architecture – Slow Lane Musings

A taste of coastal Norway

Sometimes we are attracted to a place because of the people we meet who come from there. Many years ago, we met a lovely couple from Norway, a country we knew little about. Over time, the stories they told us created images in our minds and our curiosity grew.

What is it like to live in the Arctic Circle? What scenery do they see on their way to work? What do their grocery stores look like? Do they get to watch the Northern Lights dancing in the sky before going to bed? Simple things of everyday life that add texture to our connection to people we like. This November, we seized an opportunity to visit.

Norway is a narrow and elongated country, stretching between 58 and 71 degrees north, or approximately 1,750 kilometres. This is about the same distance as between New York City and Miami, Florida. Our friends currently live in Tromsø, the largest Norwegian city north of the Arctic Circle. The further north we went along the coast, the sparser was the vegetation but the tranquil scenery and the fading blue afternoon light were enchanting.

Sights and Sounds of Madrid

We roamed around Madrid for four days this March. The city was enjoying an unusually warm Spring season, and the streets were alive with people going about their business, groups of kids walking to and from school, families and friends sitting together at outdoor cafes and, of course, many tourists like us.

Madrid is graced with majestic architecture, elegant streets, expansive parks, large public squares, imposing monuments, and beautiful fountains. The centre of Madrid has several lively pedestrianized areas, and it is incredibly clean. In many key downtown locations, we came across street musicians. We believe that their presence adds significant charm to the city.

Five World Heritage Sites in Barcelona

“Modernista” is Catalonia’s own version of the Art Nouveau architectural movement that swept through Europe between 1880 and 1910. In the city of Barcelona, the movement was energized by the Catalan cultural revival of that period and it reached its peak between 1888 and 1906.

Modernism inspired the design of hundreds of remarkable buildings and sites, interior decorations, sculptures, and streetlights throughout the city and beyond.

The designs integrate metal, concrete, coloured glass, tiles, and mosaics and make generous use of sinuous and arching lines, colours, symbols, and more than a touch of the architects’ playfulness and fantasy. Most importantly, both the interior and exterior forms and decorations take their inspiration from what the architects had observed in the natural world.

This architectural heritage is one of the tourist draws to Barcelona. The brochure describing the Barcelona Modernisme Route lists 115 examples of Modernista architecture in the city. Nine of those places, designed by either Antoni Gaudí or Lluís Domènech i Montaner, have been designated by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites.

We recently visited five of these designated sites. They are all magnets for tourists and, at times, it was difficult to capture images without having a crowd of people taking selfies all around us. Despite this, we are pleased to share some of our moments of wonder with you.