andalus Posted May 13, 2011 Share #1 Posted May 13, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) Taking my M9 plus 28 Sum and 50 Lux Asph to Madrid (from NC) and then by car to ---- ?? in Andalucia. Going with videographer and she, in particular, is looking for unusual stories to tell with her camera. I have just been to Spain once, ten years ago. If anyone has any especially interesting ideas, places to go, whatever, please let me know! For example, we read recently that giant snails from N Africa have invaded southern Spain. We'll be looking for the snails. (This could be an offbeat story.) Please let me know any good tips you may have for this two week trip. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted May 13, 2011 Posted May 13, 2011 Hi andalus, Take a look here Advice for the traveler.... I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Manolo Laguillo Posted May 13, 2011 Share #2 Posted May 13, 2011 "giant snails invading Andalucia": bizarre example for a bizarre demand... What is interesting for you, and what it is for me? If you would tell more about yourself (just explaining that you have a M9 + 2 Leica lenses is not enough) I could perhaps help you. I do know very well Spain, and it is as complex a culture as any other. Regards, Manolo Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NZDavid Posted May 13, 2011 Share #3 Posted May 13, 2011 We loved visiting Seville, Granada, and Cordoba. Beautiful architecture with a rich Moorish history. Food is superb, and very affordable -- especially just off the main squares. Main meal at lunchtime is a good idea, but you may feel like a siesta afterwards. As it relates to my writing, I was particularly interested in house design: thick ultra insulated walls, internal courtyards, with gardens and fountains. These houses keep cool in summer (40C/100F+) with no need for airconditioning. Traditional passive solar design. Giant African snails are a menace. Interesting to hear they are spreading. There has just been a big earthquake in Lorca, in the south. I wonder how resistant most historic buildings are to earthquakes -- probably not a lot. We went by high-speed train; an excellent and hassle-free way to travel. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NZDavid Posted May 13, 2011 Share #4 Posted May 13, 2011 More on the snails! Not bizarre, they are serious! My wife, who works in biosecurity, says giant African snails really are a threat. They grow huge, are hermaphrodites and breed prolifically, and they devour everything. A big risk to horticulture and agriculture. They have probably come in with the waves of North African refugees arriving in southern Europe. Once established, probably impossible to eradicate. Below, one we spotted in Kuala Lumpur. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/151663-advice-for-the-traveler/?do=findComment&comment=1671746'>More sharing options...
andalus Posted May 13, 2011 Author Share #5 Posted May 13, 2011 My friend has offbeat tastes. Like me, she's a more or less retired reporter/journalist. So we like discrete offbeat tales, esp for short film documentaries. Meanwhile, I'll be snapping away with my M9 in Spain. Can't wait. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manolo Laguillo Posted May 14, 2011 Share #6 Posted May 14, 2011 In 1845, in London, a so called Richard Ford (1796-1858) published "A Handbook for Travellers in Spain and Readers at Home". Later, he did an excerpt from his "Handbook" under the title "Gatherings from Spain". This beautiful, highly enjoyable books are even now, 150 years later, a good starting point. Why? Because the places he visits, and later writes about, are still magnificent. Another reason for reading these books now if you are seriously interested in my country is because Ford does not belong to that romantic trend which considered the south of Europe worth visiting because it is exotic, mysterious, etc (Washington Irving is a nice example, among other artists). Ford was an informed traveller, and his opinions on Spain and the spaniards are still valid. May I suggest something: Why not follow the steps of that cultivated gentleman, who lived more or less at the same time than WH Fox Talbot, and whose ill wife stayed in Sevilla while he travelled in Spain? They lived here for three years, between 1830 and 1833. Regards, Manolo Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
antistatic Posted May 14, 2011 Share #7 Posted May 14, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) They grow huge, are hermaphrodites and breed prolifically, and they devour everything.snip Sound like a cabaret show I once saw. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anasebi Posted May 14, 2011 Share #8 Posted May 14, 2011 Reading about those giant snails always made me laugh; they always make sure to mention they're hermaphrodites. All land snails are hermaphrodites as far as I know. In my extensive biological studies gender to me has always come off as an evolutonary shortcut, inferior to the perfected method of reproduction of some mollusk. Didn't to us any favors thats for sure. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maenoba Posted May 16, 2011 Share #9 Posted May 16, 2011 Taking my M9 plus 28 Sum and 50 Lux Asph to Madrid (from NC) and then by car to ---- ?? in Andalucia. Going with videographer and she, in particular, is looking for unusual stories to tell with her camera. I have just been to Spain once, ten years ago. If anyone has any especially interesting ideas, places to go, whatever, please let me know! For example, we read recently that giant snails from N Africa have invaded southern Spain. We'll be looking for the snails. (This could be an offbeat story.)Please let me know any good tips you may have for this two week trip. Sevilla, Cordoba and Granada. Area of Las Alpujarras (Granada), Ronda and Route Pueblos Blancos (Málaga), Jerez and Cadiz. Sure be happy. Greetings. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stunsworth Posted May 16, 2011 Share #10 Posted May 16, 2011 Nothing to do with giant snails, or much of a current travel guide, but you might want to read this book by Norman Lewis to see how much the more remote parts of the country have changed in a short period of time... Voices of the Old Sea: Amazon.co.uk: Norman Lewis: Books Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manolo Laguillo Posted May 18, 2011 Share #11 Posted May 18, 2011 You had no reaction to my advice, andalus... what a pity , it is a truly "secret tip" Don't be fooled by the fact that Ford lived 150 years ago. ... Ok, you can also read something by Gerald Brenan. He lived near Granada. ... How long are you going to be in Andalucía? Keep in mind that it is a big region, with a more than 4000 years old history. ... Some tips, very practical: The fairly new road from Cadiz (the old city is very very nice, climb the Torre Tavira, you won't regeret it) to Algeciras through the countryside, not by the sea, is beautiful. Ubrique is nice, Jimena de la Frontera is a must, and of course Ronda and surroundings (there is a bullfighting museum in Ronda) as well. Sanlucar de Barrameda is interesting. You should visit Gibraltar, it's a truly bizarre place. From some points in the road from Algeciras to Tarifa, when the wind blows from the West, you will be able to clearly see Africa. Enjoy! Manolo Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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