Western Europe Trip 2 - Page 9
|
|
 |
 From
Italy, I boogied north to Versailles in France. Versailles is
without peer as far as I know - the next closest that I know of is the
Palacio Real in Madrid. I was there during winter so I didn't even
get to see the gardens. |
 From
Versailles, I headed south. My hope was to go to Lordes but the
train scheduling didn't work out. I was close to the end of the trip
and the extra day just didn't work in. But I stopped at Carcasonne.
It's a walled in city at the top of a hill. I guess its claim to
fame is the torture museum that shows some of the tools used by the eager
to get confessions Spanish inquisition. It was interesting. |
 From
the south of France, I proceeded to Barcelona. Home of the works of
Gaudi, the architect, who used concrete and steel to fashion
"neo-gothic" structures, gothic structures characterized by
their airiness. I also met a retired shoe maker. He took me
under his wing for the day and showed me around Barcelona. It is
this exact thing which makes travel so pleasurable for me and is something
we might think about doing a little more in the US. It seems though
that we are too busy going to work, going home, going shopping. We
miss out on what's important - people. |
 This
is an apartment complex designed by Gaudi. It looks like a carnival
or a masked ball. Clearly, Gaudi is an artist as well as an
architect, yet you are left feeling that these spaces are eminently usable
and that they bring the residents great joy. |
|
|
|
|
Previous Next |
|
|
|
From
Italy, I boogied north to Versailles in France. Versailles is
without peer as far as I know - the next closest that I know of is the
Palacio Real in Madrid. I was there during winter so I didn't even
get to see the gardens. 
From
Versailles, I headed south. My hope was to go to Lordes but the
train scheduling didn't work out. I was close to the end of the trip
and the extra day just didn't work in. But I stopped at Carcasonne.
It's a walled in city at the top of a hill. I guess its claim to
fame is the torture museum that shows some of the tools used by the eager
to get confessions Spanish inquisition. It was interesting.
From
the south of France, I proceeded to Barcelona. Home of the works of
Gaudi, the architect, who used concrete and steel to fashion
"neo-gothic" structures, gothic structures characterized by
their airiness. I also met a retired shoe maker. He took me
under his wing for the day and showed me around Barcelona. It is
this exact thing which makes travel so pleasurable for me and is something
we might think about doing a little more in the US. It seems though
that we are too busy going to work, going home, going shopping. We
miss out on what's important - people.
This
is an apartment complex designed by Gaudi. It looks like a carnival
or a masked ball. Clearly, Gaudi is an artist as well as an
architect, yet you are left feeling that these spaces are eminently usable
and that they bring the residents great joy.