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Gaudi; a man ahead of his time

Sunday, September 30th, 2007

 

Spain (1852-1926) In his young life, Antoni Gaudi was the last kid picked on the team.  Not much is known of Gaudi’s childhood except that he suffered from arthritis from the age of six.  Yet Gaudi turned this disability into a blessing for those of us who enjoy his works.  While he wasn’t able to run and play with the other children, he turned to nature for his sense of inspiration. 

 In 1873 Gaudi left his home in Reus bound for Barcelona and the Provincial School of Architecture.  As his father was a boiler maker or La Calderera, Gaudi was familiar with iron work and displayed his unusual sculptural designs in Casa Mila.  He was a global artist, interior designer and furniture maker.  He used recycled and left over tiles in his works that give a Hansel and Gretel feel to his buildings in the Parc Guell

Tragically, this forward thinker and planner of wide city streets had his life cut short when he was run over by a street car in Barcelona.

Codorniu caves meet energizer bunny

Saturday, September 29th, 2007

 

The Codorniu caves www.codorniu.com of the Penedes wine region are like the energizer bunny; they go on and on and on…  After entering the gorgeous tasting room, designed by Gaudi contemporary, Josep Puig i Cadafalch, and watching a very slick family video, we boarded a mini trolly car and embarked on Mr. Toad’s wild ride. 

While the underground cave system is quite impressive, this was not Disneyland.  No electric light parade here.  They did have an amazing bottling line, however, and they greeted us with a glass of cava, or sparkling wine, at the end of the tour.

Listening for angels in Montserrat

Friday, September 28th, 2007
  As our tour bus wound up and up to the 4,000-foot-high mountain retreat of Montserrat, 30 miles inland from Barcelona, we were mesmerized by the spectacular sandstone peaks that housed the Benedictine Monastery.  This spiritual center since ... [Continue reading this entry]

Family takes tuk tuk break in exotic Thailand

Friday, September 28th, 2007
For the price of a Hawaiian vacation, you could be riding a tuk tuk in exotic Thailand. Lafayette's Tina Tankka and her family of four opted for the floating markets of Bangkok via Long tail boat and experienced the maze ... [Continue reading this entry]