Autumn in the Pyrenees

Autumnal colours in the Spanish Pyrenees captured in an HDR photo from above the village of Liri in Huesca

Liri, Huesca, Aragón - Autumnal Panorama

 An HDR photo of autumn colours in the Spanish Pyrenees, taken from the village of Liri in Huesca, Aragón

Sevilla - Torre del Oro & Puente de San Telmo

Seville: Picture of Golden Tower and Bridge of Sant Telmo by Night
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Mezquita & Puente Romano / Great Mosque and Roman Bridge, Córdoba

Córdoba: Picture of the Mezquita and Roman Bridge at Nightfall
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Technical Details
Panorama composed of 5 scenes, each comprising 3 shots with exposure bracketting of +/-2 stops

Date: 9th May 2010, 9:30pm
Camera: Canon ESO 450D
Focal Lenght: 55mm

F-Stop: F7.1
Shutter Speed: 1.3, 2.5 & 5 seconds (HDR)
White Balance: Tungsten light (approx 3200K)
Software: PTGUI Pro for panorama stitching and HDR processing

Background
Known officially as the Cathedral of Córdoba (Andalucia, Spain) but more popularly known as the Mezquita (and in English as the Great Mosque) this monument, along with the Alhambra in Granada, is one of the two most famous legacies of the Moorish occupation of Spain (711 to 1492). Construction of the Mezquita was begun in 784 by Abd ar-Rahman, founder of the Umayyad Emirate of Córdoba on the site of the Christian Visigothic church of St. Vincent which had been constructed around a century earlier. The Mezquita was extended over a period of two centuries to accommodate the ever increasing number of Muslim converts living in Córdoba as it became the centre of the Muslim dynasty which ruled the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa.
Since 1236, when Muslim rule in Cordoba ended with the capture of the city by King Ferdinand III of Castile, the building has been used as a Christian church. In 1523 work began on the construction of a renaissance Cathedral inside the building of the Mezquita. This is the taller, central part of the structure seen in the photograph.
This panoramic view of the Mezquita in Córdoba also shows the river Guadalquivir and Roman Bridge (Puente Romano), originally constructed in the 1st Century AD under the rule of the Roman emperor Augustus but extensively remodelled since. The last major renovation of the bridge was completed in 2008.

See also: Mihrab in Mezquita de Córdoba

Almodóvar del Río‎, Córdoba

Còrdoba: Panoramic Photo of Almodóvar del Río‎ by Night
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Background
Panorama of Castillo de Almodovar del Río - Córdoba, Spain (Almodóvar castle).

Almodóvar del Río is located in the province of Córdoba, in the Guadalquivir lowland region, Andalucía. The village has around 7.700 habitants. The name Almodóvar goes back to the 9th century when it was named by the arabs Almudawar Al-Adna (Almudawar: the round. Al-Adna: by the river), referring to the round hill where the impressive fortress Castle of Almodóvar was built, and the river of Guadalquivir. Through history several civilizations, as Neolithic, Iberian, Roman, Visigoth and Arab, have lived in this area.


The castle is an arabic construcion from 740, built in stone on old Paleothic foundations and it remained under musulman rule until conquered by D. Fernando III “El Santo” in the 13th century. Through time it has served as as military fortress and royal prison as well as financial deposit (to buy Fuente Obejuna in early 1513) and has even has got its own legend, the Legend of Zaida from 1091, telling the story about queen Zaida, who is said to be seen in the Homage tower each March 28th in search for her murdered husband.


The castle has undergone several ampliations and restorations, the most important ones made by Count de Torralba started in 1903 and ended in 1936, due to the Civil War.


Since1629 the castle has belonged to the same family and offers today guided tours and theatrical visits, among other things, inviting the public to discover the beauty and the mystery of its towers and walls, the Weapons Courtyard and its underground elements.

Calella de Palafrugell, Costa Brava, Catalunya

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Costa Brava: Panoramic Photo of Calella de Palafrugell at Nightfall

Barcelona, Statue of Columbus/Colon at Night

Barcelona: Photograph of Columbus Statue by Night
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The Raval by Night, Barcelona

Picture of the Raval, Barcelona by Night
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