Visited Vic

We went off on a little day trip to Vic the other day.  That was delightful and easy too!

What I liked best about it?  When I spoke to people in Catalan, they RESPONDED IN CATALAN!!!

*GASP*

I am becoming such a nationalist, but honestly.  Everyone spoke Catalan, and everyone continued to speak Catalan, whatever my accent.  It was so lovely.

Vic.

It was clean.  It is and obviously was rich.  Lots and lots of churches.  Big churches.  Old churches.

The Cathedral in Vic was amazing.  It is enormous and is filled with these astonishing paintings.  I am not sure I LOVED the paintings themselves, but I loved their impact.  Astonishingly, these were done in the 40s but a Catalan painter Josep Maria Sert.  This is after the civil war within Catalonia (well, and the rest of Spain too). Where'd they get the cash????  How the heck did they score a Catalan painter?????? A story I'd love to hear.

There were small and beautiful details,

and big, but very lofty details,

These tumbled-down dumps appeared to belong the the cathedral, which seemed a little weird.  They were the housing originally built for the pilgrims who came.  Hopefully it was in better shape at that time.  Hopefully they aren't still in use.

I like this shot, not because it is gorgeous, but because it covers 2000 odd years.  The pillars in the front are from the Roman temple that was built, oh, 2,000 years ago...the grey stones are a medieval castle that entirely covered and hid the temple, behind that are modern flats with laundry and an asbestos roof!

Think we should do this on our place?

Vic.