Antonio Gaudi

Casa Batllo
What is good architecture? This is a very complex question in that it takes a lot of different aspects. One of many is closely related to Casa Batllo and i discovered before even finding it, I was right by the building yet it took me 45 minutes of walking around to find it. After finding the building i wondered how I never found it in a matter of seconds. Its close resemblance to a reptile skin for a facade and a reptilian spine and tail for a rooftop makes this a piece of art and architecture. The typical winding cast iron railings and close look to detail makes this a must see in Barcelona and in my personal achieve.

Casa Mila
As this building sits on the corner of one of the most populated streets in Barcelona it has its road to fame pre-paved. Its facade is like an inconsistent winding sting. Its Gaudi typical columns come down to the street creating a very none usable but creative space nun-the-less. It has a very interesting rooftop that can be seen slightly from the ground which makes you want to travel to the top. Also, as you walk the streets around you get little glimpses of what kind of amazing interior it hold.

Casa Calvet
This was a building that I never had seen or heard about before. But right away i saw the Gaudi design in the railing work and exceptional design of little detail. Its front facade reminds me of a very simple version of the Casa Batllo and that is probably why nobody was stopping by it to look at it in detail or take pictures.

Casa Comalat
This design is a very typical residential housing, with the punched out porches with the combination of the Gaudi railings. Very simple yet very complex in tiny detail.

Casa Vincens
Casa Vincens is one of Antonio Gaudi's most unorthodox designs. His typical design are those of Casa Mila and Casa Batllo yet looking at this one it is completely different except for a few small Gaudi details and his focus to detail. The building reminds me of a house built out of Lego's because of the amazing tile work on the up half of the house with the lower part consisting of mainly masonry work. Its surrounding gate has a similar design to that of a tropical tree

Parc Guell
This was an adventure and a half to get all the way to the northern parts of Barcelona to find this Parc which is built on to the side of the mountain. Consisting of several structures and buildings with the typical Gaudi-esk look. The parc has multiple level through it giving you a more magnificent look over the city below. It also seem to have been coming up out of the earth because of its material use was the same as the landscapes natural materials. I quickly realized that this place had more then meets the eye because i was finding myself getting lost in the size of it. Lost not in the sense of location but mentally lost in its beauty and very detailed spaces. This place will forever been in my memory for one of the most tranquil locations in the world.

Sagrada Familia
I traveled to the eastern part of Barcelona to find the Sagrada Familia with a very basic understand of its architect Antonio Gaudi, the size and details into the construction of it. As i entered its general location I kept getting quick glimpses of its spires, then i walked into a city parc with at the end of it stood the mighty Sagrada Familia. I never could have prepared myself for what was right in front of me, its large columns which were bent in such a may that felt as if magic was holding them in place. After i got into the surrounding area i noticed that the figures on the front here designed in a very interesting way....they are in a very block-like form which told the story of Jesus Christs Crucifixion. Even with the block like figures he still somehow got a very perfect expression on each of the faces in a way that you really felt the emotion that they were portraying. I entered into the building to have 3 over head mosaic windows throwing all colors of the spectrum on every thing that light could touch. As much as its beauty amazed me so did the incompleteness of it. As i got to the back of the Sagrada Familia I noticed how the figures on the exterior changed from the front. They were in the usual-typical form you would see on a church, while portraying the stories of the Birth Of Jesus Christ Nativity scenes. I am looking forward to coming back to Spain many years from now just to see the future design of the Sagrada Familia.

Fes "Take Everything, But Leave Nothing" (Pictures)

Morocco

Fes "Take Everything, But Leave Nothing"

Fes has been a place I never thought I would go. As I learned more about its culture and architecture I realize that this would be a trip that would change my perspective forever. Since returning to Barcelona from Fes I have learned that this is true, but not in the way I originally thought. I thought that it would be a dangerous place that would not have any respect for people coming in to there country and touring. In reality the life was much different, people seem to want to be around you if it was to bargain items or to just talk to you.

The weather was beautiful and the sights were amazing; as we took a tour bus to our dar my eyes were glued to the unique style of architecture that was appearing every direction I looked. Pulling up to our dar and bit of worry came over me because we were getting out in an area that at first glance seem to be a very run down area with a lot of locals surrounding us. This feeling finally subsided when i walked into our dar which seem to be more like a palace. The tile work and the hidden beauty of the space was more then i ever expected. Getting our rooms after a bit of mint tea seem to be the beginning of a fantastic frenzy as people started to run from room to room and balcony to balcony trying to get a hold on the building in a matter of minutes. We slowly calmed ourselves down and meet our tour guide for the next few days, Mo Mo...what a name! Later in our day we found out that he must have known 1 out of 10 people in the city which must have had a few million people in it and we quickly learned this when people would stop whatever they were doing just to say a few words to him and people in cars would slow down to do the same.

The next few days seem to be a blur of traveling down tight alleyways, seeing beautiful riads and dars, observing the design process of making pottery and fabrics, and getting into places that we wouldn't have been allowed without Mo Mo. 4 days into our trip we went to the Middle Atlas where i found what the meaning of life was...to feed and pet a monkey even though it got mad at me for petting it and I was smacked by it, but it was worth it, how many people can say they were smacked by a monkey....not many.

Thank You Morocco!!!!!!!

Taking Over Paris

Time seem to fly fast as the moment to departure for Paris came. I found myself running around to make my flight, but made it then to find my plane was delayed an hour...sadly. I arrived in Paris and then traveled to another local airport to pick-up my future partner in my Paris adventures. We got in late so we called it a night at got up early to a long day of sight seeing consisting of the Louvre, Cathedral of Notre Dame and the Pompidou. I wasn't very fond of its design when it comes to it surrounding because the other buildings were very traditional and then you find this very structural modern building that stands alone. If I was to see this building alone or in a more modern location i think i would have a different feeling toward it. It is very creative to turn the inside or even hidden structure into a exterior skin. In conclusion I like like the building a lot, but i don't like it with its surrounding elements.

The next day we woke up early to head to the Chateau in Versailles via train. This place was amazing and the size was like nothing i have ever experienced in my life. Not only that but then knowing that i was in the place where the King of France slept, walked around and did what kings do. The Hall of Mirrors was incredible and i found myself wanting to know everything i could about this place which until a few days earlier was a mystery to me. Many hours later he jump back on the train for the city of Paris to see the Eiffel Tower at night. I see why this is a structural engineers porn...its size is something so vast for its time of creation.

Our last day in Paris came fast and it was time to check out of our room and see the city for the last day. We adventured to the Arc de Triumph and decided that we had to see the Eiffel Tower during the day and it was a different as night and day. I saw it as more of this structural mass during the day but as this object of beauty during the night. Then my friend and I went our separate ways and back to Barcelona i went.

Homeless in London

Unintentionally my eye was caught by the homeless culture in Oxford. With the ability to speak English to them and really understand them i jumped on it. I approached a man on the streets, his name was Quinn. He had a dog with him as well, this was actually a normal thing for the homeless to have a dog with them, possibly because it gives them a companion that will be there to play and keep there spirits up when they want to be down. I have a dog at home and when it is hard for me to be around other people I always found comfort in playing and wrestling with him. When i approached Quinn he was selling magazines in a door way. He said that he can pick up this magazine at a local publisher and try and sell them and he gets to keep a profit of the money for himself. This was a real inspiring sight because it was a new sign of people helping people that i have never experienced in Barcelona or the States. He asked me to buy one to help him for the price of 10 pounds but i was in no position to buy something worth that much, but instead i gave him a few pounds for his time and his politeness. I went back to talk to my friend Sarah who is studying at Oxford for the semester and she confirmed saying the same thing. While talking to Quinn i found that the publisher was The Big Issue and its intended to be sold ONLY by the homeless. I went to the company to talk to them and it is actually written by professional journalist and was first started in 1991. For the rest of my time in England i would walk and see these people and Wow was all i could say about this great initiative.

Spring Break - Off to Austria y England (Pictures)

Austria

Oxford/London

Spring Break - Off to Austria y England

Starting this great trip opportunity at 3:30am, i was quick to realize what an adventure it was going to be. Finally getting to Munich, Germany with my faithful companion Mateusz we new that the sights were going to be something we would never forget. After getting our luggage we had to find a way to get from the Munich Airport to the Munich Train station. We took a 55 Euro cab ride to arrive in the heart of Munich which was a very sexual, beer drinking country which was amazing! We calmly walk into the train station to get tickets to the small town of Innsbruck, Austria until we realized the next train left in 4 minutes. We grabbed our bag and ran as fast as we could to the gate until we realized we didn't know what gate it was because it wasn't displayed on the ticket. Unfortunitly missing that train and having to wait an hour and a half till the next one, but this became a blessing so that we could see more of the city and try out the world famous beer...Wow were the stories true, Germany beer is some of the best beer to have ever touched my lips. Sooner then we were hoping the next train came around and we were off to Innsbruck. Arriving 2 hours later in this little industrial town completely surrounding by mountains. This town was very unorganized and seemed like there was not urban architecture influence, which was sad because i felt like this town definitely had some potential to be great. Though it had the Olympics years earlier it still was not very tourist friendly to me. After this quick examination we jump on a tram and head up to the mountains to the very small 40 house town of Mutters. "Now this is a beautiful town", I said after getting off the tram and walking round to find our hotel. He get to the Sports Hotel and quickly settled down and then hit the town. The next few days would melt together consisting of snowboarding, beer drinking fun that would make this trip one to remember and love.

As quick as the trip came it left and i was back in Barcelona unpacking and repacking to go to the next location of my great Spring Break, Oxford, London. I got to Girona Airport late into the night for a 11pm flight to Luton, London. As I approach the city by plane, I started to see cars on the wrong side of the road and i quickly got excited and wanted to get off the plane at that moment. Finally touching down I go to get a bus ticket to Oxford, which was an hour long bus ride that would get me there at 3:20am. Getting off the bus I got a quick glimps of CUA when I saw my friends Sarah and Josh. Quickly jumping in bed to get up for a beautiful day in the city London. As i walked around with my camera attached to my face i was able to see the Westminster Abbey, Parliament, the Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and much much more. The next few days i felt like a hug tourist seeing everything i could in London and Oxford. I was able to get in to the castle where they filmed the Harry Potter movies and try some of the local goodies. I felt like Austria went by fast but it was nothing compared to how fast it went by in England. I put on my sad face and said my goodbyes and i was off to Barcelona to call my Spring Break a wrap.