A taste of Segovia

Recently I visited the city of Segovia in Spain. Unfortunately this time sightseeing was not my number one priority. If you have read some of my previous posts, you already know I was there as a photographer for one of the bands playing at FEMUKA street jazz festival.
Even with most of my time dedicated to music, I still succeeded in taking quite a few pretty decent photos of this beautiful city.

Segovia is famous for the magnificent Roman Aqueduct which is also on the UNESCO World Heritage list, the magnificent 16th-century Gothic cathedral and a stunning castle - the Alcázar.

Unfortunately I didn't succeed in snatching of a really good photo of the famous over two thousand year's old Roman aqueduct - the light was never just right. Also the Alcazar of Segovia - the royal palace located on top of a hill between the rivers Eresma and Clamores stayed effectively hidden from my sight. I also couldn't find my way inside the cathedral.

Despite of all this I was still satisfied with the outcome. A few good photos and lots of great music was more than enough for me... at least for this time. I think the city with its surroundings definitely deserve at least another visit - next time probably with a little less focus on music.

Photos published in this post are just some of the better ones of that day. After going through many photos taken in Segovia I had to conclude it is another one of those places where you can hardly get away with a bad photo.

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Kar Češ Brass Band performing in Segovia, Spain

Performing in a fascinating Spanish city of Segovia was part of FEMUKA 2012 street jazz festival program. It was a great concert - the crowd really loved it.

This is a short video of Kar ČeŠ Brass Band from Slovenia, playing Round one - a piece originally performed by Youngblood Brass Band.

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Storks of El Espinar

One of the first things I noticed upon arrival to the town of El Espinar in the Spanish region of Castilla y León were storks nesting on most of rooftops. Most of those nests were occupied by one or two quite large but I suppose still young storks.
If you were not following my recent activity I should probably explain I visited FEMUKA street jazz festival that took place in the area around this Spanish town. To see all posts related to the festival, please click on the FEMUKA label in the right column.

We also have storks nesting in some parts of Slovenia but usually there are just a few nests in each village. In El Espinar I had a feeling I just visited a very popular stork holiday destination in the peak season.

These large birds obviously like this region a lot. I saw them also in other nearby villages but nowhere were so many of them. I needed some time to get used to being awaken by a strange clapping sound they make with their beaks. They did this non-stop but surprisingly I did not find it annoying.
Even if by some strange coincidence next year there is no human crowd gathered for the festival, there will always be a patient crowd clapping (with questionable rhythmic capabilities) from the rooftops to the enthusiastic jazz musicians.

You can actually see their nests on the roof of the church on the above photo. I can't imagine who wouldn't like that kind of audience.

I guess the region is a perfect place for a birdwatcher. If you are lucky enough, you can even spot a stork taking a slow stroll on the pavement.

The only thing you have to keep in mind in order to see them is to visit during their nesting season - every autumn they depart on a long journey south.

Obviously I took quite a few photos of them. I hope you like the ones I actually decided to post.

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