?).

They've opened the inner sections of the park but still don't allow maskless joggers (rightly so). Nevertheless I saw runners enter at walking pace in front of the park attendant at the gate, go round the corner, take off their masks and start jogging. I paused a while and stated matter-of-factly under my mask, 'Selfish murderous tosser', 'Anti-social moron', etc and I amused myself with going through my entire slang repertoire. If they knew enough English (and I'm sure many of the younger ones did) I wasn't challenged, let alone thumped, ... because they know they should be ashamed of themselves.

Well its obviously a bridge of some sort in Bellas Vistas, Madrid and I came across it on a walk today. It nagged me that I felt sure I had seen it before and that I knew what it was but had forgotten how, why or when! Well later today I remembered. I had seen it before but from up a tower block where I gave a few classes some years ago. From the student's window it was quite clearly used at one time for carrying a track of some kind but now all there was to see was grass growing there. I asked my student who explained it was part of Madrid's long defunct tramway system! I was pleased that my annoying mental itch earlier in the day had been gently scratched away! Having said all that, I have just seen from Google Maps that its called Aquaducto de Amaniel! So I am again none the wiser! A former guest member wrote; Thank you for showing this interesting bridge. I tried to find some information, and on structurae.net/de/bauwerke/amaniel-aquaedukt they say that it is an active aqueduct. The site has been updated a last time actually in 2018 and they show two photos. As I do not know so much spanish, I was not able to collect much information, but for example www.exclusivasimanara.com/blog/galeria/374-el-acueducto-de-amaniel-en-1857 seems to say something similar. I was not able to find information in connection with a tramway, but at www.iagua.es/noticias/ayuntamiento-madrid/ayuntamiento-madrid-recupera-tramo-historico-viaje-agua-amaniel the spanish word "tramo" is being used which might have been misunderstood. I would suppose, in this text, "tramo" stands for construction section (Bauabschnitt, in german) At commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Acueducto_de_Amaniel they show several photos of it, but I do not find a verbal explication at wikipedia sites. Best wishes and have a great day

One of the nicest of Madrid's parks, situated on grassy banks and with fine views to the Sierra de Guadarrama. This was the front line in the siege of Madrid in the Civil War and it took a long time, effort and money to restore and improve this park. But 'hats off!!', I think they did a grand job!

Sierra de La Cabrera. This was my last visit, now well over a year ago. In 2011 and 12, I was walking here twice a week. In ideal circumstances I would like to walk here every day!