Cuenca

Cuenca is a small Moorish town 2 hours by car South and East from Madrid. Like many medieval towns, it is built on a rock spur for defensive reasons and lies between two rivers. As Cuenca grew, it pushed toward the steep cliffs that defined its defensive perimeter and today, many of the houses hang over the edge. These are known as the "Casas Colgados" or hanging houses of Cuenca. One of them houses an excellent museum of abstract art. Near Cuenca is the "Cuidad Encantada" or enchanted city. In it are wonderful wind eroded rocks forming fantastic sculptures. These pictures were taken in August 1998.

Do Not Adjust Your Set: These pictures were taken in between 1997 and 1999 with a first generation digital camera. They are as big and as good as they'll ever get.

Cuidad Encantada Arch. The main path through the enchanted city winds through this arch. It was originally eroded by the wind and represents a Platonically perfect arch.
Cuidad Encantada Mushroom(?) The stone in the area was laid down in layers. The bottom layers were soft and porous while the top layers were harder. Wind erosion sculpted the bottom layers more and resulted in completely improbable natural sculptures.
Cuidad Encantada: The same path that winds through the arch above goes past a sheer rock face with this tree grown into it. The tree and the rock together sculpt an image of a larger tree against a storm tossed sky. Nature imitating art depicting nature.
Cuenca Casas Colgados. The hanging houses of Cuenca are perched on the very edge of a 500 foot cliff. The Parador Hotel is just across the narrow valley and offers a nice view of the skyline of old Cuenca.