Hidden Gardens Of Spain

Rating:
Summary: EDEN-LIKE GARDENS BEAUTIFULLY PHOTOGRAPHED
Review:






There are so many beautiful places in the world, sites to see, pilgrimages to make. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could visit all of them? In reality, one is probably fortunate to travel to just one of the scenic spots on his or her wish list. After leafing through "Hidden Gardens of Spain," that country rose to the top of my hope-to-travel-to areas.

Writer/photographer Eduardo Mencos has trained both his eye and camera lens on some of the most breathtakingly lovely scenes in Spain. His vision is unerring. Stunning photos in this folio size volume are accompanied by perceptive descriptions that are intelligent, informative, and dynamic. Mr. Mencos may well have come by his appreciation of gardens naturally as his grandmother, the Marchioness of Casa Valdez, was a pioneer of contemporary gardening in Spain.

With 250 color photographs the author escorts us from Galician to Granada, Barcelona to the Balearics, Catalonia and the Canaries, Madrid and Mallorca. Many of the gardens are drenched in that country's history, reflecting the influences of the Romans, Moors, and Europeans. Other gardens were created and are tended by their current owners, still others came to life through the talents of respected garden designers, such as Luis Gonzales-Camino and Arabella Lennox-Boyd. Mr. Mencos was allowed unprecedented access to private gardens, and his views of the Alhambra are spectacular.

In his Introduction Mr. Mencos writes, "Exploring the hidden gardens of Spain has been an enthralling journey for me. Each of the owners would welcome me into their own little Eden and we would share an enchanted moment there."

We are in debt to Mr. Mencos for sharing these enchanted moments with us.

- Gail Cooke