April | 2013 | CestLaJu

Travel: Transition Day to Barcelona

17 Apr 2013 Leave a comment

by PhoenixKaio in Architecture, Art, Travel Tags: Antoni Gaudí, Barcelona, Mosaic, Park Güell, Relax

Didn’t accomplish much today, we were considering visiting the Mosteiro de San Miguel de Los Reyes but after the awe-inspiring El Escorial, we weren’t sure it was worth delaying our train. This is particularly true since we like to arrive in our next city early enough to accomplish some tasks before night hits.

AKA. It was a travel day. After arriving at our destination of Barcelona, we had just enough daylight to spend traipsing around Parc Güell. It originated as a commercial housing project, founded by the Count Eusebi Güell. Inspired by the English garden city movement, the intention was to exploit the fresh air and capitalize on the beautiful views by providing 60 triangular lots of luxury houses.

However, only two houses were eventually built, and although Gaudi is associated with these, that is far from true. Gaudi did, however, live in the park from 1906 to 1926, purchasing the remaining vacant lot at the count’s suggestion. It now houses the Gaudi House Museum.

A big part of the design, incorporates a slew of mosaic tiling.

Obviously, we didn’t accomplish as much as we usually do, due to my jam-packed schedule planning. Nonetheless, it was relaxing to just take a quiet, no schedule, breather day.

Travel: Valencian Atmosphere

16 Apr 2013 Leave a comment

by PhoenixKaio in Architecture, Spain, Travel Tags: L'Oceanogràfic, Llotja de la Seda, Marine Park, Paella, Pere Compte, Santiago Calatrava, Siesta, Spain, Valencia

Most attractions in Spain tend to remain closed on Mondays, it was no different in Valencia. Mind you, this doesn’t included the mid-day siesta’s that the Spanish enjoy. Unfortunately, this means that I had to forego some of my desired historical sites, since my mother needs to catch a flight in Paris in 10 days. 😦

We did have a very relaxing day however, and it was kicked-off by a visit to the Central Market! It has been in operation since 1928, and provides a large variety of food products that are freshly enticing. Walking through the diverse array of stalls allowed us to immerse ourselves in the grocery lives of the locals, and find some great snacks to tide us over in our nearby hostel. Valencian Oranges are delicious!

After, we went back to the hostel to snack on our newly acquired fruit, we regrouped, and then left for our next destination, the Llotja de la Seda, the old silk exchange. It was built between 1482 and 1548, and was designed by the architect Pere Compte. An important inscription is engraved on the walls of the trading hall.

“Inclita domus sum annis aedificata quindecim. Gustate et videte concives quoniam bona est negotiatio, quae non agit dolum in lingua, quae jurat proximo et non deficit, quae pecuniam non dedit ad usuram eius. Mercator sic agens divitiis redundabit, et tandem vita fructur aeterna.”

It demonstrates that good trade and ethical behavior can be established regardless of religion or ethnicity.

Since none of the other venues I originally wanted to visit were open, we opted to visit the City of Arts and Science an amazing cultural complex. It was envisioned by one of my favorite architects, Santiago Calatrava, who is responsible for designing some of the most iconic buildings that are recognized in the world today. See the pictures below for some amazing views of the structures.

At this point, we only had half the day left, so we opted to visit the L’Oceanogràfic, which is the 2nd largest in the world, and the largest in all of Europe. It is an open-air marine park in which each ‘habitat’ is submerged below the surface (excluding those creatures that are suited to southern Spain’s climate). 10 habitats are represented, and 45,000 animals spread across 500 different species of fish, birds, mammals, invertebrates and reptiles are distributed into a volume of 1.2 million square feet. It was literally breathtaking.

We wrapped up the day by consuming some genuine Valencia Paella. Yummm!

Travel: Hola Valencia!

15 Apr 2013 Leave a comment

by PhoenixKaio in Spain, Travel

I’m sad to see my time in Madrid come to an end, there are so many more day-trips I would have taken given the time. i.e. Segovia and Toledo. But I know I will return. 🙂 We decided on an early train this morning to give us a chance at getting some sites in before the day ended, officially activating our EuroRail passes.

As you can see, I was very excited to hit this milestone of my trip (or my mother was :P).

Arriving in Valencia around 1 PM, we headed to our hostel in the old city (Mom wanted to try this experience for herself). After getting ourselves settled, we went to explore. However, since the old city’s streets are far from on a grid, we got quite confused by the angular irregularities of the streets at first. Eventually, we happened upon the Valencia Cathedral, and despite it being a Sunday, it was open, so we opted to go in for the tour.

The Cathedral was consecrated by the first bishop of Valencia in 1238 after the Reconquista; It was dedicated to Saint Mary. Its lies on the former site of a Visigothic cathedral, which was turned into a mosque under the Moors. The predominant architecture of the cathedral is Gothic, in its Catalan or Mediterranean version.

Valencia Cathedral

Basilica

The basilica was particularly illustrious as you can see . The most moving room included that in which one of the rumored Holy Chalices is located.

Holy Chalice

In the wise words of Wikipedia,

“Indeed, most Christian historians all over the world declare that all their evidence points to this Valencian chalice as the most likely candidate for being the authentic cup used at the Last Supper.”

Since it was sunday, everything was closed when we finished exploring the cathedral, therefore, we decided to head to the beaches of Valencia! It was absolutely gorgeous, the temperature outside was just right, and the sand was certainly the finest I’ve seen on any beach (including the infamous jersey shore). It was a relaxing and leisurely travel day.

Travel: Picasso’s Guernica

14 Apr 2013 3 Comments

by PhoenixKaio in Architecture, Art, Spain, Travel Tags: Art, Guernica, Juan Gris, Museum, Pablo Picasso, Park, Santos Torroella, Spanish Civil War

After being incredibly moved by observing the clear faith humans can maintain despite their hardships, we decided to enjoy the rest of our afternoon taking a leisurely stroll through the Parque del Buen Retiro, it is quite reminiscent of New York City’s Central Park.

Here are some highlights:

Palacio de Cristal

Monument to King Alfonso XII

El Angel Caído

The highlight of our night included dropping by the Rena Sofia Museum. It was particularly economical because it happened to be free entry night. 😛 Our primary motivation was to bear witness to Pablo Picasso‘s infamous Guernica. The republican government commissioned Picasso for this piece to express the struggles of the the spanish during the Spanish Civil War at the Paris International Exposition (1937), despite the official theme. It was meant to be used as a venue for propaganda to illustrate the nation’s suffering.

Guernica (1937)

For months he struggled with inspiration for his canvas, then, on April 26, 1937, the town of Guernica was bombed. This was a direct order from Colonel Wolfram von Richthofen, and the German Condor Legion‘s warplanes served the hit. Hitler was lending support to the Nationalist’s during this period, and the Civil War provided a venue for the nazi’s to test their new weaponry.

At the time of the bombing, the primary population consisted of women and children, as the men were away fighting. If you gaze at it in thought, it is easier to see the expressions of pain and protest. depicted on the faces of the bull, the horse, and the woman. The black, gray, and white colors were deliberately selected to reflect the somber mood of the event while simultaneously expressing chaos. A broken sword lies on the bottom, symbolizing defeat.

I also enjoyed discovering some other painters’ that I had touched on before, but hadn’t had a chance to further explore their work.

Santos Torroella – A World (1937)

Juan Gris – Violin and Guitar (1913)

I’m not an art expert by any means, I am merely an aficionado that enjoys how a single picture or panting can express deep-seated emotion without any words. What are your thoughts on art? Who is your favorite artist? What is your favorite style?

Travel: Religious Artifacts and Moving Art

14 Apr 2013 Leave a comment

by PhoenixKaio in Religion, Spain, Travel Tags: Christ, Convent, Faith, Legend, Monastery, Pessimism, Reality, Reliquary, Saint, Spain

We touched on some deep religious moments when wandering through some lesser-known sites today. It’s incredibly moving to see the beauty of faith, which is blatantly prevalent when one travels though Europe. You can see the elegance and effort the owner, engineer, and architect invested in the creation of such magnificent buildings. You can see the care that each structural fragment of history is treated with, and how delicately they handle the religious art and artifacts.

It is a challenge for me to fully comprehend this, given how the world, and the experiences of my friends, and my own has shaped my pessimism, glass is half empty views on reality. This is not to say that I am not touched, I truly understand the allure of having faith, I just merely lack it myself. I will admit, it is sometimes a struggle when I visit these prominent examples of medieval faith, for I truly wish I had it too. :/. Today was no exception.

*Interior pictures were not permitted (as usual) so I am sorry to say I cannot present these locations in their full glory.

The Convent de La Encarcion was founded in 1611 by Felipe the III and his wife, Margarita de Austria. It was intended as a retreat for titled ladies and is the sight of one of the most important catholic reliquaries in the world, storing more than 1500 saintly relics. These include skulls, arms encased in ornate hand-shaped containers, and bones from every part of the body.

It is best known as the location of the blood of St. Januarius and of St. Pantaleon. St. Pantaleon was a 4th century doctor-marytr. Legend foretells that if his ‘petrified vial of blood’ does not liquefy on his feast day (July 26 at midnight), great tragedies will occur.

The Monasteiro de las Descalzas Reales was originally the site of a medieval palace home to Charles I of Spain and Isabel of Portugal. Joanna of Austria, their daughter, founded this convent in the mid-16th century. Since this monastery was royally approved, a succession of titled ladies joined, bringing a host of artistic treasures with them. It is still functioning today and houses 23 shoeless nuns of the Franciscan order.

In the reliquary, a chest is said to house wood pieces from Christ’s cross.

What are your thoughts on Faith? How do you keep it alive? If you don’t, Why do you not believe?

Travel: El Escorial

13 Apr 2013 1 Comment

by PhoenixKaio in Architecture, Religion, Spain, Travel Tags: El Escorial, Juan Bautista de Toledo, Juan de Herrera, MADRID, Roman Catholic, Spain

Having completed far more than I thought we could in the half-day we had in Madrid after arriving via plane, we decided to take a Day Trip to the site of El Escorial.

El Escorial was formerly the official residence of the King of Spain; it serves multiple functions. It has two primary architectural complexes, which serve the dual purposes of representing the power of the Spanish Monarchy, and illustrating the predominance of Roman Catholicism. Phillip II invested his inexhaustible stores of New World Gold to stem the growing protestant tide during the reformation. Failing to do this, he decided to enlist Juan Bautista de Toledo as the collaborator on this complex in 1559. However, the building was not completed until 1584, and his apprentice, Juan de Herrera had already taken over due to Toledo’s death.

Since pictures where not allowed in the interior, a certain percentage of the following photographs are provided courtesy of Wikipedia. I will say, that this is irksome, as pictures themselves do not harm the heritage, flashes do!! I do understand that many tourists do not follow this rule stringently, and I believe this is why photograph capabilities were ruined for all of us. 😦

My favorite rooms are as follows (I swear I walked MILES through the interior of this great structure):

Basilica

Wikipedia: Hall of Battles

Wikipedia: Pantheon of Kings

Tomb of Infants

Wikipedia: Biblioteca

I’m obviously feeling really lazy today, so I will leave it to you to do the research this time. 😛

Travel: Au Revoir Portugal!

12 Apr 2013 Leave a comment

by PhoenixKaio in Architecture, Religion, Spain, Travel Tags: Cathedral, Egypt, EuroTrip, MADRID, Romanesque, Temple of Debod, Travel

I was finally fortunate enough to stay at my first hostel ever! (Since I was staying with my friend’s family while visiting her in Portugal). Unfortunately (or fortunately) it was the off-season, so I had a quiet relaxing day, and enjoyed the room to myself at night. This was probably for the better considering that I woke up a 3:00 AM this morning so I had time to walk the 15 minutes to the OPO Airport in time to catch a 6:30 AM flight.

So, Guess where I am? : P . . . MADRID!

I rendezvoused with my dear mother. While this may not sound optimal, considering the classic vision of a no-holds barred and party hard Euro Trip with close friends, I am both sad that I don’t have that opportunity, but grateful to be spending what could be my last quality moments with her. You see, since my school was on a completely different track than typical universities, Quarters versus Semesters respectively, I don’t have any friends that have the same availability as I do. Furthermore, as I was pursuing a graduate degree, those of my friends who streamlined into the working world have exactly that, work, with limited options or freedom to drop everything and disappear.

I had planned to complete this trip on my own, and yet, it is nice to have some company. There would have been moments of loneliness and doubt, followed by meeting people from different countries and spontaneously finding bonds of friendship. Don’t you worry though! My mother leaves in 2.5 weeks, and my trip will revert to solo travel as I continue through my next few European nations.

Despite us both being incredibly tired, her because of the 6 hours time-difference, and me because I have the incapacity to sleep early, we managed to pack in our day!

Palacio Real

Our first stop was the Palacio Real. After the 9^th century Alcazar was destroyed in a fire in 1734, Felipe V, who was raised in Versailles, decided to replace it with a much grandeur structure. He never lived to see his vision however, since it was not completed or habitable until 1764. The palace’s exterior is not ostentatious, but is compensated for by the extravagance of the interior rooms.

Unfortunately, I have limited pictures since most palaces and sites in Madrid do not allow you to take pictures. 😦

After completing the Palacio Real, we meandered back to the Plaza de Oriente to savor some coffee and a snack, and enjoy the fresh open air of the square. We were able to admire the central fountain, which includes a bronze equestrian statue of Felipe IV; it dates from 1640 and is reputedly the first ever bronze depiction of a rearing horse. It is said that Galileo assisted with the calculations to allow it to balance on the horse’s hind legs.

Almudena Cathedral

Plaza de Oriente

We then admired the Cathedral de La Almudena, and the splattering of gothic chapels encased within its neoclassical shell. This cathedral was in fact planned centuries ago, but suffered from a lack of funds and a Civil War bombing, so it did not actually open until 1993. The best part was the crypt, which features neo-Romanesque architecture, and more than 400 columns! Each bears its own unique capital.

This is also the sight of the image of “Our Lady of Flor de Lis” It is one of the oldest images in Madrid having been commission by King Alfonso VI in 1083 AD.

The day was wrapped up by a relaxing stroll the Jardines de Sabatini, and quiet contemplation when gasping at awe at the ancient hieroglyphics that still lay carved on the interior walls of the Temple of Debod. (Unfortunately due to a lack of better preservation techniques, these images are gradually fading from existence).

Sabatini Gardens

Temple of Debod

Travel: City of Oporto

11 Apr 2013 Leave a comment

by PhoenixKaio in Architecture, Portugal, Travel Tags: Casa do Infante, Hogwarts, Jorge Colaço, Livraria Lello & Irmão, Oporto, Porto, Portugal

Oporto, is one of the oldest european centers known. It originated many centuries ago as an outpost of the Roman Empire, Today, it is best known for it’s port wine. When wine first emerged in Oporto, there was no method to ensure the quality of wine, as a result the flavor suffered at the hands of the english. The Marquis of Pombal counteracted this by demarcating the region to ensure the wine’s quality and set a standard for production. It was the first attempt within europe to control wine quality and production.

Interesting Fact: Only wines made in Oporto can bear the adage of being named a “Port.”

On the way to one of the wine caves, we stopped by to visit the Sao Bento Railway Station. It was inaugurated in 1916 and is best known for its azulejo walls that depict moments in portuguese history. They are the work of Jorge Colaço and date from 1905 to 1916. The building itself is French Beaux-Arts architecture, which uses elements such as conservative sculptural decoration, noble spaces, and symmetry. It is still in regular use today.

We then stopped by the Calem Winery to savor some Port in Oporto!

On our way to the last stop, we paused to enjoy a view of the Casa do Infante, a 14th century house, in which Prince Henry the Navigator was born in 1394.

Casa do Infante

Palacio da Bolsa

We also passed by the Palacio Da Bolsa, an old stock exchange built-in the 19th century.

Livraria Lello

Our final destination was to admire the staircase of the Lello & Irmão bookshop. It is speculated that inspiration for the staircases and caped uniforms of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter novels stemmed from her time living in Oporto, Portugal. The art-nouveau of the staircase and the bookstore do indeed give me a sense that I stepped into the world of Hogwarts, but it can also be seen as a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy. However, there is no denying the similarities between the Hogwarts uniforms as depicted in the movies, and the traditional school dress for university students.

Travel: Dom Luis Bridge, Oporto

11 Apr 2013 Leave a comment

by PhoenixKaio in Architecture, Portugal, Travel Tags: Dom Luis Bridge, Douro, Oporto, Porto, Portugal, Structural Engineering, Technology, Vila Nova de Gaia

It’s been quite awhile since I’ve managed to haul my ass out of bed this early in the morning. Oporto is a 2-hour drive from my prior location of Fatima, and I wanted to get the sites in before retiring early for the night due to an early AM flight. Yes, Alas, the time has come for me to bid adieu to my short time in Portugal and move on to the next destination on my European Adventure.

Once again, the weather is not being agreeable, in the sunlight you could no doubt see the old world charm of this century old city. However, amidst the gray skies, damp air, and churning brown waters, the city itself seemed to be sighing in sorrow. Fortunately, for the most part, the skies were generous enough to withhold a downpour of rain, and we merely had to deal with the pitter-patter of irregular drizzling.

My first official view of Porto happened while I was still in a dreary state, our bus was crossing a bridge parallel to a well-known sign of the city. It was in this fuzzy mindset that I first witnessed the historic Dom Luis Bridge.

You’ll understand my fascination with this span when you consider my background (see About Me). I was just enthralled by the structure, and it was difficult to withhold the continuous stream of design considerations and analysis methods required from zip-lining through my head.

The arched form of the bridge results in a degree of non-linearity when considering how the structural elements resist the applied loads. This is difficult to describe in a non-technical sense, but it simply means that as the structure deforms (changes shape) the strength and capacity of the bridge actually increases, as opposed to the logical assumption that it’s carrying capacity would decrease.

For a brief historic background: The government held a competition for the design of this land connection between Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia that would span the Douro river. Téophile Seyrig claimed this honor, and construction began in 1881, and the bridge officially opened in 1886. At the time, it was the longest bridge of its type at a span of 172 m.

Travel: Leiria

10 Apr 2013 Leave a comment

by PhoenixKaio in Architecture, Portugal, Religion, Travel Tags: Leiria, Leiria Castle, Medieval, Moors, Oversleeping, Portugal, Relaxing, Scheduling

Once again, woke up late, this is becoming a pretty nasty habit since I, as a traveler, obviously want to jam-pack my days with the culture and heritage of the region. 😦 Nonetheless, it was relaxing to take a leisurely day to explore a nearby town, hike up to a castle, and just breathe in the atmosphere of Portugal as I reach my final days in this nation.

We didn’t really get a good head-start until around 3 PM this afternoon, despite the fact that I woke up earlier than I have any other day this week (excluding the day trip to Sintra since travel time was a much larger consideration). My friend has just as much affection for sleep as I do. Zzzzzzzzz!! However, my aunt would argue the following “You are on vacation. You aren’t allowed to wear a watch, you are just supposed to relax and care about nothing.” This statute would be much easier to follow if we tourists did not have to conform our schedules around attraction hours.

We started off by stopping at the “Funmarcia” an interesting twist on the classic Candy Store.You select your pill container stock it with an assortment of candy, and are written a prescription for it!

‘Medicines’ can range from being antidotes to lovesick woes, stimulators to improve your sense of humor, or Activators to increase your memory (all in jest of course). It was pretty comic to see all the prescription tag-lines the franchise had come up with; definitely not an innovation yet seen in the states. I almost want to open up a franchise myself! Of course, parents would hate how excited their children get over it. The company is trying to transition to include english prescriptions at this moment.

All this candy provided energy for our short, but steep hike up from old Leira to the Leiria Castle. It’s location atop the mountain was strategic since it provided military support to the region.

The town itself was founded by D. Afonso Henriques circa 1135. It was a prosperous economical trade center which marketws major products such as olive oil, wheat, wine and timber, as well as ore, and handicrafts. It is believed that Leiria is the first known Portuguese town to produce paper (1411).

Despite its origins, which included both Moorish and Jewish districts in the town around the year 1211, it was ultimately chosen by Pope Paul III as headquarters for the Bishop in 1547. The city itself holds a large medley of monuments from the 16th century, the landscape served as a backdrop to a large array of convents.

View from Top

Medieval Early Gothic

The original plan was to drive to the gorgeous beach town of Nazare, but Portugal’s weather has been uncooperative as of late, and the gloomy sky ended up not boding well for us.

CestLaJu