Moving Day

Welcome to my new hovel, er home. It comes fully equipped - well, full of the previous tenants's abandoned belongings. But at least I have a pot to cook dinner for my moving crew. And a fridge! I think it has possibilities...

It reminds me of my first boat, Fawlty Towers, somehow. Maybe it's gentle sound of water dripping into a pot from the leaking roof.

Welcome home at last!

Deja vu

Every night this week, I have disassembled another piece of Ikea furniture, and then my friends took the first load to my new apartment on Wed. All that's left is a mattress on the floor, one lamp, nothing to sit on. Now, my room looks just like when I moved in.
This is my last "breakfast in bed." Tonight I will be in my new rooms - I can't wait!!

My new "cabin"

I'm just enjoying a virtuous whole wheat Apfel Zimt Schnecke (apple cinnamon bun) and tea while I ponder my good fortune. One of my new room-mates just sent me photos of my new digs. Did I mention the wood?








Not shown is the room I'll be using as an office, with an oval window over the desk, the garden, the spiral staircase lined with shelves of antique books. Did I mention the new bathtub?








Life is good. I don't think my guests will be using the word "prickly" to describe my new house-mates :-)

Eureka!

Endless lists of rooms for rent - and finally I have found it. A room with a view. In a big old house in Alt-Saarbrücken about a 100 meters higher than my old room. An entire floor to myself with kitchenette, separate office and huge bathroom. The luxury of a shower and a bathtub. And I can even have a pet.
But wait, nothing is ever as advertised - it doesn't have a bathtub ... it has 4 bathtubs - actually 3 bath tubs and a sauna, 1 for everyone. It's a heritage house with someone living on each floor.

Built-in kitchenette on my floor and full shared kitchen downstairs with dishwasher, washer and dryer. I also have my own office with beautiful views all round. And my new house-mates are very cool - we're from 4 countries and all professionals. (And with a computer programmer, I anticipate better internet :-D

I am moving into the ritziest area of Alt-Saarbrücken and all my neighbours are Porsches. Too bad our "house car" is a VW, but i guess I can live with that ;-) Check out my new commute! Thank goodness my bike went missing - it probably heard about the stairs and decided to find a more humane owner ;-)

Barcelona Trip - Day 3

Our final day in Barcelona, Kathleen and I tread the path of Gaudi to Casa Batlló. (for a little ambiance open that link in another window)
This apartment building was renovated by Gaudi, from the coral-inspired facade to the naturally-lit elevator well to the dragon-backed cistern on the roof.

We reminisce over delicious Spanish coffee on a trickling magical fountain who played with light, pouring water over the ceiling above us, whale-rib arches aerating fantastical laundries through mosaic helmetted chimneys. And xocolate thick enough to eat with a spoon.
We are on our separate ways home, a little lighter, to dream Gaudi's vision of Barcelona.
(Thanks to Kathleen and Sandra for providing cameras.)

Barcelona Trip - Day 2

Last night was another Chinese New Years dinner - this time just a few ISU friends. Kathleen and I are ready and raring to go on our quest for Antoni Gaudi, the great architect of Barcelona.

Our first stop is the Sagrada Familia, a cathedral unlike any I have ever seen, the Notre Dame, St. Peter's, St. Paul's.

This mammoth work is a testament to Gaudi's brilliance, since the plans (and original models) were destroyed in a rebellion, yet painstakingly restored and now being vivified in epic proportions.

We took the elevator up and the stairs down, marveling at every step. Gaudi based his work on Nature,


the stairs made of curving spine-like edges and coiling shells,




ventilation chimneys made into fruits that work in harmony with the wind,

lofting roof supports grown from trunks and branches like trees.




The arches are astonishingly light, drafted with strings and weights in this inverted model to follow the optimal load paths.

We spend hours touring the museum built around Gaudi's workshop and models, but still want more. So we trek up to the top of the hill at Parc Guell, overlooking all of Barcelona, and see the house where Gaudi lived.


The subterranean arches, the dizzying tiled terrasses, alive with hand-painted pottery and animal motifs. Antoni Gaudi is alive in Barcelona.

Barcelona Trip - Day 1

Let the first official Mini-Break of the year begin! Kathleen and I managed to find each other in the giant Barcelona airport yesterday (imagine - it took over 20 minutes for the bus to get from the plane to the terminal!). We navigated the metro system, with help from a kindly (= handsome) stranger to the heart of this vibrant city.

Last night was also a celebration for Chinese New Year - in the company of old friends and new colleagues for Sandra and Junzi. The ISU network is alive in Spain. After feasting on homemade chinese delicacies, we are energized to start our tour of Barcelona today.

Sandra took us on a tour of the lively Boqueria (market). We tasted the wares as we went, from candied watermelon to mango juice to fresh anchovy pizza.


It was hard to decide among literal mountains of fish and produce, but we came home with brightly-coloured exotic fish and a massive octopus. Then we toured Las Ramblas, a plaza filled with street performers, open air restaurants and jewellery booths. I was coralled into "helping" this act :-)

Intrepid explorers, we head down to the waterfront, to drape over the quay and watch the giant fish. Too soon, the sun goes down on our first day.