JFK’s Top Ten For 2024

As some here will know, I’ve spent the last year on the road in Spain. So when I was asked for a Rock and Roll Top Ten, I couldn’t really scrape together a list of ten concerts or records because I just hadn’t attended or listened to that many. I’d done a lot of rolling down the road. But the only rock I’d experienced was at Gibraltar.

What I had been doing had more to do with bricks and mortar than rock and roll. While I spent most evenings in my life enjoying music, I’d been earning a living by day as an architect. So my travels around Spain were full of visits to architectural wonders. I can tell you, I’ve been enjoying architecture more in the last year than I ever did working in architectural companies. So here’s my Top Ten list of Spanish architecture listed in the rough chronological order that I discovered them in:

1. The Ferreres Aqueduct, Tarragona. I love Roman aqueducts. Finding a structure that’s still standing  and in reasonable condition 2,000 years after it was built is just amazing. The simplicity and geometric perfection of the design are so impressive.

2. Mirador del Zigurat - Desembocadura de l'Ebre. The Ebre River delta in Catalonia is a massive rice-growing area which is also a refuge for millions of migratory birds including flamingos. This timber bird viewing tower built in a spiralling ziggurat pyramid form has something of an Aztec vibe to it. It was an early example of finding fun and / or beautiful buildings in unexpected places.

3. Museu de les Ciències, Valencia. This science museum is part of the really impressive City of Arts and Sciences precinct built in part of the former Turia River. Designed by star Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, the structure seems to be inspired by whale or dinosaur skeletons mixed with some crazy science fiction vision.

4. Also in Valencia at the beach is the former fishing village of El Cabanyal.
The humble two storied tiled terrace houses here were slated for demolition to make way for, you guessed it, apartment buildings catering for tourists. But local opposition and the death of an aggressively pro development mayor seems to have saved this charming area which mixes  the remaining original buildings featuring huge varieties of wonderful tiled facades with modern, sympathetic infill buildings.

5. Oh, did I mention breeze blocks?
The Iberian Peninsula seems to be the world center for concrete breeze blocks. Where in Australia in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s a relatively small selection of these blocks were used for creating courtyards, in Spain and Portugal they are used everywhere. Scores or possibly hundreds of these humble building elements add fun and whimsy to everyday structures.

6. Castell de Santa Bàrbara, Alicante.
There are many castles and forts along the Mediterranean coast of Spain. It seems a great risk of attack by pirates dictated the need for these defensive fortifications. This huge fort high on a hill next to the city center is most impressive.

7. Western Leone Theme Park, Almeria.
In the ‘60’s and ‘70’s there was a film making trend in Spain that was wrongly called Spaghetti Westerns. They should be known as Paella Westerns. Dozens of America style cowboy movies that utilized endless sunny days, near desert landscapes and presumably cheap labour, were filmed here. There are a couple of western theme parks to visit in this area. I chose to go to the worst of them because this was the one where Once Upon A Time In The West was filmed. It’s now a kind of ghost town. But this is where Sergio Leone created the images that inspired the incredible theme music of Ennio Morricone.

8. Alhambra, Granada.
Mind blowing! The palaces of the Moorish rulers of this region built from the 13C to the 15C are, to pinch from Wiki, “is one of the most famous monuments of Islamic architecture and one of the best-preserved palaces of the historic Islamic world”. Just incredibly beautiful.

9. Mosque-Cathedral Monumental Site of Córdoba.
With a major Roman era bridge  we nearby, this religious building shows a clash of cultures creating a unique juxtaposition of building styles. The Christian cathedral at the center of this complex is pretty impressive with its towering Gothic ceilings and over the top decoration honouring the glory of their God. It was built in the center of a huge existing Islamic mosque after the Christians drove the Moors out of Spain. It seems to be a statement about the supremacy of one religion over the previous civilization’s beliefs. But the incredible beauty of the hundreds of columns and red anchors white arches of the mosque seem to ultimately win the day.

10. No. 10 already!
And I haven’t mentioned Gaudi yet. There’s so much more. But the Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona must be one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. Even for an agnostic like myself it’s hard not to be moved by its stupendous beauty.

There’s so much more to see in Spain. I’ll be going back in 2025 to  see whether the local rock music scene can compete with the stunning architecture on display.

John Kennedy is touring the Australian East Coast to propmote his new album "Live at The Marrickville Bowl" on I-94 Bar. Catch him with Murraqy Cook at the Cave Inn in Brisbane on January at 11 (tickets), with The New Originals at Smiths Alternative in Canberra on January 17 (tickets) and Marrickville Bowlo on January 18 (tickets) and solo at Side B Vinyl Bar in Blackheath, NSW, on January 25.