Capturing the details
Textures, tiles, and towers
I’m fascinated by the smaller sights. I know I’m not the only one, based on how many images of doors and closeups of flowers I see. When all around us are standing in hours-long lines to see huge cathedrals and museums, I might prefer to focus on the carving that adorns a street corner, or the pattern of pebbles in a plaza pavement.
We’ve been traveling through a small selection of European cities for just over a month now. I’ve realized that we’re missing some areas I’d like to see, mostly because we initially relied on train travel, and train routes to smaller coastal towns are either complex or nonexistent. And since we didn’t plan to see the popular sights that require timed entry tickets that are sold out a month or more in advance, we are satisfied (for now) with seeing the outer walls. That said, we may circle back to Barcelona this fall, with a plan developed ahead of time.
In the meantime, I’m capturing the details, marveling at the surprises we find as we round a corner, and enjoying the sense of history and culture down every narrow street.
I’m also a sucker for castles. Crenellated towers, medieval stone walls, structures built with defense in mind. It should come as no surprise that many of my favorite books of fiction take place in fantasy worlds full of swords and sorcery.
We’ve made our way to Portugal—by bus, because the train wasn’t an option—and it takes me three times as long as it should to walk a block. Part of that is the careful walking required to navigate uneven sidewalks and streets paved in calçadas. Then the buildings covered in azulejos stop me in my tracks.
Even the street signs are made of tiles. And as for the doors, those are also fascinating. I’ve resisted the temptation to create an entire gallery of door photos, but now and then one captures my attention. And it isn’t just the doors, but also the knockers, often in the designs called Hand of Fatima.
There’s so much more, between the incredible creativity of Gaudi’s masterpieces, the intricacies of Moorish architecture, and the delicacy of a Sevillan entryway. But for now, there’s a glass of vinho verde calling my name.