A stone house in Mallorca, Spain

This 200-year-old two-story town house, once a wine cellar, is in Binissalem, a village famous for its wine-making in Mallorca, Spain.

The owner is selling the property for 1,150,000 EUROS ($1.57 MILLION). Someone of my followers is up for it?

Anyway,  you can have a view of the house in the picture show on the nytimes.

 

 

Playing Basketball away from home

Joonas Cavén, a basketball player of a third level team Club Bàsquet Prat is listening his trainer during a break of the game.

Editor Tommi Hannula by Helsinki Sanomat came to Barcelona to tell the story of the 18 years old and 2,11 meters tall, Finnish player.

 

11/11/2011

Dani Plou Martí practicing Thai Chi in the City Hall of Barcelona. He is trying to calm himself down minutes before to get married on 11/11/2011. Congratulations to Cris and Dani.

 

Longing to feel rooted in nature

Not far from the Andalusian village of Casares in Andalucia, Chris and Lisa Stone have their mountainside vacation home. The couple asked the American architect John Onken to create a home that merged with its natural surroundings. No trees felled or large rock outcropping were to be removed, and they  wanted their home to resemble a pueblo blanco in miniature.

They got it, and it has been a pleasure to visit them on a nice Autumnal day. See the slide show

The Last Bullfight

José Tomás in the Monumental Arena, Barcelona, September 25, 2011

The first bullfight in Catalonia took place in the 14th century; the last one was on September 25th.  Once deeply-rooted in this region of northeastern Spain, the spectacle of the corrida has succumbed largely to Catalan nationalist politics, as well as animal-rights activism and a failure to attract a new generation of young people.  But that Sunday every one of the 19,000 seats in Plaza Monumental was filled, testimony to an abiding passion for bullfighting,  Read more

36 Hours in San Sebastián

In July I shot for the New York Times “36 hours in San Sebastián,” a town in north Spain “to fall in love” as write Ingrid Williams in the story published in the Travel Section of the paper on August 4, 2011. Please, see the slide show.

The Transformation of a Family Home

Joan Badia, Mireia Cerdဠand Pau at home.

Joan and Mireia had grown up in the picturesque Catalonian village of Arbúcies, about 50 miles northeast of Barcelona. After five years of dating decided to move in the ancient family home of him. They asked to Alejandro Saez, an architect in Barcelona how they could renovate the upper three floors and create a roomier home with a contemporary look. You can see the solution on the New York Times

The Cucumber Crisis

The export ban on Spanish produce is crushing the country’s economy, costing its transport and agricultural sector millions.An estimated 3 million kg of fruits and vegetables have rotted since the virus’ outbreak, and produce trucks were turned away as they tried to sell their wares outside Spain.

A story by Johanna Kippo published on The Helsingin Sanomat. In the pict: Manuel Gimenez runs a family enterprise in Almeria, Spain.

 

 

Smoke on the plate

Chef Joan Roca lights sawdust in a small black pipe with a hissing sound. With quick moves, he carefully pumps the smoke onto a plate, under a glass cloche. A strong aroma that brings the idea of fire to one's mind accompanies the aubergine soufflé in a sardine marinade. "The burning beech smoke provokes a reflection on memories related to family gatherings where fire has been present," Joan explains.

El Celler de Can Roca, a restaurant in Girona, Spain, has three Michelin stars and was recently chosen as the second-best restaurant in the world by the British Restaurant magazine. It is pioneering what has become known as emotional cuisine. See the feature gallery online.

A frame house made to live in

Quico Ortega’s home appears to float above the mountain of Montserrat, in Catalonia, north Spain. The house is winner of the Sustainable Architecture Award 5Bav’ 2009. Please, have a look at the slide show on The New York Times.