Hola amigos! I am again in Spain, this time in Barcelona! I flew in early yesterday morning and have enjoyed exploring the city with my studio the past two days. Catalonian architecture is so beautiful! And I absolutely love Antonio Gaudi - tomorrow we are taking a tour of his most famous buildings!
Since writing last, I also traveled to Northern Island to meet up with my sister Abby and friend Carissa Christensen. We were hosted by an Irish family that we knew of through a good friend from our church in Cedar Rapids. The Harper family was extremely hospitable towards us! Their son Johnny was my age and he drove us to the north shore to see the beautiful coastline. We even had a Guiness in an authentic Irish Pub.. but I didn't like mine much. They tell me that beer is an acquired taste - one that I may never acquire if I keep up the pace I'm going now!
My entire class also took a four day road-trip through southern France. I called it a "Le Corbusier tour" because we slept two nights in the famous La Tourette monastery, traveled to Firminy to see five of his buildings, and saw the church at Ronchomp. We also visited Ledoux's Royal Salt-Works in Arc-et-Senan and stayed in a really quaint bed-and-breakfast. The mountains of southern France are absolutely gorgeous in the fall. And the little towns that dot the landscape make you think you're watching a medieval movie through your car window!
Through all of these travels and my urban exploration class in Paris, I have successfully learned the art of wandering. Exploring buildings has never been so much fun! At times I feel like an under-cover spy, decoding the organization of a building as I casually maneuver through spaces as if I’ve done it a million times before. Today for example I walked into a Spanish university as if I were a student - right past the smiling security guard. It was well-worth it! Check out the way the light streams through those louvers and parallels the staircase in the atrium! I am so grateful to God for the opportunity to travel Europe and learn so much about architecture in such a short amount of time.
À bientôt!
