#bacilica

[candacehughes]

travis scott, king von, luv resval, trevor buildings conversions and convert to together ambience walls in tekashi 69 buildings and fully convert justin, bizzle, country/blues/r and b/rap/teen/pop/the woods music artists, museums, churchs, centres, centers, markets, shoppes, shops, boutiques, basilicas, bacilicas, buildings to together for ambience in tekashi 69 buildings. on. paid.

[franciscobrando]

#lujan #bacilica #argentina🇦🇷 https://www.instagram.com/p/CGQ4WTIDyRz/?igshid=774da0rwk54s

[drtanstravels]

In the first part of this trip we had spent an amusing night in Sitges, followed by few days seeing the sights, catching up with friends and eating in Valencia. Now it was time to make a move to Barcelona.

Tuesday, September 5 We packed all of our luggage into the back of our Mini and it was time to hit the road, down the freeway to where we’d be spending the night, Peñíscola. Yes, people have constantly reminded me that the place sounds like its name resembles that of a phallic-themed carbonated beverage, but this was an awesome place and not only because parts of season six of Game of Thrones were filmed there, not by a long shot. Here’s a bit about Peñíscola:

Peñíscola, anglicised as Peniscola, is a municipality in the province of Castellón, Valencian Community, Spain. The town is located on the Costa del Azahar, north of the Serra d’Irta along the Mediterranean coast. It is a popular tourist destination Peniscola, often called the “Gibraltar of Valencia,” and locally as “The City in the Sea”, is a fortified seaport, with a lighthouse, built on a rocky headland about 220 feet (67 m) high, and joined to the mainland by only a narrow strip of land. 

The present castle was built by the Knights Templar between 1294 and 1307. In the fourteenth century it was garrisoned by the Knights of Montesa, and in 1420 it reverted to the Crown of Aragon. From 1415 to 1423 it was the home of the schismatic Avignon popeBenedict XIII (Pedro de Luna), whose name is commemorated in the Castell del Papa Luna, the name of the medieval castle, and Bufador del Papa Luna, a curious cavern with a landward entrance through which the seawater escapes in clouds of spray.

My arch-nemesis, Google Maps, led us to the location without a hassle, but then decided to cause problems once we were there. The road into the old-town seemed to get quite narrow once you passed the gate at the end of the beach so we parked the car and tried to find out hotel on foot, however, as we were getting out of the car someone walked up and told us we would probably get a fine if we parked there because the parking was only for residents after a certain time in the afternoon. Looks like Anna would have to try and get us around those tiny streets, initially built 700 years ago, long before the invention of the automobile and with the purpose of catering to foot-traffic, horses and carts at the most, in mind, in order to locate our hotel, the Dios Esta Bien. Back in the 1970s, my parents drove a Mini and that’s when they were legitimately tiny cars. Both of my parents are well over 6′ (182cm) tall and this was during a time of afros and platform shoes, them getting in and out of that thing would’ve looked like a clown car at the circus. Things are a little different now, new models of Mini are on the road, such as the one we had rented, and they aren’t that small anymore. If anything, they are probably slightly larger than most small car models these days. The screenshot of the map (right) was taken later in the night on the beach after dinner, the road we were more than likely on at this particular time was the Calle Saiz de Carlos and we had to make it to our hotel. Not an easy task, especially when you’re driving on the opposite side of the road to what you’re used to on streets so narrow that you can’t even open the doors in some parts. You know it’s a tight fit when the locals on the street are cringing and curling up their faces as you slowly meander through the lanes, so Anna eventually stopped in a tiny parking lot and we devised a new plan; Anna would wait in the car in case there was a problem with parking, I would set out on foot and try to find the hotel. Those tiny streets get a little difficult to navigate when your map isn’t working, however, I followed it as best as I could and decided to find a cafe so I could use their wifi, but accidentally stumbled upon our hotel in the process. The hotel manager was sitting out the front, having a smoke when I found him and burst into laughter when I told him our predicament, telling me it happens quite often. He walked down to the car with me and offered to Anna to drive it up to the Dios Esta Bien, to which Anna gave a resounding “Yes!” We had luggage on the back seat, meaning there was no room for anyone to sit so we just walked up to the hotel and met him there. We checked in, took our luggage three floors up the extremely narrow staircase to our room and then drove the car back down to where there was a carpark we could actually use. The stressful part was officially over, we could now walk out and get a taste of Peñíscola (pun absolutely intended):

If a truck can do it, then it can’t be that difficult

Walking down the street to our hotel

The view from our room

The stairs are a bit tight

For some of us, anyway

Walking down to the carpark

Anna navigating one of many tight turns

Looking at the castle from the beach

Panoramic shot of the beach

Looking back into town

Jamon again!

The face pedestrians made when they saw Anna trying to take the really tight turns

We walked around, checking out Peñíscola and stopping off at random places for the occasional latte, but before long it was time to eat again. We looked for a while, deciding between several really good looking restaurants, but then stumbled upon Taberna El Ánfora and the decision really just made itself. There is a kind of poorly translated description from the restaurant on Trip Advisor that says:

Our restaurant offers our guests a traditional Mediterranean seafood cuisine. We have our menu with a characteristic dishes of our establishment and others that vary from fresh fish, to offer our clients a different way to taste the Mediterranean fish and seafood. The chef Daniel Colom cooking style dishes “sailor fishing boat” will offer a unique experience and move you with its variety of typical dishes of sailors the world of “seafarers” We wait for you.

I guess what they were trying to say is that all of the food is freshly caught and that the chef/owner, Daniel Colom, goes diving daily for fresh shellfish so if something isn’t available, it’s because he couldn’t catch any that day. Once inside the restaurant, lobster traps act as lampshades and the walls and ceiling are adorned with treasures and artefacts the chef has discovered while diving, broken antique vases from the ocean’s floor, that type of thing, however, photographs aren’t allowed unless you are eating there. We pulled up a seat, ordered a variety of stuff, some we were familiar with and some we’d never even heard of, such as sea nettles, which tasted kind of like deep-fried oysters but a quick look at wikipedia and it tuns out that they are actually of the jellyfish family. Once we had ordered, Daniel took us inside to show us around, look at all the stuff he had salvaged and pose for photos in sailor hats similar to those worn by Donald Duck and Japanese schoolgirls.

The food was spectacular, we followed it up with some free shots of some local alcohol and then took a long walk around the beach before heading back home. Some scenes from the night:

I would eat here nightly if I could

My view while we were having dinner

Just Anna and myself looking stupid again

A cabinet with some of the stuff Daniel has salvaged while diving

Fortunately, we’re in the background of this one

Octopus and potato stew

Sea nettles

With Daniel Colom

The most bored person I think I’ve ever seen

Looking at the foreshore

The sea at night

Walking back to our hotel

Wednesday, September 6 Today Anna was going to have to navigate those crazy back alleys again in order for us to be able pack our luggage in the car, but that’s not something you can probably do on an empty stomach so we decided to wander around the castle and then go down to the pier area, have a coffee and get some lunch. After walking around, looking at the buildings and watching the fish swim in the water, we settled into another great little seafood restaurant called Puerto Mar. Yet again, we ate ridiculously well, feasting on a different variety of sea-snails to usual, as well as razor clams among other miscellaneous sea creatures. I’ve always loved Spanish food, but I could eat the seafood in Peñíscola every meal for the rest of my life and be completely content. In an effort to delay driving the car back up to the hotel, we walked around the beach for a while, just taking in the scenery, but it was inevitable; Anna would have to tackle those extremely compact laneways, but yet again she pulled it off superbly and before long we were packed and making our way to Barcelona. When we arrived we dropped off our car at the rental place near our hotel and it turned out there was a scratch in the paintwork, most likely from all of those sharp curves, but luckily she paid for full insurance to begin with. To quote the man who served us when we returned the car, “You could’ve just brought back the steering wheel and it would’ve been fine.” Once the car was sorted, we checked into our hotel, which was located near the conference centre where the 2017 Euretina Congress was being held and, although our hotel was nice and on the beach, there wasn’t a whole lot else around the general area where we were staying. We looked around a shopping mall, Diagonal Mar Centre, that was located behind our hotel, but that was just like the countless malls back home in Singapore. Once we were done wandering around there, we had dinner and a few drinks, then decided to cash in that night and make the most of the following day. Still, it was a day well-spent:

In the lobby of the Dios Esta Bien

This little guy decided to check out the view with us

It’s pretty relaxing here

Walking around the castle

Anna and some houses

Making our way along the pier to the restaurant

Puerto Mar

Where to begin?

Well, how about with these?

Taste so good

Some clams

Probably should de-stress again before trying to drive back up to our hotel

This was one of the wider streets!

It’s amazing that there was only one small scratch on the car in the end

Thursday, September 7 Anna had to present at the conference on Friday so it was best to make the most of one of our only full days together in Barcelona. The plan of attack? Get some coffee and go take a look at Sagrada Familia:

The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família (English: Basilica and Expiatory Church of the Holy Family) is a large unfinished Roman Catholic church in Barcelona, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926). Gaudí’s work on the building is part of a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site, and in November 2010 Pope Benedict XVI consecrated and proclaimed it a minor basilica, as distinct from a cathedral, which must be the seat of a bishop.

In 1882 construction of Sagrada Família commenced under architect Francisco Paula de Villar until 1883, when Villar resigned. Gaudí took over as chief architect, transforming the project with his architectural and engineering style, combining Gothic and curvilinear Art Nouveau forms. Gaudí devoted the remainder of his life to the project, and at the time of his death at age 73 in 1926, less than a quarter of the project was complete.

Relying solely on private donations, Sagrada Familia’s construction progressed slowly and was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War, only to resume intermittent progress in the 1950s. Since commencing construction in 1882, advancements in technologies such as computer aided design and computerised numerical control (CNC) have enabled faster progress and construction passed the midpoint in 2010. However some of project’s greatest challenges remain including the construction of ten more spires, each symbolising an important Biblical figure in the New Testament. It is anticipated the building could be completed by 2026—the centenary of Gaudí’s death.

The basílica has a long history of dividing the citizens of Barcelona: over the initial possibility it might compete with Barcelona’s cathedral, over Gaudí’s design itself, over the possibility that work after Gaudí’s death disregarded his design, and the 2007 proposal to build an underground tunnel of Spain’s high-speed rail link to France which could disturb its stability. Describing Sagrada Família, art critic Rainer Zerbst said “it is probably impossible to find a church building anything like it in the entire history of art”, and Paul Goldberger describes it as “the most extraordinary personal interpretation of Gothic architecture since the Middle Ages”.

We arrived at Sagrada Familia and Anna had managed to score tickets online that allowed us to go 65m (213′) up the basilica’s Passion Towers, a process that is only possible by elevator, however, the descent back to ground-level involves walking a very narrow, winding staircase consisting of over 300 steps. Here’s how we saw our time both outside the basilica, as well as inside:

The main basilica

Looking from the side

Anna in front of the entrance

Inside

And the other end

Panoramic shot inside

Once we’d been up, we would have to walk down a staircase like that

The view from one window in the Passion Towers

Same view, but obscured by Anna

A small stairwell to the other tower

Still under construction

Apparently that’s the route we took

It’s a long way down

Some people are dicks

One of the numerous scale models inside

To exit the building, in typical style you must go through the gift shop, but en route to the store the walls are lined with many highly-detailed scale models of what the finished building will look like, hand crafted by designers and artists. One can’t help but think that they would be a lot more closer to completing the building if they put that effort into the actual basilica, as opposed to building so many models of it. These things aren’t small, either!

Following Sagrada Familia was to be the interesting part. We were about to spend the rest of the day shopping, making our way into the city and eventually ending up at La Rambla, the site of the Barcelona terrorist attack just three weeks earlier. If you haven’t read part one of this post or have just plain forgotten the details, here’s how it went down:

On the afternoon of 17 August 2017, 22-year-old Younes Abouyaaqoub drove a van into pedestrians on La Rambla in Barcelona, Spain, killing 13 people and injuring at least 130 others, one of whom died 10 days later on 27 August. Abouyaaqoub fled the attack on foot, then killed another person in order to steal the victim’s car to make his escape. Nine hours after the Barcelona attack, five men thought to be members of the same terrorist cell drove into pedestrians in nearby Cambrils, killing one woman and injuring six others. All five attackers were shot and killed by police. The night before the Barcelona attack, an explosion occurred in a house in the Spanish town of Alcanar, destroying the building and killing two members of the terrorist cell; including the 40-year-old imam thought to be the mastermind. The home had over 120 gas canisters inside, which police believe the cell was attempting to make into one large bomb or three smaller bombs to be placed in three vans which they had rented; but which they accidentally detonated.

We weren’t worried at all, if anything it would most likely be safer because everybody would be on their guard and there would be a lot more security around.

The two of us made our way through the city, admiring some of the bizarre architecture and happy in the fact that this was going to be our home for the next few days. Eventually we arrived at La Rambla and there were very few signs that anything had happened in recent times. La Rambla is a tree-lined pedestrian mall, closed to transport, that stretches for 1.2 kms (0.75 miles) with many shops, bars and cafes, however, there were no shrines or memorials, but a large police presence with police cars and armed officers blocking every possible entrance point. Besides that, it seemed like it was back to business as usual, people appeared relaxed and at ease. That was until a car backfired and everyone flinched in unison, that terror still present in their eyes as they mentally flashed back to what they were doing several weeks earlier when they first heard the news, but the fear subsided again soon enough.

The entire day I couldn’t work out why I was getting such dirty looks from some people, then it dawned on me — I looked like a Trump supporter. I was wearing the t-shirt I received when I bought the VIP package to see Ween on the President’s Day weekend in Broomfield, Colorado last year which has Dean and Gene Ween satirising Benjamin Franklin and Abraham Lincoln respectively, with a parody of the American flag behind them, the stars replaced with Boognish logos. To top off the look, I was also wearing a red cap advertising a pizza store that, in actuality, looked a lot like a ‘Make America Great Again’ hat on first glance. From now on I’ll actually look in the mirror before I walk out the door.

A lot of the stores around the area were similar to what we would find in Singapore, but there was still some pretty cool stuff around and Anna could’ve happily spent every cent she had. After we tired of looking at the shops, we had a couple of mid-afternoon libations in La Rambla, stopped off for some dinner and then found a shisha bar that had some pretty decent Palestinian beers, something I had never seen before. Here’s how it all looked from our perspective:

I bet elves live in this building

Maybe this one, too

La Rambla

They didn’t actually sell them

Yes, apparently this is an actual plant…

…as are these chilis

Enjoying a drink on La Rambla

A mural in the shisha bar

I really do look like a redneck

Anna going a little red

Almost time to go back to the trailer and brush my tooth

Don’t worry, our trailer’s in a nice part of Barcelona

Friday, September 8 Friday was to be Anna’s first full day at the Euretina Congress, she was also making a presentation, offering me the opportunity to explore the city by myself. I made the 45-minute beachside walk into town, stopping off for a coffee along the way, and spent most of the day in the same way as the previous afternoon, but just looking at record stores and stuff that I like to do when I’m alone in a new city, but particularly exploring the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona:

The Gothic Quarter is the centre of the old city of Barcelona. It stretches from La Rambla to Via Laietana, and from the Mediterranean seafront to the Ronda de Sant Pere. It is a part of Ciutat Vella district.

The quarter encompasses the oldest parts of the city of Barcelona, and includes the remains of the city’s Roman wall and several notable medieval landmarks. Much of the present-day fabric of the quarter, however, dates to the 19th and early 20th centuries. El Call, the medieval Jewish quarter, is located within this area, along with the former Sinagoga Major.

The Barri Gòtic retains a labyrinthine street plan, with many small streets opening out into squares. Most of the quarter is closed to regular traffic although open to service vehicles and taxis.

We had already seen a decent part of the Gothic Quarter the previous day, but because I walked into town this time, I got to approach it from a different angle and find new parts. See for yourself:

When the beach looks like this, it’s a perfect day for looking at the Gothic Quarter

Water tower in Barceloneta Park

I know nothing about soccer, but I thought this might have something to do with FC Barcelona. Turns out I was wrong.

Walking around the Gothic Quarter

More of the Gothic Quarter

Still more

Columbus Monument at the lower end of La Rambla

Barcelona Maritime Museum

Pretty saucy for Baghdad, but I guess the spelling isn’t much to go by

El Portal de Santa Madrona de Barcelona

Although I could physically do it, I couldn’t spend all day walking around town because I had to attend a ball with Anna for the conference that night in Casa Llotja de Mar, a 14th-century stock exchange. Finally, the people that Anna has conference calls with every Wednesday to discuss a journal article they are writing would be able to put a face to the torso of the man who keeps accidentally walking into the background of the screen of their calls in nothing but his underwear. Again, the food was outstanding and a great night was had by all, except until I realised I was wearing the exact same clothes as the last time I ate with Professor Holz, Anna’s boss in Germany. He didn’t notice, but he got a bit of a chuckle out of it when I showed him a photo. I think in the future I might make a point out of wearing that shirt and those pants every time I know he is going to be around.

Saturday, September 9 This was to be our last full day in Spain, so we intended to make it count. We both love flea markets so the first stop was to be the Encants Vells Flea Market:

Barcelona’s Encants Vells, also known as the Mercat de Bellcaire, is one of the oldest flea markets in Europe and dates back to the 14th Century.

In 2013 Els Encants relocated to a stunning new purpose built 3 story structure opposite the Agbar Tower.

The emblematic mirrored canopy houses 500 stalls; a mixture of junk shop, antiques fair, jumble sale and old school market all rolled into one.

In addition to second hand books, ornaments, cameras, furniture and clothes, there are also stalls selling new clothes, furniture, decorative items, toois, hardware and electronics. Not to mention 2 bar/cafés, several small antique shops and a shop that sells electric bikes.

The 33,306 m² canopy was designed by Fermin Väzquez and is without doubt one of the most impressive modern market buildings in Europe.

Okay, I’m struggling to believe those dimensions as well, 33,306 m² (358,503 feet²) seems somewhat unrealistic, but this place was still pretty damn huge! Needles to say, it had a bit of everything so we were rather content for an hour or two, just pawing through other people’s crap.

The reflective ceiling

I love stalls like this

The entrance

Reflecting on life choices

I said this place was enormous

Porn and paintbrushes in the one place. Convenient!

After we had finished, we had the chance for one last great meal and my hair was still done from the ball the previous night, so we went down and pulled up a seat in a Michelin star tapas restaurant called Tickets. Apparently you need to book weeks or months in advance and according to the Michelin Guide they supposedly only open for dinner, but we just got lucky; it was raining outside, they were just opening for lunch for some reason, maybe something they only do on Saturdays, and they must’ve had a cancellation or something, but they were able to fit us in. But even if we had to wait months on a booking, it definitely would have been worth it! Here’s how Time Out describes Tickets (it’s also one of the only descriptions I could find that didn’t consist of a review longer than this entire blog post!):

The Adrià brothers have triumphed again with ​​this ambitious Barcelona-based round-up of their philosophy of tapas. With four different sections – seafood, the grill, sweet treats, and little inventive surprises – you’ll get ‘El Bulli’ versions of all tapas from all over Spain. Squid in its ink with almond paste or grilled watermelon are just a couple examples. Dining here implies a trip through Ferran and Albert Adrià’s culinary wisdom, emphasizing the playful nature of eating. A true dinner party, we would say.

Here’s a look inside Tickets, a portion of the tapas we tried and a few more scenes from around Barcelona on our last day in town:

Someone looks excited

Anna thought these chairs were pretty cool

A little under-dressed with our bloody marys

King crab leg

Don’t be fooled, that is actually creamed cauliflower next to the caviar

Octopus

Quail up next

Cooking it beside our table

And done

Now into the dessert room

Frozen cheese and berries

Tickets cheesecake

Down a lane

A bar at tapas time

Barcelona Cathedral

A lamppost

I probably would’ve named it something else

That night, a whole bunch of the doctors had dinner together and the younger ones amongst us went out to a bar for the night. Anna and myself still had to get up the next morning for a reasonably early for a flight, but we still managed to stay up and party on until the end, our dignity intact.

Rosa and Anna

The whole crew

Sunday, September 10 Our flight was at 11:00am so we needed to be at the airport at around 9:00am. We managed to do it, albeit exhausted, and due to the time differences, it was 7:00am on Monday by the time we got back to Singapore. We caught an Uber home from Changi Airport, Anna re-packed and went straight back to the airport again in order to fly out to Myanmar at midday to do volunteer surgery in a remote village for a week. That woman is a machine! I was left for the week with this thing, but it was too interested in the jamon bone we brought back for it to really pay attention to anyone else. Looks like I’d be spending some time at the pub

That does look tasty…

Our entire trip to Spain was a blast; Sitges was a fun night, Valencia was a nice, relaxing break, Peñíscola was breathtaking, and Barcelona was all that we expected. Thanks again to Rosa and Roberto for letting us stay at your house, we didn’t actually expect you to move out for us, and we’ll be back again for next year’s conference.

UPDATE: Just before I was about to publish the end of this story, more violence kicked off in Catalonia. From the video’s description:

Footage from the Catalonia Independence Referendum has shown what appears to be Spanish police brutality against peaceful demonstrators in Barcelona and elsewhere. Catalan officials say at least 337 people have been injured in clashes as police try to prevent voting in Catalonia’s independence referendum. The Spanish government has pledged to stop a poll that was declared illegal by the country’s constitutional court. Police officers are preventing people from voting, and seizing ballot papers and boxes at polling stations. In the regional capital Barcelona, police used batons and fired rubber bullets during pro-referendum protests. The toll of injured was confirmed by a spokesman for the Catalan regional government, as well as the region’s health department. Separately, the Spanish interior ministry said 11 police officers had been injured.

Looks like we got out just in time!

Traveling to Spain in the Wake of a Tragedy, pt. 2: Peñíscola and Barcelona In the first part of this trip we had spent an amusing night in Sitges, followed by few days seeing the sights, catching up with friends and eating in Valencia.

[chaosloon]

basilica di san pietro

vatican city

[lasantamisacatolica-blog]

(vía https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkI461dFWDU)

[kirurupower]

Visitando Lujan en el finde largo a tomar mate, muertos de calor jeje... Pero la verdad que es hermosa la bacilica #calor #lujan #bacilica #gothic #architecture #neogotica #mate

[php003]

A well aged Casdagli Bacilica #casdagli #casdaglicigars #casdaglicigarsusa #stogiefriends #smallbatchcigar https://www.instagram.com/p/B07gF5qHbRP/?igshid=1u9q7d15s1qmj

[franciscobrando]

#lujan #bacilica #argentina🇦🇷 https://www.instagram.com/p/CGQ4UJTjJNR/?igshid=xd4ge7k69lj3

[mightgeteaten]

I call it Arabic Beans n Eggs. And it is a great breakfast I strongly recommend.

Fist you chop tomatoes in small cubes then frie them with timjan and a gentle touch of salt. The beans are called BAGALA. Pour them in the pan with just a little bit of juice left. And then add salt gently. Salt bakes the flavor of the beans bloom so tast them to see if they require more salt. Go get 4 eggs, crack 'em open and put them in a bin sen add 3 kinds of pepper; black, white and rainbow. Then you need some heat, but not to much, bearably noticeable. I used a seasoning called Tony Charachter's Original. Gently! Then get some fresh bacilica and then you mix the eggs even and nice. Set the stove on a low temperature and let the heat in the pan drop a bit before you pour in the eggs. Few minutes later it's ready to serve.

Enjoy and have a nice day!

[helgapradeep-blog]

PETALS COLLECTIONS

Petals Collections is one of the best dress shops which is situated near Arthunkal Bacilica in Cherthala, Alappuzha. Our shop offers you the best quality dress materials at low rates.

[bunablog]

Hola CDMX! 🇲🇽❤️ (at Bacilica De Guadalupe) https://www.instagram.com/p/BrJC2rqF3mTBhlcuYq99kkxyYGtaWYXKiaf6TA0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=hi04c5x8wvr4

[zerah561]

Patron Saint of Thieves

Night in Italy was often just as bright as day depending on how late it was and where. Vatican City however was not some bright jewel in the dark beckoning the young in to party. It was silent and still,a home of a parent keeping watch on the young. No one bothered to get close at night save the few insomniacs that thought prayer in the bacilica might help.

And a shadow moving from a Window to a shaded cover. The dark clad figure could barely be seen in the dark spaces, which worked fine in Arias favor. Moving silently and swiftly about from room to room, various jeweled nickknacks finding their way into a bag on her belt.

Hey it wasn’t her god she was stealing from, and she was pretty sure this one didn’t actually exist so, no guilt.

[lasantamisacatolica-blog]

(vía https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk00FbDCsiU)

[transparentem]

Hoy llegue

Estaba buscando tu casa en maps, falle luego busqué en waze lo que me dijiste, y encontré algo una pista para todos los días buscar por calle por calle hasta dar y aprenderme la ruta, no tengo límites, no los pongas, más tarde salí y llegue a ver el cerro cool desde unos 7 km lo más cerca a ti que he estado, seguro sin ruido no gente ni nada me hubieras escuchado, lloré un poco y el corazón me brincó bastante. Estoy en modo zombie dejando que esto se consuma O que me dejen por apático y grosero.

de todo lo demas estoy, sigo y tengo esperanza que habrá un tiempo. Te amo lo juro, tanto que me meteria a la bacilica Si en vdd funcionara pedir milagros, los he hecho y jamás pasan. Pero para demostrarte mi amor por ti me arriesgo!

el tiempo hoy fue raro y lo creo lento esta hr o más ya casi no me hace daño en el día hace mucho que no despertaba para Vivir

[tatianapatron]

🙏🏽 . . . #35mm #mexico #cdmx #ishootfilm #staybrokeshootfilm #filmisgold #filmphotography #colorfilm #somewheremagazine #shootfilmmag #lightleak #analogue #filmwave #believeinfilm #analoguecollective #floatcurated #filmphotomag  #subjectivelyobjective #womenwhoshootfilm #architecture #kodakfilm #kodak #restorefrombackup #infilmwetrust #filmfeed #kodakgold200 #boxspeedfeature #artclassified #ifyouleave #oftheafternoon (at La Bacilica de Guadalupe) https://www.instagram.com/p/B91qi8FHG53/?igshid=1t8anehhycdc1

[sdsuconcertchoiritaly]

Day 8: Assisi, Part 2

In the morning light we can see Assisi for the first time. It’s a bit gray and foggy this morning, but by mid-afternoon the sun will be shining. After breakfast, I step onto the balcony of the hotel restaurant to look out over the valley below us in the daylight. In the distance I can see the Basilica di Santa Maria di Los Angeles, built in the spot where St. Francis died.

Our local guide, Eduardo, meets us at the hotel and we walk to the Bacilica di San Francesco. Surrounding the basilica is an entire complex where up to 100 Franciscan friars live. The basilica is rather unique in that it contains two churches, one built on top of the other. The lower church is more Romanesque with a shallower ceiling while the upper church is Gothic and quite a bit taller. Photos aren’t allowed in most of the places we explore today, so I don’t have my own pictures of the inside to share. In both the upper and lower churches, the walls and ceilings are covered in colorful Byzantine-style frescoes depicting scenes from the gospel and St. Francis’s life. The floor (and presumably the walls underneath the frescoes) is made of local marble, which is white, pink, and brown. We’ll see this same type of stone in other places across town.

Eduardo is a former law professor and has lived in Assisi for 40 years. He tells us about the life of St. Francis, some of which is depicted in the frescoes around us. St. Francis’s given name was actually John, but his mother used to call him her “little Frenchman,” which was translated to Francesco in Italian and became the name he was known for later in life. When St. Francis was about 23 years old, he left his family (his father had been rather harsh when Francis did not show interest in taking over the family business, including chaining him in the cellar for a week) for the church. St. Francis received the stigmata at 42 and later died at 44, having bled from his wounds constantly during that time. It is said that near his death, Francis left Assisi to go a small chapel in the valley below, and at the moment of his death, lights came down from the heavens to escort his soul to God. This and other miraculous events were recounted during St. Francis’s canonization, which was completed within just 18 months of his death.

St. Francis’s remains are buried in a crypt underneath the lower church. It’s a strange feeling to be within inches of a saint’s body and to be able to touch the stone surrounding their remains—a saint as widely known as St. Francis, no less. Though we know this intellectually, I’m struck now in a more profound way that all the saints, apostles, and of course Jesus himself were real people who walked the earth and lived lives not entirely different from ours. It’s hard to be disconnected from all of that when you’re walking the same streets they walked and seeing their very bones before you.

Next, we head across town to the Basilica di San Chiara (St. Clare). St. Clare founded an order of religious sisters that remains in existence today. The basilica is notable for containing a crucifix in which Jesus is depicted with his eyes open. Eduardo tells us this is in line with the Byzantine tradition, which emphasized the resurrection more than the crucifixion. St. Clare’s remains are kept in a beautiful crypt below the basilica, along with several relics from her and St. Francis: clothes, belongings, even locks of hair. While accounts differ, St. Clare’s body is said to be incorrupt, meaning it has not decayed over the centuries. At her tomb, there is a waxy figure dressed in her clothes laying atop what I had thought was her sarcophagus. We later learn this was Clare’s remains encased in beeswax. Again, I’m moved in seeing the remains and relics of these important figures in the history of the church, preserved over centuries.

Lunch and afternoon exploration is on our own. Miranda, Sylvie, Ted, and I grab lunch at a restaurant just off of Piazza del Comune at the city center. Miranda has a Parmesan ravioli and the other three of us have a lasagna made with sausage and broccoli in a white sauce. We get a bottle of local red wine to share. It’s all delicious—perhaps some of the best food we’ve had yet.

After lunch, we grab a pastry and meet up with some of our other friends to climb up to the Rocca Maggiore, a castle that sits at the top of the mountain above Assisi. It’s rather standard and plain as far as castles go. There are a few rooms that contain some pieces of armor or old decorations, and there is an exhibit showing some sort of medieval fair that was held in the town recently. At the top of the tower, our little group sings a couple songs because the acoustics are fantastic. Outside the castle, I walk to the other side of the hill for a view of this part of the valley. Before arriving in Italy, I’d had no idea the country was so mountainous.

On the way down from the castle, we divert from the route we took up the hill to check out the Cathedral of St. Rufino, who was the first bishop of Assisi. This is the third major church in this small town, and we visited one more smaller church on our walk this morning. Everyone heads their separate ways, some to shop, some to nap, and Ted and I go to the Roman forum, an underground excavation of the Roman ruins beneath Piazza del Comune. While exploring these, I remember seeing similar things in Greece and having to use quite a bit of imagination to picture what once existed here. Above ground, we also stop inside the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, a Roman temple to Minerva that was later taken over by the Christians. This temple was once the centerpiece of the the Roman forum whose ruins remain about 10 feet below.

From here, Ted and I split up and I walk along a few shops back toward the Basilica of St. Francis. I find a rosary that I like and enjoy some quiet time outside the basilica watching the sun descend over the horizon. I return to the hotel in time for a 20-minute nap before changing into my tuxedo and heading downstairs to meet the rest of the group to head to dinner. We have dinner at a restaurant up the street called Buca di San Francesco. It’s a three-course meal of bruschetta, chicken and potatoes, and a chocolate apple pastry. Throughout dinner, several folks get sick or have to leave to go back to the hotel. A few people have gotten sick up to this point and have stayed behind for various parts of our tour. From the looks of it, we’ll be down about 10 singers for our concert tonight.

After dinner we walk to the Basilica of St. Francis, where we’ll be performing at 9:00pm in the lower church. By the time we start, the place is about half full, with more and more people trickling in as the concert goes on. By the end, we’re singing to a full house, whose enthusiastic applause prompts us to sing an encore of the Prayer of St. Francis. It’s pretty special to be singing that song (twice) just feet above where St. Francis is buried.

We make our way back to the hotel and I have a glass of wine with Sylvie and Miranda as we pack our things up and listen to our concert, which was broadcast on the St. Francis of Assisi Facebook page. I head to bed at about midnight, but I’ll wake up in middle of the night to find that I, too, have gotten sick with the same stomach bug that seems to be making its rounds through the choir.