Andalucía Photography Adventure Nature Photography Adventures

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1 Andalucía Photography Adventure Nature Photography Adventures 29 September - 8 October 2018 Andalucía, that special region of Southern Spain, is steeped in history, varied in geography, and rich in longstanding agricultural traditions. This is ground zero for olive production for the world. It s the land where, in that same year Columbus stumbled on the Americas, the Spanish pushed out the Moors. Before that there were the Romans and Phoenicians, but we are way ahead of ourselves! We re headed to Andalucía to bask in history and rural agriculture all in the pursuit of great photographic opportunities. To start, we land in Seville! Day 1 Arrive in Seville Today is all about arriving from your international flight, transferring to our Seville hotel and then being blown away by how special this setting is and how rich our time here will be. We ll plan on a late day orientation and a welcome dinner. IF (and that s a big IF after your international flight) you are up to it, we might go out and work on night photography in this beautiful city. Note if you choose to come in a day early, we invite you to wander with us today, and photograph this beautiful city! Hotel Palacio Villapanes - Dinner Day 2 Seville! Let s kick this off with a ride on horse-drawn carriages to visit and photograph some amazing architectural achievements in a beautiful formal park. We ll stop (you ll be begging) to play with our cameras whenever the light and subject matter combine in ways we simply cannot resist! We ll cruise the river on a private boat, enjoying Tapas, and seeing where Columbus set sail and the riches from the Americas were logged in as the looting ships returned. And, we ll visit the Alcazar (one could spend an entire day photographing here) and photograph nightfall at the Cathedral. This first day is going to make your head spin with all the history and all the visual stimuli and more around every corner! Hotel Palacio Villapanes - Breakfast, Lunch

2 Day 3 Off to Úbeda via Córdoba We ll depart early today we have a feeding frenzy of photography to accomplish! When the Spanish pushed out the Moors, most of mosques that were left behind were reduced to rubble and new structures took their place. Today, we will see and photograph an exciting exception in Córdoba. Córdoba was the Moorish capital in Spain and the mosque La Mezquita was a stunning architectural accomplishment. The Spanish recognized its beauty and converted it into a Catholic Church, keeping much of the original architecture! We get to go in early, before the crowds and we have petitioned to bring in tripods (we were successful last time). This is sensory overload and a chance to photograph architecture that simply overwhelms you. We ll stay until they pull the plug or we simply drop from the exhaustion of taking in more mental compositions than we can possibly turn into pixels! Afterwards, we ll catch some coffee and then make our way to Úbeda, a town that is a living relic of times gone by and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We ll set up camp in Hotel Palacio Úbeda. Then we ll wander the streets, photographing historical structures, ending the day as the sun sets and the lights come on and the tapas come out in little street cafes! Hotel Palacio Úbeda - breakfast Day 4 Úbeda, Baeza and olives We ll explore the Renaissance architecture of these two wonderfully preserved towns both listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. We ll find fountains, churches, and other exciting architecture that will dazzle in our compositions. And we ll make our first foray into the olive groves. Olives, first domesticated in Mesopotamia, made it here 8,000 years ago and some of the groves we will see and visit have been olive groves for all of that time. We ll find old trees (not 8,000 years old, but old) and photograph them finding patterns and textures much like photographing the hands of an old farmer. And we ll visit a local olive press where we can learn about the process of converting olives to oil! Hotel Palacio Úbeda - Breakfast Day 5 To Granada This morning we have a short drive through picturesque rural olive-growing countryside to our destination, Granada. We ll stop when the light and scenery combine to speak to us, perhaps even finding another aged stand of olives. We ll work our way to Granada, settle in our hotel, and then gather for a late day journey up into the Arab quarter of El Albaicin to watch as the day gives way to dusk and the lights come on at the Alhambra. We know a secret spot, away from the crowd, where we can watch and photograph this transition and then take a short walk to an outstanding dinner where we can continue to observe the Alhambra at night. Tripods are a must for this outing! Villa Oniria - Breakfast, Dinner with wine included

3 Day 6 The Alhambra The Moors, with all the architectural prowess of cultures from Rome to Carthage to Phoenicia to Athens influencing them, set out to recreate heaven on earth. They called it Alhambra and some say it may be as close as humans have come to their goal. It certainly showcases human achievement and, for us, it is a wealth of intriguing colors and patterns, highlights and shadows, and intricate detail combinable with a creative eye into outstanding compositions. We ll start the morning on the outside, exploring the gardens and the exteriors, finding combinations of fountains and flora, stairways and doorways, and vantage points. We ll imagine what it was like to be here before the Moors were forced to abandon it and create images that seek to capture both the patterns and the essence of this magic place. After a midday retreat to let the crowds own this magic place, we ll once again ascend the hill to enter inside the beautiful palaces. There will be many people and it will take all our skills to find windows of opportunity but the photographic rewards are worth the effort. This inner sanctum of palaces, water features, and varied architecture will call you time after time after time to create! We ll be there to coach and help it is truly a photographic feeding frenzy! Selfie sticks are banned! Villa Oniria - Breakfast, Dinner with wine included Day 7 Granada to Ronda Today we abandon Granada and make our way through olive groves to Ronda. The terrain will become increasingly rugged and the groves will weave patchworks onto the hillsides. Once again, we ll watch for those moments when light combines with old olive stands to create opportunities to compose. Perhaps we ll even find an old farmer out pruning his trees or surveying his potential harvest! Outside Ronda we ll set up camp in a beautiful boutique country resort, Fuente de la Higuera, itself nestled among olive trees. You ll finally feel you have arrived in Andalucían countryside! And, given the comforts of this resort, you may never want to leave! But, at some point we ll explore nearby Ronda, noted for three outstanding bridges over a deep gorge, each from a different time period. We ll find outstanding angles and make photographs and later you ll look back and marvel at compositions. It s just that kind of place. Dinner tonight on the terrace, by the pool, under the stars surrounded by olive groves. Who said the Alhambra was heaven! Fuente de la Higuera - Breakfast, Dinner

4 Day 8 Las Cuevas de Ronda It might seem like we are stepping away from our cultural theme, venturing into caves in the karst formations that make up the landscape around Ronda. But no! One of the caves has prehistoric cave paintings and we re going to figure out how to photograph them! The other cave has an entrance with a striking resemblance to a cat s face. And, from the mouth of the gato flows a stream. Think photo ops! We are! The time exposure opportunities here are really fun! This afternoon, we switch gears. We re off to visit a small rural winery. This will be an intimate visit and our cameras will be welcome! And, they might even let us taste wine or even grapes! Fuente de la Higuera - Breakfast, Dinner Day 9 Retreat in Style Back to Seville Today we abandon our country resort and begin our journey back to Seville. But, it is not a dashing drive back to the Seville airport rather we are bringing our explorations to a crashing finale! First, we ll visit Vejer de la Frontera, a stunning walled hilltop town. The original fortified town served both the Moors and the Spanish and now is regarded as the quintessential pueblo blanco white town gleaming against a blue sky. From there we ll find Medina Sidonia, another small village on a hilltop. With luck, we ll be able to climb to the belltower of the beautiful local church! Now the surprise a visit to Jerez and the sherry cellars of Bodegas Tradición, one of the finest producers of sherry in the world. They also happen to have a rather important collection of art on the premises just waiting for us to explore.

5 Day 9 continued Then back to our starting hotel in Seville where you can rest up for tomorrow s flights. But no! We have one more treat in store. Tonight is flamenco and tapas! Not together you ll have your camera in hand while the flamenco performance is underway and we ll be there to coach you as this is challenging action photography! Then tapas! Hotel Palacio Villapanes - Breakfast, Dinner with wine Day 10 Bid Farewell to Andalucía One last great breakfast at this great hotel. Then, transfers arranged to match your flight times. If you are like us, it will be hard to leave! Breakfast 2018 Prices Double Occupancy: $7,200 Single Occupancy: $8,750 $1,000 Deposit due with application $2,000 due August 15, 2017 Balance due May 1, 2018 Group Size: 6-12 Included in Prices Hotel Accommodations Transportation for outings and transfers English speaking guides One or two photography guides/instructors Entrance Fees Activity Fees Meals as indicated in itinerary Not Included in Prices Tips and gratuities Meals not specified in itinerary Beverages unless noted Trip Insurance International Airfare to Seville