Hello everybody, we hope that your summer is going well and that it´s a little cooler than it is here. Other than the heat, however, this city has much to offer. We visited Gaudí´s masterpiece in progress, La Sagrada Familia, over the weekend. The picture above shows the general shape of the cathedral, but you really need to see it up close to appreciate the detail. It is in many ways a great cathedral like those which were constructed hundreds of years ago, complete with arches, buttresses, stained glass and all the rest. Nevertheless, it is the revolutionary design inspired by nature which truly captivates the visitors who come from all over the world to see it. There are columns shaped like trees, towers capped with fruits, and animals crawling down the sides of the exterior. It is being built in the old tradition, using only anonymous donations--i.e. visitors´ fees--for financing and skilled artesans for hand-crafted artistic touches. Construction began at the end of the 19th century and is exptected to be conplete in the next 60 years or so (estimates vary).
So, this is where we are living. Currently we are staying with a single woman who rents out two of her rooms to students, and who provides us with breakfast in the mornings before we set out. We bought a fan for our bedroom and can now sleep through the night as we enjoy natural AC--sweat + breeze = cool. Everyone says that the city is experiencing an unnatural heat wave, so hopefully things will be better soon. It sounds as though the weather is beautiful the rest of the year, similar to Phoenix.
Well, we´re off to have lunch in the public market and enjoy an afternoon drink. We wish everyone well and hope to post more entries soon!
2 comments:
It is hot in North Carolina too! - but here we have the invented AC for which we are MOST grateful!..but you're having more fun your way-huh?!
The pictures as usual are wonderful. Barcelona looks like it is a wonderful home.
We await your next post! Love, Mom
Hi James and Maggy, this is the first time I visit your blog and it kept me really interested.
Thanks for writing and showing this to us. I enjoyed reading about your experience in Portugal. It gave me a feeling of how "awry" and funny Portugal can be. (Am I right?) It was also good to know that James excelled in the Portuguese. Obrigado...! (I'm kidding, I know he is good at languages anyway). And I would be glad to know that Maggy have practiced um pouco de português também.
As other visitors said, the pictures of you both are really beautiful.
I hope you continue to have a safe and blessed time.
The heat in here yesterday reached 118! A record not seen in more than 10 years. Last week I saw Al Gore's very good movie (An Inconvenient Truth) about global warming. Now you're saying Barcelona experience a heat wave as well... He says, human race needs to drastically reduce the CO2 emmissions before it's too late. I guess we will all grill (before freeze) someday.
Deus abençoe e até mais (estou com saudades.) Let me know if you need anything from here or there.
Beto
Post a Comment