Chani's Creative Space

We will soon be able to harvest oranges, except for the ones that fell to the ground due to the heavy rain. Still, they are beautiful lying on the street.  Oranges lying on the street after the rain in Torremolinos (Andalusia, Spain) #oranges #fall #Torremolinos #Andalusia #Málaga #Spain

Quite heavy rain is expected today and tomorrow, which is good. If it does not rain now, we won't have enough water in the summer (again). Less crowded beaches are nice too, and since the clocks changed, it is finally dark and cozy again in the evenings. Carihuela Beach today (Torremolinos, Spain) #Torremolinos #Carihuela #Andalusia #Andalucía #Málaga #Spain #rain #beach

Nature is often the only thing that can heal you when you feel powerless. Next to our path in the Salina de los Desamparados (province of Cádiz, Andalusia, Spain) #ElPuertoDeSantaMaría #Cádiz #Andalucía #Andalusia #Spain

Lanjarón! About 140 km from Málaga and 40 km from Granada. ;-) You may know some landscapes by heart, but being there again will fill your heart with even more joy than discovering something new. There is a special feeling being at a place you almost could call home, as you know every stone and tree. Lanjarón may not be as beautiful as Pampaneira or Pitres, but a piece of my heart will always be there. Enjoy! Typical narrow alley in the old center of Lanjarón  During a hike near the castle in Lanajrón Field with mountain view in Lanjarón

Some hikes require getting your feet wet, and it is a good thing. In dense forests with streams, you can finally escape reception and noise. All you hear is the chirping of birds and, if you are lucky, the grunting of wild boars. And you enjoy art made by nature. Rocks with pine cone near the small town of Cercedilla (Madrid, Spain) #Cercedilla #Madrid #Spain #ArtMadeByNature

We have been in Spain for 20 years this month! It is difficult to say how our lives would have turned out if we had stayed in Germany. They would not necessarily be worse, but we would not be the same people. I have never regretted leaving. It is also about how you perceive other people. About the luxury of speaking a different language with each neighbor. About seeing the sea from your window. And —w e were back in Cercedilla. I wish I could have stayed there longer—perhaps forever. But  Of course, we didn't leave Munich to spend the winter in Cercedilla. ;-) View of part of Cercedilla (Madrid, Spain) Meadow in Cercedilla (Madrid, Spain)  

It is still hot, but the days are getting shorter. It is August after all. We are impressed by how long the trees' shadows are.  And early in the morning, the countryside is full of life, with birds and hares everywhere.  Again: the province of Málaga is not just the coast. The interior is worth seeing and often has much more to offer. Here, near the small town of Archidona. Not far from the coast, but another world. Enjoy! Late summer in the countryside (here, near Archidona, province of Málaga, Spain) Bush landscape at sunrise (near Archidona, province of Málaga, Spain) #Archidona #Málaga #Spain #Andalusia #Andalucía

I wish I could turn off summer and return to normal temperatures. I don't want to complain, though, when I think about the human suffering in Ourense, Castilla y León, Portugal, Greece, and, of course, Gaza. Even if I choose to disappear into my secret garden, I cannot forget that I am part of this world. Door to a hidden garden. Torremolinos (province of Málaga, Spain)

Gaucín is not far from the coast (20 km), but it is still a long way to get there. The road is curvy, and the views are breathtaking. An authentic small Andalusian town is the reward. Enjoy! A picturesque street in Gaucín In the old town of Gaucín Mountains near Gaucín (view from the castle) Ancient bridge in Gaucín #Gaucín #Andalusia #Andalucía #Spain #spanish

Sometimes, you just want to be far from the sea, lost in a mountain landscape. You just want to listen to the birds and the sounds of villages surrounded by nature. And the water. That other kind of water. There are no waves, only creeks flowing down from the Sierra Nevada. I love Pampaneira and Bubión (province of Granada, Spain), two villages connected by a winding road. I need to be there at least once a year, always in the summer.  First on the road: Pampaneira Bubión, between Pampaneira and Capileira (which is bigger and not so romantic IMHO) #Pampaneira #Bubión #Alpujarra #Granada #Andalusia #Spain

Due to the heavy rains in March of this year, several wetlands that I had only known to be dry for the past 20 years finally lived up to their name (in Los Toruños Natural Park, province of Cádiz, Spain). I was amazed by the water's deep color. I spotted several ibises, which I had never seen there before. Pond in Los Torunos (province of Cádiz, near the city of El Puerto de Santa María, Spain) Wetland in Los Toruños (province of Cádiz, near the city of El Puerto de Santa María, Spain) You might want to visit this place: #Andalusia #Andalucía #Cádiz #Spain #LosToruños #LaAlgaida #wetland #marshland

Exam and procession season is over. The heat slows everything down. Only the sea attracts like a magnet. Vintage wooden cart in Arroyo de la Miel (Benalmádena, Andalusia, Spain) #vintage #wooden #cart #ArroyoDeLaMiel #Benalmádena #Andalusia #Spain

I have just added a new piece to my "Palm Trees" series . Such trees are always beautiful, but those ones in Tavira were spectacular, standing next to marshlands and with a stream nearby. Palm trees in Tavira (Algarve, Portugal) #palmtrees #Tavira #Algarve #Portugal

Fishing boats bring life to the shore. They are not there for tourists, but because fishing is still an industry. Even if, sometimes, they are even left behind or wait for a better season — or tide. Low tide with boat in Fuseta (Algarve, Portugal) Fishing boats in Santa Luzia (Algarve, Portugal) #SantaLuzia #Fuseta #Algarve #Portugal #boat #fishing

I can't remember being happy without a beach nearby. Of course, there are plenty of other beautiful places. Sometimes, it's relaxing to escape the coast for a while—but not too long—and discover small villages in the mountains or countryside. But salty water and sand are unique. Here near Tavira in Portugal (obviously nothing to do with crowded Costa del Sol). Enjoy! Flood current at Praia do Barril (Algarve, Portugal) Praia da Manta Rota with the fortress of Cacela Velha (Algarve, Portugal) Walking on the Praia da Manta Rota (Algarve, Portugal) #Tavira #Algarve #Portugal #Cacela #beach #Atlantic

Walking in salt-marshes. Enjoying pink-colored waters. Looking at birds and, above all, feeling a silence that is almost impossible to find anymore anywhere. Pink-colored waters in Tavira (Algarve, Portugal) Another view of the salterns in Tavira (Algarve, Portugal) #salterns #salinas #Algarve #Portugal

If doors and windows could talk, they would tell stories of fishermen and witches. They would show me old pictures of weddings, funerals, and village fairs. Old door with stripes in Tavira (Algarve, Portugal) Old window in Tavira (Algarve, Portugal) As always, prints and stuff are available through the links. #Tavira #Algarve #Portugal #portuguese #door #window

It was cold and grey, but I could feel spring approaching in Hoyo de Manzanares (Madrid). #HoyoDeManzanares #Madrid #Spain #Rocky #Landscape 

We will remember this spring. It brought us the water we needed. The nature looks like the nature of northern Spain at the moment, even if the plants are different. Unfortunately, these fresh days will not last. Soon the sun will burn everything again. The natural area Desembocadura del Guadalhorce (Málaga, Andalusia, Spain) Another view of the natural area Desembocadura del Guadalhorce #Málaga #Andalusia #Andalucía #Spain 

What makes a photo interesting? Good question. Probably not showing the most beautiful places in the world, but something unusual in your own environment while others think they have seen everything. For the last few weeks, rain has been the protagonist here in Spain. Flowers and grass have appeared in the strangest places. If real estate speculation continues at the current rate, they may be the only nature left in our city one day. Until they are cut down by some merciless city worker. Grass on the sidewalk, Torremolinos (Spain), after days of rain Flowers coming out of a wall, Torremolinos (Spain), after days of rain  #Torremolinos #Spain #Andalusia #Andalucía #rain #flower #grass

The adventure begins close to home, if you are willing to walk and open your eyes. Right now, southern Andalusia is as green as I have not seen it in 20 years, unknown plants sprouting everywhere, maybe it is just weeds, but I love it. Of course, these storms are a challenge for our poorly isolated houses, but at least we will have water next summer and maybe the next after that. Tourists keep coming here to have fun (understandable) without thinking about the consequences of the tourism industry for our environment and for us. So let's enjoy the green fields and weeds now, before the sun turns everything yellow again.  And tourists are allowed to splash around in their hotel pools while we are not allowed to water our plants. #JimenaDeLaFrontera #Cádiz #Andalusia #rain Fields in Jimena de la Frontera (province of Cádiz, Andalusia, Spain) The river Hozgarganta in Jimena de la Frontera (province of Cádiz, Andalusia, Spain)

When the weather is bad (which is not often here, but it has been quite a bit the last few weeks), you just walk around your own town, which is not very sexy. But even cities without charm have some hidden gems. When you are in Torremolinos, look for the Calle Tirreno, Bajondillo. There is a special house waiting for you, the Casa Montañez. The artist Antonio Montañez lives in this house with his family. And, little by little, he transforms the building into something unique! The casa Montañez from the street (I wish I could get in there some day!) The front door If you google a bit, you will find some more material about the house. It has an own Facebook page , and I found a short documentary film on YouTube . Enjoy!

I can neither leave this world nor ignore everything that is not right, but I can try to focus on the beautiful little things in life, in nature. Two dead snails on a rock, surrounded by some (kind of) clover, near the river Guadalhorce. One bigger, one smaller, together for eternity. Until another flood or a human foot separates them. Snails on a rock (Málaga, Andalusia, Spain)                                                 #snails #rock #stone #Málaga #Andalusia                            

Mijas Pueblo is one of the reasons we have been living at the Costa del Sol for almost 20 years.  We don't exactly live there, but we are close enough to visit several times a year. From the Parque La Muralla you can see quite far, even Africa on a clear day.  This time the sky was not clear enough, so Africa and Morocco remained hidden. But my attention was drawn to the little gorge there and the pools next to it. You could see water ( that has not happened for a long time) !  Parque La Muralla, Mijas Pueblo (province of Málaga, Spain) #Mijas #MijasPueblo #Málaga 

If you look for the sun and think that everything else is concrete, open your eyes and you'll discover Andalusia where you thought it had disappeared. Avenida de las Palmeras, Benalmádena Costa (province of Málaga, Spain) #Benalmádena #CostaDelSol #Málaga #Andalusia

Some beautiful places are fleeting. One of them is this green abandoned lot on Calle Pan Triste in Torremolinos. I suppose it will disappear one day to make way for a huge ugly building - nothing unusual here. As long as it is there, I enjoy the view every time I pass by. I dedicate this picture to the memory of Dr. Mustafa Elmasri, psychiatrist in Gaza (@Gaza_Psych), who sadly passed away yesterday. #PanTriste #Torremolinos #Málaga #Gaza

It is already the middle of January and this new year has already become so normal. The noise and excesses that accompanied the beginning of the year are now forgotten (until December). The coast is incredibly green, it may be a bit exaggerated to compare it with the autonomous community of Asturias, but I have not seen it so green in 20 years (which unfortunately does not mean that the draught is over). Since I love mosses and similar plants, I am happy to discover some near me (here some moss I found during a hike near Pizarra). Enjoy! Moss and leaves in Pizarra (Andalusia, Spain) Moss and stones in Pizarra (Andalusia, Spain) #Pizarra #Málaga #Andalusia #green #moss