Ben Barclay
@benbarclay.bsky.social
Translator and textbook writer. Post on climate, energy, health, Spain, Brexit and other stuff.
Produce VoiceMap audio tours of Andalucía: https://voicemap.me/publisher/ben-barclay#tours
Substack: https://thegreentransition.substack.com/
Produce VoiceMap audio tours of Andalucía: https://voicemap.me/publisher/ben-barclay#tours
Substack: https://thegreentransition.substack.com/
You should definitely go if you have the chance. It's a beautiful town with rich history, and as soon as we strayed a bit outside the centre, it had a really friendly pueblo feel.
We also found it surprisingly good value for being so close to Seville.
We also found it surprisingly good value for being so close to Seville.
November 11, 2025 at 10:11 AM
You should definitely go if you have the chance. It's a beautiful town with rich history, and as soon as we strayed a bit outside the centre, it had a really friendly pueblo feel.
We also found it surprisingly good value for being so close to Seville.
We also found it surprisingly good value for being so close to Seville.
Reposted by Ben Barclay
China’s CO₂ emissions fell by 3% in September, after three months of increases. That brings emissions for the first nine months of 2025 very close to zero growth - with a slight rise or fall for the full year still in the balance.
November 11, 2025 at 6:35 AM
China’s CO₂ emissions fell by 3% in September, after three months of increases. That brings emissions for the first nine months of 2025 very close to zero growth - with a slight rise or fall for the full year still in the balance.
That reads more like a sales pitch for investment in Italy than an opinion piece. Yes, Italy has lots of strengths, but it has some pretty glaring weaknesses too. By most measures, Spain's economy is doing much better than Italy's at the moment, including growth, bond yields, deficit, and debt.
November 10, 2025 at 10:23 AM
That reads more like a sales pitch for investment in Italy than an opinion piece. Yes, Italy has lots of strengths, but it has some pretty glaring weaknesses too. By most measures, Spain's economy is doing much better than Italy's at the moment, including growth, bond yields, deficit, and debt.
Veni, vidi, vance.
November 9, 2025 at 9:36 PM
Veni, vidi, vance.
Reposted by Ben Barclay
Last stop in Carmona was the amphitheatre and necropolis, which is the most important Roman necropolis in Spain, with 100s of tombs.
As well as the massive Servilia family tomb, once surrounded by ornately decorated builds, it has the tomb of the elephant, named after a statue found there.
9/
As well as the massive Servilia family tomb, once surrounded by ornately decorated builds, it has the tomb of the elephant, named after a statue found there.
9/
November 9, 2025 at 7:18 PM
Last stop in Carmona was the amphitheatre and necropolis, which is the most important Roman necropolis in Spain, with 100s of tombs.
As well as the massive Servilia family tomb, once surrounded by ornately decorated builds, it has the tomb of the elephant, named after a statue found there.
9/
As well as the massive Servilia family tomb, once surrounded by ornately decorated builds, it has the tomb of the elephant, named after a statue found there.
9/
Arabian, not Arabic, of course. It’s been a long weekend.
November 9, 2025 at 7:34 PM
Arabian, not Arabic, of course. It’s been a long weekend.
Finally, a couple of pictures of the main church with its former courtyard of ablutions, and the Puerta de Sevilla fortress seen from a distance.
Carmona’s importance derived from its position guarding the lower Guadalquivir, on the Via Augusta between Hispalis (Seville) and Corduba.
Ends
Carmona’s importance derived from its position guarding the lower Guadalquivir, on the Via Augusta between Hispalis (Seville) and Corduba.
Ends
November 9, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Finally, a couple of pictures of the main church with its former courtyard of ablutions, and the Puerta de Sevilla fortress seen from a distance.
Carmona’s importance derived from its position guarding the lower Guadalquivir, on the Via Augusta between Hispalis (Seville) and Corduba.
Ends
Carmona’s importance derived from its position guarding the lower Guadalquivir, on the Via Augusta between Hispalis (Seville) and Corduba.
Ends
It was the first proper archaeological dig in Spain, and one of the men behind the project was George “Jorge” Bonsor, a French-British painter turned archaeologist whose fondness for a local pastry of Arabic origin gave it its modern name - torta inglesa.
We sampled one in a quirky café.
10/
We sampled one in a quirky café.
10/
November 9, 2025 at 7:23 PM
It was the first proper archaeological dig in Spain, and one of the men behind the project was George “Jorge” Bonsor, a French-British painter turned archaeologist whose fondness for a local pastry of Arabic origin gave it its modern name - torta inglesa.
We sampled one in a quirky café.
10/
We sampled one in a quirky café.
10/
Last stop in Carmona was the amphitheatre and necropolis, which is the most important Roman necropolis in Spain, with 100s of tombs.
As well as the massive Servilia family tomb, once surrounded by ornately decorated builds, it has the tomb of the elephant, named after a statue found there.
9/
As well as the massive Servilia family tomb, once surrounded by ornately decorated builds, it has the tomb of the elephant, named after a statue found there.
9/
November 9, 2025 at 7:18 PM
Last stop in Carmona was the amphitheatre and necropolis, which is the most important Roman necropolis in Spain, with 100s of tombs.
As well as the massive Servilia family tomb, once surrounded by ornately decorated builds, it has the tomb of the elephant, named after a statue found there.
9/
As well as the massive Servilia family tomb, once surrounded by ornately decorated builds, it has the tomb of the elephant, named after a statue found there.
9/
The nuns had a good view from their tower.
Social hierarchies were maintained, with nuns from poorer families wearing white and doing menial tasks, while posher nuns in black managed “spiritual“ affairs.
You could take your photo in the cloister, but we moved on for a glass of something.
8/
Social hierarchies were maintained, with nuns from poorer families wearing white and doing menial tasks, while posher nuns in black managed “spiritual“ affairs.
You could take your photo in the cloister, but we moved on for a glass of something.
8/
November 9, 2025 at 7:15 AM
The nuns had a good view from their tower.
Social hierarchies were maintained, with nuns from poorer families wearing white and doing menial tasks, while posher nuns in black managed “spiritual“ affairs.
You could take your photo in the cloister, but we moved on for a glass of something.
8/
Social hierarchies were maintained, with nuns from poorer families wearing white and doing menial tasks, while posher nuns in black managed “spiritual“ affairs.
You could take your photo in the cloister, but we moved on for a glass of something.
8/