[Autosaved] Barcelona - Soul, passion & spirit

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Having breakfast at a street cafe with taxis passing is not unusual in any city; yet beneath this common facade lies Barcelona - a soulful place filled with passion and spirituality, and a Catalan culture steeped in creativity and doing things differently as individuals and as a community. 

Take Antoni Gaudi for example and Sagrada Família - Barcelona’s Holy Family cathedral nearing completion 

Almost 140 years ago, Gaudi took the architectural and engineering design gig of working on an exemplary ‘neo-gothic’ cathedral. Shortly after he started, he had this revolutionary idea of an ‘inside-out’ design - where all the bible stories are etched into the exterior walls, and inspirational coloured light floods the interior spaces to support communal prayer and personal contemplation. Talk about a radical individual - and a passionately persistent local community - after all this time, the cranes are still there! But not for too much longer…

The central Christ tower and the four Evangelist columns are erected along with that symbolising Mary. 

While there is still a little bit to do, including extending the cathedral ‘foot print’ for the choir and organ to do their thing 👍- for all intents the church is completed in time for the centenary of his death 10 June 1926 - OMG 😧 next month, and (shhh!…) imminent canonisation!
As I walked back towards the inner city, I encountered passion of a different kind - teachers and parents and children were protesting in defence of public education.

Not so much Australian style: ‘What do we want! When do we want it’ More like we are teachers, we are parents, and we are students - and we are not happy- government WE WANT YOU TO LISTEN

The inner city was clogged for a couple of hours, sure, okay - a peaceful powerful protest- Barcelona does it in style! The spirit of community, the value of education and the railing against unjust government imposition are values that endure. Spaniards and Catalan people in particular are suspicious of authoritarian governments who don’t listen to the people - for obvious reasons.


FOLKS
MORE COMING TOMORROW ON BARCELONA




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