Sagrada Familia de Barcelona
Sometimes wandering in a foreign city, I am after a specific surprise effect. I experienced it first in my youth, due to our visits to the Agean region, and the antic Greek ruins. The pictures I saw, turns suddenly into reality. But the best part, is the unexpectedness of the surprise effect.
In Ephesus, when you walk along the Grand Anfi Theatre, you sense the Celsus Library is somewhere near. But you dont see it, it is hidden. When you reach the end of the straight marmor stoa, on the right hand side, you at once see the Celsus. It is a stunning surprise.
As I was 20, in my first visit to London, I got off from the embankment tube station I guess, and i was walking on the grand steet. I remember the excitement, where was Big Ben. I could see on the map it was just near. I was so excited that in the crowd before the corner, I asked the Policeman, Where is the Big Ban?, He said, take your time and your camera out, it’s just at the corner right there. I walked and I was big time stunned. A sudden rush of seratonin and the feeling of flying one step above.
I had a similar feeling in Barcelona, as we were walking to the Sagrada Familia of Gaudi. To be honest, I was no fan of Gaudi before, I thought it was also similar to Hundertwasser what I saw in Vienna and somewhere in West Germany. However, after seeing Parl Güell, I was really in to him. As we were walking slowly and chatting I realised that our host was slowing down, and on the left hand side, I saw her, the Sagrada Familia. This is what I saw, but it does not show what I felt. It was just that stunning surprise, the feeling I chase in journeys.
Turk’s Head Chop House – Dublin – Ireland
Lately, while I was roaming around in Dublin – Ireland, I came across a bar. Its name just striked me “Turk’s Head Chop House est.1760″. I was very curious about how come a bar is called like this, I mean I never heard that Turks’ were in Ireland before. Especially, it’s icon near the door, brought me back to Istanbul in a second, and I really liked this bar. Later I sent them an email and asked whether they can help me to track back the history of the bar and why it is specifically called like this. The staff was extremely kind and spared some of their time and wrote me this email. I am putting it here so that anybody interested in the name of this bar can inform themselves… nice place to drink a pint of guiness indeed.
Full of dodgy deals and drunken seamen – the place was a wash with Scandal and rumour. The Turk`s Head Chop House was one such place and in fact one of the most popular in the area – due to the loose woman that had rooms above the pub – Because of it`s popularity – the name was selected for here.
Brasilia an Imagined Community
The Brazilian capital of Brasilia was the brainchild of the President of Brazil by the time Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveria.
