Back in OZ

Hi to all my readers. Some of you may have known that I was overseas for the past 10 weeks. It is SO wonderful to be home and hear the birds singing, drink my own rainwater and pick herbs and veges from the garden. I love Europe but can’t bear to be away from Australia for so long. On the positive side, in Spain I was able to visit some of the world’s great museums including the Prado, the Guggenheim in Bilbao and the lesser known but excellent Museo Arqueológico Nacional in Madrid. The wonderful churches and cathedrals of Spain are almost overwhelming while the old quarters in many cities still keep their cobbled streets, narrow walkways and extravagantly decorated shops and restaurants. In Barcelona it was fun interacting with “Human Statues” on Las Ramblos and I had extra time there so I was able to visit several Gaudi buildings including my favourite, the Casa Batllo. I was in Catalunya very shortly after the independence vote, and on the day of my second pilgrimage to the Sagrada Familia, I emerged to find the whole street outside filled with thousands of protestors all singing and swaying in unison!