The past two months have been a wash house-wise since we've been travelling about, and I doubt there will be much to report on before January. Since I hate not posting, I suppose I'll have to resort to posting filler. We just got back from a close friend's wedding in Ponce, Puerto Rico, and were there long enough to do some touristing as well. Ponce is filled with stunning Spanish Colonial architecture, made all the more beautiful for it's various states of restoration and decay. The glare and sunlight were intense, so sadly many of my countless photos of Spanish bungalows aren't worth posting. Rather, I noticed that the 1930 mansion where the wedding was held has few photos on the internet, and with my stealth ninja skills I managed to snap a few in the no photos allowed house museum. So, as a public service, photos of Castillo Serrallés...
While the home was beautiful, I do think I've seen better examples in the US (Pinewood Estate at Bok Tower where I got married is one of them). My bigger problem with the tour was the sheer amount of misinformation that was presented. For example our guide told us that the caning on the antique chairs was invented in PR so that you'd be kept cool while sitting in the tropical climate (mind you this is the same caning that dates back to the Europe in the middle ages). She also made a big deal of the lovely mahogany dining table, claiming that the entire thing was carved from one solid piece of wood. The seams and mismatched wood grain claim otherwise, but oh well...
I stole a couple of your pictures for Pinterest - the leaded glass doors (if we can afford them by that point!) and the kitchen cabinets. Hope you don't mind!
ReplyDeleteAnd look how lovely that black toilet looks - I knew it was the right choice! Especially after going to dinner at some neighbours up the road last night. You should see what their well water has done to their white toilet and tub. Gah! ;o)
ahhh, I'm flattered. The kitchen was to die for, my stealth photos just don't do it justice. I do love the black fixtures, but it had never occurred to me that they had their practical side as well... If you ever want to pine for salvage that's probably harder to come by where you are you should check our craigslist, so many lovely cheap things (I can think of a couple of sets of leaded doors just in the past few weeks lol)!
Delete