World Design Capital Helsinki 2012
VW Transporter: an enduring design masterpiece. Very much appreciated by the cool Finns.
Helsinki
We arrived in Helsinki having left an item at security check in Barca, then things got worse when the rest of our baggage failed to appear. Finnair were nice enough to give us 4 very neat ‘survival kits and 300 Euros. We were expecting to wait 24hrs … then got a call that it was found and it was delivered to our very smart apartment in the ‘Design District’.
Snow had fallen the day before … a very crisp northern latitudinal world … but the next dau we went out with our 300 Euros into a beautiful blue 2 degree day … very nice!
From our First Summer Day in Barca
These don’t do the beach justice … a great promenade.
We Loved Barcelona and our Barca Digs
We had a great time in Barcelona, particularly because of our great and vast apartment, just a block from the Arc de Triomf and right next to the Metro. A bar on the ground floor, next to the Chinese Grocer, next to … ahh Barca.
The Lift set the scene:
A Himalayan Moment in Spain …
For some time I had been under an ‘obligation’ to travel with Xavier up to PortaVentura on the Costa Daurada, approximately an hour thirty south of Barcelona on the coast. When the day arrived, the rain was hard and briefly I held out hope that it might turn into yet another day of galleries and a lot of Picasso … but up early for once, we made our way south for a day of thrills on some of the best roller coasters around. From a distance we could see the park … a rather extraordinary skyline of curving looping steal … and I think the both of us felt just a little giddy. Well, I did. The wooden roller coaster at Oceanic Park in Hong Kong is still a fairly vivid memory: clenched teeth, exposed out over the ocean. I’m too old for it, really.
When we finally arrived the sound of screaming didn’t help.
The Furious Baco wasn’t running – which upset Xavier and not me … Furius Baco is a hydraulically-launched steel roller coaster lthat takes you to 135 kph in 3.5 seconds … using the same technology they launch jets off carriers with …. saved! We then warmed up on a fairly lame water ride and then got moving on a neck wrenching wooden coaster in the Wild West section. The first real terror came with the Hurakan Condor – a ‘giant drop’ ride, where we were lifted to 86 m … in the last few seconds the seats are tilted forward to force your gaze down, and then it releases you into a freefall, hitting 115.00 km/h. Hmm. At that moment I might have retired for the day but our Shambhala: Expedición al Himalaya experience beckoned…
Shambhala: Expedición al Himalaya … is the tallest (76 m) roller coaster in Europe, and it also has the tallest drop (78 m) and is also quite terrifying as you creep up into the sky knowing damn well you are about to hurtle back to earth …
http://youtu.be/s6-3zyC9W_s
The yelling on my part was to add to Xavier’s enjoyment. We were at such a speed, the rain more than just stung, and my neck still aches …
The we did Dragon Khan … a steel sit-down roller coaster that boasts eight inversions, which was a world record when it was first built. You climb 45 m before plummeting back down to earth and straight into a 36m vertical loop, followed by a diving loop, a zero-G roll, and a cobra roll. You then get a short break at the ride’s trim brakes before coming back down into a smaller vertical loop and then onto the last two inversions – the interlocking corkscrews.
http://youtu.be/AD4qONgLVX0
I ended up doing them all twice … Xavier thrice … the day was well worth it 🙂
[Research by Xavier … who has discovered a small select group of engineers make a living from designing these things.]
Barca Barca Barca Messi Xavi Iniesta Barca Barca Barca
The game between Barca FC vs Celtic was fantastic.
The ‘Gods’ of Barca … Messi, Xavi, Iniesta … they all played magnificently … 75%+ possession and always threatening the goal – then Celtic went forward, got a free and under pressure the Barca boys let one in … the crowd of 80,000 were silent … except for the Celtic supporters who were up up and up and far away in the far flung reaches above. Barca got one back on the half, and then pressed through the second half … some non-believers walked at full time … then in the last seconds of 4 minutes of extra time they scored to rapturous scenes and NOISE NOISE and more NOISE. but not from the Celtic guys.
The Celtic Way to Camp Nou
In recent days the blogging has paused somewhat: due to head cold caught precisely when this film was taken. I travelled with Xavier out to the Barcelona FC ground to see a Champions League fixture with Celtic. For a few days we had seen many Celtic supporters walking the streets bare chested, tattoed and drinking. You have to love the Spanish way of doing things … very relaxed, to a point.
Anyway, we managed to get on a Celtic car and we enjoyed the completely pissed, good natured game prep of the Celts. Spanish folk kept their heads down and smiled occasionally, one got the feeling the rampaging behaviours of visiting fans were not unfamiliar to them.
There was no overt aggression, other than the regular chant of “Fuck the Culés” (Culés= Barca supporters = derived from the Catalan cul (English: arse)
We did get the feeling that if a bad loss eventuated, missing the return trip with the Celts on the way home might be a good thing.
[Dad left the Go Pro at home … so apologies for poor quality!]
http://youtu.be/yCHoFw1e52A
MACBA (in Second Gear)
“Without ethical consciousness, a painter is only a decorator”.
When you are travelling you can be lead astray. I found myself reading about Robert Motherwell. He was very young when he came to Spain during the Spanish Civil War. He was profoundly affected by what he saw. For many years he painted his series, Elegy to the Spanish Republic.
Recent Comments