Thursday Doors – Spanish edition

Thursday Doors is a weekly feature allowing door lovers to come together to admire and share their favourite door photos from around the world.

I don’t plan to be a weekly contributor, but since being introduced to other bloggers’ contributions, I have to say that I pay a whole lot more attention to doors than ever before. Since arriving at our latest home away from home in Alhaurin el Grande, doors on almost every home and business have caught my attention.There are beautifully ornamented doors old and new.  Some have intricate hardware or stained glass inserts. Some have both.  They all hide stories and histories beyond their thresholds.  Most of these are found within a few blocks of the house where we are pet sitting.

Deceptively looking like an average sized door flanked by wooden panels, this is one huge door which opens, not from above like a garage door, but from the side.  I can’t imagine the mechanism that supports the weight as this huge door swings open.

Inside this door is the headquarters of the Hermanidad de Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno or “the purple gang”, who will be leading the Easter processionals past our front door.  There will be other activities elsewhere in town, lead by the “green gang.”  This all runs Thursday to Sunday, and we are looking forward to it with a mix of anticipation and fear.  Anticipation because it will be new and exciting, and it’s a really big deal here.  Fear because it’s going to be loud and the dogs in our house are going to go loco!

Also on our street, is the Casa de la Cultura (Cultural Centre) of Alhaurin el Grande.  At other times of the year, there are cultural programs and exhibitions offered here.  During Samana Santa, the Easter holy week, nothing is scheduled (at least, I think that’s what the lady at the front desk told me; my Spanish is not 100%).

The building also houses the Officina Tourismo.  From past experience, I will say that, like most tourist information offices in smaller towns in Spain, you are lucky to find a pamphlet rack with a bit of information on the area.  We have been burned often enough, and try to remember not to spend a lot of time and effort locating these offices unless we’re in much bigger centres.  Regardless of what is not available to us on the inside, you’ve got to agree that the doors are lovely.

Another door, just down the street, appears to be that of a private residence.  Every detail is  beautiful: the blue and white tiles, the shiny gold hardware, and the ornate, colourful decoration.

I failed to capture the real shine and sparkle.  It reminded me of the Indian mirror work embroidered on clothing and textiles.  It also made me think of floral patterns my mom painted on jars years ago.

Check out These Knockers!

To mix things up a bit, let’s focus on some of the fantastic knockers. I know, I know, I’m like a 12 year old boy here; I can’t help it.  Tell me you aren’t snickering, too.  Just a little?

Some doors catch my attention for reasons other than aesthetics.  The metal work below is unquestionably beautiful, but the forgotten, weather beaten plywood makes me wonder about the story beyond the entryway.

The building is in a row of homes, all beautifully maintained.  What happened to the family that used to live here? Why is the house standing empty? I can make up stories all day long. There’s some sort of mystery here.

In bright contrast to the beautiful wooden doors is this one.  A local hair salon is making good use of their metal garage style door to catch the eye and add a bit of fun advertising. These utilitarian doors can be seen pulled down every afternoon and late in the evening when businesses shut.  I like the graffiti style art on this one.

One final set of doors which I think are another brilliant use of space.  I can’t say I’ve ever seen an entire take out pizza menu on the side of a delivery van before.  Brilliant!  This door had me stopped in the street, trying to determine what was available.

Unlike most of the bloggers who contribute to Thursday Doors, I don’t have a fancy pants camera with multiple lenses or any particular photography skills, but I know what catches my eye. I hope you enjoyed this slight deviation from the usual sight seeing, eating, and drinking that goes on here.

If you would like to see more great doors, or you want to see some truly fantastic photography, why not head on over to Norm’s blog.  He’s the fellow who started this all!