The Tower Bridge - London Pt 2

Another zoom experiment of the Tower Bridge in London and The Shard.

Sant Pere de Rodes

the monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes 

Lisboa

What a beautiful, colorful, and vibrant city

The Narrow Streets

Dodging the sun is an art form in Barcelona.  As the legend goes, the city was built tall with small streets to keep the intense heat of the street and people's flats.  I can't imagine our flat with a full day of direct sunlight and no air conditioning.  I have become an expert at walking paths that keep me in the shade.  Of course, in a couple of months, I'll be looking for the sunny spots to try to warm up.

11

So much of the old architecture has been preserved in our neighborhood.  It's amazing to see where people have tried to cover over the original foundation, but it somehow remains.  Every door in our neighborhood is covered in graffiti like this one.  The doors are considered private space, thus the responsibility of the owners.  The walls are public space, so the city will clean them.  

The Faceless

I noticed this head up on a pillar a few days ago.  It was surprising that I hadn't noticed it before, because I'm usually looking for this kind of stuff.  We walk past this corner at least 5 times a day, it's on my normal potty route with Sadie.

At first glance, I thought it was something that was worn and had been sitting there for ages, but as I look at it more, it looks like someone was sculpting a face/head and climbed up in the night to take advantage of an open ledge.  Regardless, I love it.

I actually have spent more time speaking, in my limited Spanish, with the folks who don't have homes in our neighborhood.  This reminds me of them, we often pass by without noticing them.  They almost become fixtures of the architecture when in reality, we should pay attention to their beauty.  Happy Monday.

Parc Güell Arches

Parc Güell is a beautiful park designed by Gaudi.  It is wonderful to visit, but not so much in the tourist season.  It's hard to find any pictures without a flock of people.  I was lucky to get this uninterrupted shot. 

A Wall

This is a very common sight in our neighborhood.  It's just a wall, but there's something so beautiful about it to me.

Pillars

I woke up early to climb Montjuic with a friend and take some sunrise photos (which I will post another day).  At the end of nearly 2 hours of walking, we found ourselves descending Montjuic near the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya.  I've walked around here before, but never without people around, and it was the first time I'd noticed the railing, with these beautiful pillars.  Actually, as we were leaving, the first tour group of the morning showed up.  While I'm physically exhausted, the extra effort of waking up before the sun gives me a view of the city that's usually obstructed by tourists.  The people provide a certain energy, but sometimes it's good to get a little bit of a break.