Saturday, October 11, 2008

GAUDÍ - BARCELONA



Sublime surname around part of the well-fed world. I was about to post some Barcelona snapshots when I suddenly noticed that 'GAUDIR' means in Catalan 'TO TAKE PLEASURE, TO ENJOY'. And this is what we did for a few days in August last. The Majestic Hotel was the best choice I coud have ever made as I wanted to feel at home away from home.

Thanks to EL PAÍS for the aerial photo I was not able to take. The others come from my camera as usual.

Thursday, October 09, 2008

MADRID







The Spanish Capital City may not be the prettiest one in Europe but we must thank the gods for that particular Avenue named El Paseo del Prado. You can start your walk from Atocha train station and visit the Reina Sofía Art Gallery (on your left), the Prado Museum (on your right) and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Gallery (left again). Do not do it on the same day unless you are an insensitive replayable hard-drive than never pees.
The Caixa Forum hall would be an appropiate place for a cuppa and pee anyhow, as the nearby Botanical Gardens are properly watered by expert gardeners.

England my England


My students have asked for

more pictures about Britain.


Their wish is my command.





MIQUEL MARTÍ I POL


Miquel Martí i Pol (do listen to some of his poems
sung by Lluís Llach), Gabriel Ferrater and Vicent
Andrés Estellés. Three greatest Catalan
Language poets you cannot miss out. Google for
them (as usual) and let yourself go.

'Estimada Marta' is a must-have.

(Picture: Hotel Majestic - Barcelona, July 2008)

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Beauty Is in the Eye of the Beholder


















Doesn’t time fly? My last post is already 6 months old and so are all of us, the summer is over and after some ups and downs the autumn seems to be here to stay.

Over the last few days the weather has brought us unexpected squalls, unforeseen hot days and loads of forecasts about an alleged return to a usual wet season.


In the meantime, the wealthy are wealthier whereas mortgage holders are poorer or homeless and those of us who thought that capitalism needed no rules have started thinking that we were wrong. Why greedy speculators don’t try and fall for something (someone, rather) different than money they will never be able to spend or enjoy? Life’s so short!



Anyway, in order not to forget our good habits there you have some more pictures I took while in England and Ireland. And as to my long absence remember that this blog only intends to make you read a few lines in English peppered with slight hints and suggestions on Beauty because ‘Truth is Beauty and Beauty is Truth’ (Isadora Duncan). Copying the March 9 news on Zapatero from El País was a sort of ‘poetic license’ I must apologize for.