Travelling dolls: Teruel
Hello and welcome back to a new post on the Travelling dolls series, a series where I take my dolls with me on trips and talk a bit about the places that I visit. This is the third post of this series, and so far you seem to enjoy these type of posts.
This year I won't have any holidays from work until September, so we weren't planning to travel this summer. However, it turns out that there were two days of bank holiday falling on Thursday and Friday, so we had a nice mini-holiday of 4 days. This is long enough for a quick escapade to somewhere that isn't too far away. So, we picked Teruel, which is roughly 3 hours drive from where we live.
Teruel is the capital of the province of Teruel, Aragón. Teruel is well known for its gastronomy, being very popular the ham from there (jamón de Teruel). It's also well known for it's beautiful towns and the mudejar style buildings that still remain (Read more about Mudejar architecture in this article from UNESCO). We do not just enjoy those things about Teruel, but also the fact that they temperature is a bit cooler during summer and the streets don't feel like they're in flames.
We woke up early on a Thursday morning and drove to Teruel. It is not that far away, roughly 3 hours drive. We did take it slow, and even stopped by Requena to buy some of the best croissants I've ever had in my life. We arrived to Teruel by noon and, after a quick lunch, we went to explore the city.
 |
| View from our hotel room |
There are some nice things to see around town, completely for free. From la Torre Mudéjar del Salvador to the Escalinata del Ovalo. I only have this photo of Victoria at the Escalinata, as a lot of people walked by while we were taking photos, and they completely ruined the perspective.
Teruel city is 40 minutes drive away from Albarracín, so one morning we went there to just wander around and have lunch at a restaurant we loved when we went there. We already visited Albarracín two years ago and what a difference! Last time it was pretty quiet and, while there were some visitors, it wasn't crowded, but this year it was packed.
Despite that, we had a good time and had an amazing lunch at a great restaurant there. Please, behold the best cheesecake I've ever had in my life.
One of the things we really enjoyed doing was walking around. While it was hot, especially the last day we were there, it wasn't as hot and suffocating as it gets in our hometown. In Teruel, the temperature drops fairly low at night, and at least you don't wake up dripping in sweat. We did find this beautiful corner arbor path that was perfect for doll photos.
We didn't really do much, as we had already visited Teruel once 9 years ago, and our main goal was mainly to rest and relax. I also didn't take many photos because, to be fair, I wasn't very motivated to do so. I can't quite put a finger on what it is exactly, but I have lost a lot of motivation to take photos. I was looking back at some of my older photos and, while they had their issues, I found some of the compositions more creative, and it seemed like I was having fun taking them. My photos are still far from perfect or "technically correct", but honestly, that doesn't really matter to me. I do take photos of dolls, but I don't consider myself a photographer, nor do I aspire to be one, if that makes sense. I just want to find the spark again.
Well, after that somewhat pessimistic statement, it is time to start wrapping up this post. I know I haven't shared as many details as in my previous two posts, but I got somewhat of a writer's block while working on this and it has taken me forever to finish it. But I really do enjoy Teruel, it is a very beautiful city, and the food is just delicious. If you are planning on visiting Spain, consider visiting a place like Teruel instead of going to an overcrowded coastal town.
Currently, I am working on a second Board and Batten wall. It's the same design, so this time I'm filming a little YouTube tutorial. I don't know when that'll be ready, since both crafting and editing take some time, but I'll make sure to let you all know.
Hope you are all doing well. I'll be back as soon as possible.
Monster Crafts
¡Hola! A mí también me encanta Teruel, justo este verano hace siete años que fui y volvería sin dudarlo (yo la tengo un poquito más lejos, a unas cuatro horas y media); recuerdo que por aquel entonces la torre de la catedral estaba en obras...
ReplyDeleteLas fotos han quedado genial y, en cuanto a la inspiración y motivación, es algo que viene y va, como tú dices, y a veces no nos sentimos con ganas, a diferencia de otros momentos. Me pasa como a ti, nunca he aspirado a ser fotógrafa ni hacer fotos perfectas, tanto a las muñecas como a los paisajes y monumentos que visito. Lo paso bien, juego con los ángulos y perspectivas, pero es eso, divertirme y no buscar ser una profesional.
¡Feliz semana!
Hola Marina. Gracias, me alegra que te gusten las fotos. La verdad es que ahora mismo lo único que me motiva es hacer manualidades y coser. La fotografía en el fondo solo es una herramienta para compartir contenido aquí, realmente nunca ha sido el objetivo final. Aunque sí, a veces he sacado fotos solo por diversión, puede ser muy creativo pensar en ideas y composiciones. Simplemente ahora no es el momento para mí.
Delete¡Feliz semana a ti también!
It looks like you had a nice little trip. I enjoy seeing parts of Spain that are "off the beaten path," as we would say in English. I hate being dependent on my mood or my "spark" to do creative things too. Victoria looks gorgeous in your photos.
ReplyDeleteThanks Barb! I prefer to visit less popular places. I often find more talked about destinations a bit overrated.
DeleteThanks for stopping by!
Hi MC!
ReplyDeleteTeruel sounds like a great place to relax and recuperate, I love places that are less trodden by tourists and have great food. They are hard to come by these days though, as once a place is known for great food, it often becomes a tourist mecca.
Photos of Victoria are great, you shouldn't worry about your photography skills so much, mine are nowhere near as good. I particularly love the architectural backdrops, old buildings have so much charm.
Losing motivation to take photos seems to be a common problem that we all go through from time to time and sometimes we need to look elsewhere to find it again. I think that was why I played around with dropping in those fantasy backdrops in mine...it has motivated me. Not so much as to take photos as such, but to diversify...but more on that later.
Enjoy the sun while it lasts, and have fun!
Big hugs,
X
Hi Xanadu!
DeleteI too, prefer places that are less crowded. I would say though that what often makes places become a "tourist mecca" is if they become "instagrammable". People just want to take that photo and flaunt it on social media.
I don't think that your photos are bad by any means, nor do I think that mine are great. I do agree that we often need to find motivation elsewhere. So far it's taking me a bit to find mine.
Big hugs to you too!