The Oldest Synagogue In Europe

Horseshoe Arches. Toledo, Spain, May 2013. 

From Madrid, Toledo is a short train ride northwest. One of the most beautiful structures my friends Janelle, Cat, and I visited was the Santa María la Blanca. Santa María la Blanca is the oldest standing synagogue in Europe. Completed in 1180, this building is an interesting blend as it was constructed by Moorish architects to be used as a synagogue in a Catholic country. You can see the distinctly Islamic influence in the architecture, particularly in these horseshoe arches. It was a synagogue until the 1400s, and has been since used as a monastery, an armory and warehouse, and is now a museum.  

Vertigo

Vertigo. Barcelona, Spain. May 2013.  

I climbed up the Nativity Façade of La Sagrada Familia and I captured this shot on my walk down one of the spires. The vertical nature of the cathedral is definitely something to marvel at. The Nativity Façade is the more ornate side of the cathedral and the first façade to be completed under the personal supervision of Gaudí. Gaudí's original design for La Sagrada Familia calls for 18 spires and eight have been completed to-date, four on the Nativity Façade and four on the Passion Façade. Only ten more and a century left to go! 

Orange Peels

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Orange Spirals. Barcelona, Spain. May 2013.

My friend Madalene and I were walking to La Barceloneta for a drink by the beach when I saw these orange peels drying outside an apartment. My first thought was, 'How beautiful'; my second thought, 'I really have to figure out how to peel an orange in one piece'.