IMAGE OF THE WEEK #25

It seems to me that life is fragile. We have the ability to give and take life, sometimes with love and sometimes with misguided motives. We humans are a strange and curious bunch. Over time we have strived to preserve and protect but we have also destroyed so much greatness.

This weeks image comes from Belchite, Spain (for a beginners guide to Belchite go here). When you walk the ruins of this town, you are filled with a quiet eeriness that makes your hairs stand on end. The dust kicks up as you walk and the air is dry with heat. You look around and all you see is destruction. What could be mistaken for a lavish movie set was once a beautiful town. You can see glimpses of its former glory, the ornate architecture and the stunningly detailed frescos are still visible in parts. Due to civil war, the town of Belchite was frozen in time in 1937. Once the battle was over, Franco ordered that the ruins of Belchite be left as a monument to a bloody civil war, the remaining residents had to build a new town right next to the ruins. 

Simon Hewson©2012