Nick O'Brien Profile picture
Aug 27 16 tweets 5 min read Read on X
My favorite photos from researching Spain every day for two years... 🧵

1. The ruins of Calatañazor Castle, rising above an ocean of sunflowers in Soria. Image
2. A patchwork of green fields leading into Castrojeriz, heart of the Camino de Santiago. Image
3. Inside Salamanca’s New Cathedral — soaring Gothic pillars and golden light. Image
4. Cliff jumping into the Atlantic as the sun sets over Cueva de Porís de la Candelaria on the Island of La Palma. Image
5. Looking up at the Drago Milenario of Icod de los Vinos — an ancient tree said to be over 800 years old. Image
6. Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter. A lone figure walking beneath the Pont del Bisbe. Image
7. Albarracín looks carved from the very rock it sits on. Image
8. A hamlet in the Picos de Europa of Cantabria. Does anyone know the name? Image
9. Seville Cathedral’s Giralda bell tower crowned by a Blood Moon. Image
10. The Olympic Ring of Barcelona — where the 1992 Games transformed the city forever. Image
11. The stained-glass skylight of the Palace of Catalan Music in Barcelona. Image
12. Valencia’s Sistine Chapel — the frescoed vault of San Nicolás de Bari y San Pedro Mártir. Image
13. Sheep grazing under Anboto, said to be home to the Basque goddess Mari. Image
14. Stone walls, wooden balconies, red-tiled roofs — Santillana del Mar is one of Spain’s most beautiful towns. Image
15. When the sun sets, Salamanca’s Plaza Mayor turns to gold. Image
Cheers, everybody! I hope you enjoyed 🇪🇸✨

Follow me @NickLovesSpain for daily insight into Spain's endless charm ❤️ Image

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More from @NickLovesSpain

Aug 24
Everyone knows Salamanca for its golden sandstone city.

But its surrounding province holds medieval villages, sacred fiestas, and landscapes that will leave you breathless.

Here’s the side of Salamanca most people never see... 🧵 Image
1. La Alberca

The first village in Spain declared Conjunto Histórico-Artístico (1940).

Famous for its Jewish-Christian heritage, granite-and-timber architecture, and the 500-year-old tradition of releasing a pig (Marrano de San Antón) to roam freely.

🎥: hormigas_x_elmundo
2. Miranda del Castañar

14th-century walled town with four original gates, medieval castle, and one of the oldest preserved town layouts in Castile-León.

🎥: nereabados
Read 15 tweets
Aug 20
Everyone knows Galicia for the Camino de Santiago, its iconic cathedral, and its legendary octopus.

But Spain’s northwest corner holds far more magic than most people realize.

Here are 15 breathtaking sights that make Galicia one of the most underrated regions on Earth... 🧵 Image
1. As Catedrais Beach

Natural arches and sea-carved “cathedrals” rising from the sand, revealed at low tide.

Located on the coast of Lugo, it’s considered Spain’s most spectacular geological beach formation and one of Europe’s top natural wonders.

🎥: josef_florian10
2. Cíes Islands

A pristine Atlantic archipelago off the coast of Vigo, part of the Atlantic Islands National Park.

Home to Rodas Beach: once named “the best beach in the world” by The Guardian for its Caribbean-like white sand and turquoise waters.

🎥: trilhosecaminhadas
Read 17 tweets
Aug 19
Most foreigners never make it to Extremadura.

But it's capital holds the best-preserved Roman city in Spain.

This is Mérida — and the story behind the 14th UNESCO World Heritage Site in the country… 🧵 Image
Founded in 25 BC by Emperor Augustus, Emerita Augusta was designed as the capital of Lusitania, one of Rome’s wealthiest Iberian provinces. Image
UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site in 1993, as “an excellent example of a provincial Roman capital."

Preserving one of the most complete ensembles of public buildings from the Roman Empire anywhere in Europe. Image
Read 14 tweets
Jun 17
Spain is home to over 8,000 towns and villages.

And in 2011, a national association set out to crown the most beautiful.

Here are the first 15 they chose — and it's no surprise why... 🧵 Image
1. Albarracín (Teruel, Aragón)

A pink-hued medieval village wrapped in walls and perched above a gorge.

Declared a National Monument in 1961 and often called the most beautiful village in Spain. Image
2. Peñíscola (Castellón, Valencian Community)

A walled seaside town on a rocky peninsula, crowned by a 13th-century Templar castle.

Home to Antipope Benedict XIII and filming site for Game of Thrones. Image
Read 17 tweets
Jun 16
There are 3,000 abandoned towns scattered across Spain.

Along with leper colonies, haunted mansions, and hotels from the past.

Here are 20 of the most fascinating places the country left behind… 🧵 Image
1. Canfranc (Aragón)

One of Europe's grandest abandoned stations, tied to WWII espionage and Nazi gold shipments.

Restored and reopened in 2023 as a luxury hotel. Image
2. Belchite (Aragón)

A Civil War battlefield left in ruins and never rebuilt.

Franco ordered it preserved as a haunting “monument to war.” Image
Read 22 tweets
Jun 15
The year was 1808.

Napoleon’s forces surrounded Zaragoza, expecting a swift and easy victory.

What followed was one of the deadliest urban battles in European history. And it began 217 years ago today... 🧵 Image
Napoleon’s armies swept across Spain. Madrid had fallen. Most cities gave in.

But in Zaragoza — a fiercely religious city in Aragón — the people chose to resist. Image
Their leader? José de Palafox — a young nobleman with little military experience.

To prepare for war, the city’s churches rang their bells, and civilians fortified the streets.

Zaragoza wasn't a military outpost. It was their home. Image
Read 15 tweets

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