Holiday in SpainMapNovember 8–20, 2012 Spain is wonderful in the fall: the tourists are all gone, but the beauty is all there. A curious thing about Spain: every city has benches for one. ![]() BarcelonaMapThe black guys selling fake designer bags on the central streets have devised a new method of making a quick getaway from the cops without losing their goods: they hold ropes tied to the edges of the sheets on which their counterfeit wares are laid out. In a panic, all you have to do is grab the reins and run—the goods will automatically be in a bag behind your back. ![]() An excellent system: when the light is green for pedestrians, a separate yellow light flashes for cars that are making a turn. ![]() There’s a special stop line at traffic lights for mopeds, which have the right to stop in front of the other traffic. ![]() IbizaMapGenerally speaking, my trip to the Canary Islands convinced me that all Spanish resorts must be terrible. I was certain that Ibiza was just a meaningless scorched beach with dance clubs. But it turned out to be a most charming spot with an old city. ![]() A public bathroom. ![]() A bench. ![]() There’s a fitness circuit along the waterfront, with instructions for some kind of useful exercise every hundred meters. ![]() A dog poop bag dispenser. ![]() Underground garbage vaults, where the dumpsters descend below ground via an elevator, fit right into the surrounding old streets. ![]() Wood chests for cardboard recycling, which resemble barrel organs, are set up all over the island. ![]() The Ibiza traffic light. ![]() Palma de MallorcaMapAnother place I had absolutely no positive expectations for. And it turned out to be a lovely little spot. ![]() They glaze balconies wonderfully here. ![]() The bus stops are absolutely gorgeous here. ![]() One of the churches here has been turned into a work of modern art. There are faces drawn on the floor, one of the columns glows, and off to the side is a statue of a man trying to lick a light bulb hanging from the ceiling. It’s worth popping in here if only to see how much more liberal the Catholic mentality is compared to the Orthodox Christian one. In Russia, you’d get shot for even thinking about remodeling a church this way. ![]() The Palma hydrant in its decorative hood. ![]() A taxi. ![]() The local stairways are often illuminated with built-in red lights. ![]() A dispenser with bags for cleaning up after your dog is built right into the bin for throwing out those bags. ![]() A trash can. ![]() New underground garbage containers. ![]() Old underground garbage containers. They’re all taped up with plastic to prevent people from throwing trash in them while they await replacement by a newer system. ![]() All the signage and advertising is very unobtrusive and neat so as not to detract from the appearance of the old streets. The pharmacy signs, like everywhere else in Spain, are the only bright spots. ![]() MelillaMapMelilla is a Spanish city in the north of Morocco. ![]() Although it’s surrounded by Africa, Spanish standards have ensured the presence of civilization and underground garbage containers. ![]() A trash can. ![]() A manhole. ![]() Street signs. ![]() The park. ![]() The traffic lights in Melilla are blue. ![]() Construction debris dumpsters are miniature-sized, as though they get hauled off by regular passenger cars. ![]() There’s regular service to the mainland. ![]() MalagaMapThe primary—and most ubiquitous—detail in Malaga is the signpost with five signs. There’s always five. ![]() An ashtray at the entrance to a shopping mall. ![]() A used battery disposal. ![]() Underground garbage and recycling containers. ![]() A vacant/occupied sign in a taxi. ![]() A bus stop. ![]() Workers bent over a manhole. ![]() CeutaMapLike Melilla, Ceuta is a Spanish exclave in Morocco. But you can only fly here via helicopter, and only in the summer. A ferry provides access the rest of the time. ![]() The most astonishing pedestrian traffic lights in the world can be found here. The green man lights up. ![]() And then a skirt and braid start to light up on him intermittently. This isn’t an electronics glitch, it’s the intended design. ![]() The Moroccan influence is clearly visible here. Half the city’s residents wear headscarves. ![]() A Ceutian. ![]() The pedestrian crossing sign is decorated with LEDs. It’s impossible to make out the picture when they’re lit up. ![]() A fire hydrant on a concrete base—so that it won’t get knocked over by a car. ![]() People dry laundry outside their windows, regardless of the height. ![]() The laundry is the city’s chief ornamentation. ![]() A boy with a kite runs past the dumpsters. ![]() A Ceuta side street. ![]() A monument. ![]() Spiderman. ![]() Preparations for Christmas are in full swing. ![]() ValenciaMapAwesome city. I’d like to return here. ![]() |
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november 2012
Spanish vacation
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