The Best Albums of 2011
The Black Keys, Kurt Vile, Nicolas Jaar, PJ Harvey. These are the stand-out albums of the year as far as I'm concerned.
Rome
The photos included here represent what caught MY eye while walking around Rome.
Museo del Prado
The other day I had a chance to revisit the Prado. Again I found myself overwhelmed by emotions upon entering the Vélazquez room.
Andalucía
Andalusia has everything: Beautiful villages, a beautiful landscape, nice weather, great food, interesting architecture. What more could you wish for?
Córdoba
I greatly enjoyed exploring the winding alleys of medieval Córdoba and of course La Mezquita.
Granada
Granada is a funky town.
Roman Theatre of Mérida
The Roman theatre in Mérida is one of the best preserved Roman theatres in the world.
Extremadura
I found Extremadura quite nice and it would make a perfect destination in its own right.
A Separation
"A Separation", by Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, is a masterpiece. It's an intensely moving film about real human beings who face real dilemmas.
Jean-Marie Blas de Robles: Where Tigers Are At Home
La ou les tigres sont chez eux (Where Tigers Are At Home) is a kaleidoscopic, multi-strand novel that blends Lévi-Strauss, Indiana Jones, Umberto Eco, Joseph Conrad and Malcolm Lowry.
The Tree of Life
I'd been looking forward to seeing "The Tree of Life", but it's one of the most bombastic and boring movies I've seen in a long time. I still love the trailer though.
The Trip (2010)
The Trip, directed by Michael Winterbottom and starring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, is surprisingly funny and really enjoyable.