Strolling around the old streets of historic Valencia, I bumped into this nice fashion shop whose wooden doors call my attention, they were full of textures! The name of this shop is "Madame Bugalú and the killer poodle", I'm not kidding ...

Paseando por las calles de Valencia me topé con esta bonita tienda de moda cuyas puertas de madera llamaron mi atención ... ¡estaban llenas de texturas! El nombre de la tienda, y no estoy bromenado, es "Madame Bugalú y el caniche asesino" ...

Well, Ive been tagged by my friend Daniel Cheong, ... so here are 16 random things about me:

1.- I’m 45.

2.- I have a twin brother, in fact we’re identical. So maybe you can bump into him and to think that he is me. To confuse things even more, in fact I’m not twin, I’m triplet, so we’re three brothers from the same birth. However, two are identical twins and the other one looks completely different.

3.- I studied economics and I’m an assistant professor at the University. I devote my time to teaching and researching.

4.- My main topic of research is economic valuation of natural assets and non-market goods.

5.- One of my resolutions for this year is to write a book about the non-market benefits of redeveloping port related areas for leisure activities (waterfront redevelopment). However, Flickr is too much time consuming, so I hope don’t wreck this project.

6.- I joined Flickr in May 2006, but my first year was as if I were in a dreamworld (limbo), because I didn’t pay too much attention to Flickr … what I was missing!

7.- My two favorites books are Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh and On the Road by Jack Kerouac. I’m aware that they are completely different, however both let a huge influence on me. On the Road impressed me because as I was raised in a conservative environment, the crazy and frenetic life of Sal Paradise made me “dream” to such an extreme that last year I read the book three times. Brideshead Revisited, with its evocation of the pre-war Oxford by Charles Ryder, who tells the story, has also seduced me, hence the quotation of this book in my Flickr profile

8.- I have no favorite movie, however the last movies from China (Crouching tiger, hidden dragon; Hero; House of flying daggers, … ) are among my preferred ones. Why? Because all of them portray a love story and maybe I’m a romantic without knowing it. In addition, I find Ziyi Zhang one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen.

9.- As I’ve grown older – well, don’t misunderstand me, I’m still consider myself young- I have appreciated more and more the good cuisine and wine. In fact I belong to a wine tasting club and I’ve tasted wines since 1990.

10.- My first camera was a Yashica Electro 35 GSN that my father bought for my twin brother and me. It was when I was about eleven or twelve. So I’ve been shooting photos for a long time. However, I experienced a new awakening with the digital era.

11.- When I bought my 10-22 mm lenses I was crazy about this lenses: I couldn’t imagine the area covered by it. Now is may favorite lenses.

12.- In the future, if I can afford it, I’ll wind up buying a full frame camera. What most amazed me lately in Flikcr, is the hundreds of people that have bought this last Christmas a EOS 5D Mark II, it looks as If this camera was cheap or that everybody is rich …

13.- Love landscape and architecture photography. However, if I have to be sincere, I’d like to make portraiture photography but I’m afraid that I never will be capable of being a decent portrait photographer.

14.- Love to play tennis and paddle tennis.

15.- Love motorcycles. Every day I ride my own motorbike and I think that there is no other vehicle that makes yourself feel freer.

16.- … When I grew older, look for me in Denia (Alicante, Spain), … my little ‘paradise’ on the beach.

Tags:   Salvador del Saz Salva del Saz Valencia Spain España hidden oculta Bugalu fashion shop moda tienda texturas textures old vieja antigual historica historic selective color blanco negro black white Canon EOS 40D EFS 10-22mm 10-22 mm 10-22 wide angle ultra gran angular HDR High Dynamic Range I've been tagged caniche asesino killer poodle red star estrella roja

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Coming back to HDR photography! You know that I like to overdo a little my HDR photos, I can't avoid it, I like the drama created with this technique and how it brings out the best textures, ... the old walls of this magnificent building are plenty of beautiful textures.

La Lonja de la Seda (Valencia, Spain).
Built between 1482 and 1533, this group of buildings was originally used for trading in silk (hence its name, the Silk Exchange) and it has always been a centre for commerce. It is a masterpiece of late Gothic architecture. The grandiose Sala de Contratación (Contract or Trading Hall), in particular, illustrates the power and wealth of a major Mediterranean mercantile city in the 15th and 16th centuries.

UNESCO World Heriage Site whc.unesco.org/en/list/782

Tags:   Salvador del Saz Salva del Saz Valencia España Spain Lonja Llotja Seda Comercio Commerce Trade silk exchange world heritage UNESCO patrimonio humanidad classic architecture clasica arquitectura gothic gotico HDR High Dynamic Range Canon EOS 40D EFS 10-22 10-22 mm 10-22 ultra wide angle gran angular extremo historic

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The last one of a series of three photos of the new Calatrava's bridge inaugurated one week ago in Valencia (Spain).

Comments are welcome and thanks for stopping by.
Have a nice week end!

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Tags:   salvador del saz salva del saz Valencia Spain España City Arts Sciences ciudad artes ciencias CAC bridge museum museo Santiago Calatrava sunset atardecer sky cielo clouds nubes perspective perspectiva HDR High Dynamic Range Assut d'Or Canon EOS 40D EFS 10-22 10-22mm 10-22 ultra wide angle gran angular

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Another image of the new bridge raised by Santiago Calatrava in Valencia, inaugurated last week. The metal structure on the left is the last building that Calatrava is raising in the complex of the City of Arts and Sciences. It's called "The Agora", but to me it resembles the shape of a big monster hence the tittle of the photo.

Behemoth: Something enormous in size or power. Name given to a huge beast in the Bible

Thanks a lot for your visits and comments.
Have a nice day!

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Tags:   Salvador del Saz Salva del Saz Calatrava Santiago Valencia City Arts Sciences ciudad artes ciencias Spain España CAC assut d'or bridge agora Behemoth crane grua puente HDR High Dynamic Range ultra wide angle gran angular sunset atardecer Canon EOS 40D EFS 10-22 mm 10-22 mm 10-22 perspective perspectiva architecture modern arquitectura moderna or

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Hi, this is my first photo of a series taken yesterday at the new bridge raised in Valencia by the architect Santiago Calatrava. Again, it has been very controversial. Apart of the extra cost, people complain that the shape of the bridge resembles them the "ugly" tool ("jamonero") used in the kitchen to hold a Spanish ham ("jamón serrano") in order to cut it in slices in a safe way. In addition, the City of Arts and Sciences is getting very crowded because all the buildings are located very close among them. In any case, it seems that the controversy is always behind the work by a genius as Santiago Calatrava.

Without the intention of being a whiner, again my apologies for the long delay in reciprocating your comments.

Have a nice weekend!

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Tags:   salvador del saz salva del saz Valencia Spain España City Arts Sciences ciudad artes ciencias caltrava santiago new bridge nuevo puente sunset atardecer HDR high dynamic range Canon EOS 40D EFS 10-22 10-22 mm 10-22 wide angle ultra gran angular CAC Assut d'Or architecture modern engineering YLIHLM

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