Tag Archives: art

Lascaux

In 1940, four teenage boys and their dogs explored the grounds around the old Lascaux castle, in the Périgord region of France, looking for treasure. Robot, the dog, fell into a hole. They were able to rescue him, and could see there was an underground cave. The oldest, Marcel Ravidate, age 17, returned with some otherContinue reading “Lascaux”

Les Eyzies, Font-de-Gaume cave

Picturesque Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil, which calls itself the Center of Prehistory in Dordogne, France is surrounded by cliffs and rock formations, and is home to caves, shelters, and remains from tens of thousands of years and more in the past. It’s situated in the Vézère Valley, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. Up aboveContinue reading “Les Eyzies, Font-de-Gaume cave”

Setúbal 

An hour and a half bus ride, about 30 miles (40km) southeast from Lisbon, lies the much smaller city of Setúbal. An artist friend from Colorado moved there recently to join an expat artist community. I was pleased to see she seems to be settling in nicely, has made friends, and is awaiting her containerContinue reading “Setúbal “

Barcelona

Some artists take generations to have their works completed. Antonin Gaudi, whose art and architecture grace Barcelona, was one of them. I hadn’t been to Barcelona for twenty-four years. But after spending a week in Spain (Madrid, Alhama), it beckoned. I had heard that there were recent protests against tourists, because it was overrun withContinue reading “Barcelona”

Crossing Oaxaca

Driving across the state of Oaxaca, there were some interesting stops. The Arbol del Tule, a Montezuma cypress, or ahuehuete, has the largest trunk diameter in the world, and is over 130 feet tall. It’s on the grounds of a church at the town center of Santa María del Tule. The magnificent tree is twoContinue reading “Crossing Oaxaca”

Oaxaca

Ancestors have populated the region now called the state of Oaxaca for thousands of years. It was named Oaxaca, similar to the original Nahuatl name Huaxyacac meaning “place of the guaje trees,” by the Mexicas (Aztecs), and then inhabited by Zapotec and Mixtec who warred with each other. When the Spanish came, they imposed order andContinue reading “Oaxaca”

Puebla

The fourth largest city in Mexico, Puebla is a pleasant place to stroll. The city was founded by the Spanish in 1531; before then, the Mexicas (Aztecs) lived in the area now known as the state of Puebla. The historic center with its classic colonial architecture is an UNESCO World Heritage Site. The main streetContinue reading “Puebla”

Mexico City

Riding from the airport, so many colorful murals along the highway caught my eye. My hotel was near the city center. As I walked the city streets, I felt like I was back in Guatemala, where I had lived for three years a couple of decades ago. The street scenes were so similar, framed byContinue reading “Mexico City”

A day in Montreal

On a Toronto visit in late September, I drove to Montreal. My brother was invited to a friend’s gathering outside of Montreal, but couldn’t drive, having recently had surgery. So I offered to drive, along views of Lake Ontario, then through hills and forest. We stayed with friends on the west side of Mont RoyalContinue reading “A day in Montreal”