Architecture of Europe

And so it ends. first i want to thank Michelle for doing all the work of this blog. Second, i want to thank anyone who even thought about praying for me. i doubt you will ever know how God heard such prayers. Finally, i want do something i rarely ever do and share something i wrote in my personal journal. By some strange symmetry, this was the very first entry i wrote when I arrived in France two and a half months ago. and it is still my sentiment now.

Paris, 8/23
"...So here, i guess, is where i write the perfect poem- explaining with eloquent words both what i've seen and what it means. now is the time to tell of these wonders and share some piercing insight into the truer, deeper workings of the universe. But alas, i have no great prose. I am on a stage but all those onlooking eyes see is just a
simple boy who has forgotten his lines. the only song i know to sing is great is Thy faithfulness, how great Thou art. Maybe its just one more step on the Quest to make nathan smaller, and God bigger..."

Saw:
The Swiss Alps from 20,000 ft in an airplane. With no clouds that day, they were quite stunning.

Did:
Made my long awaited stop at an Italian fashion store to purchase a long awaited Italian tie. Before I left, Kaye and Bryan gave me a very thoughtful gift that had to be used to buy something for myself and couldnt be a necessity like food or travel expense. This had the effect of forcing me outside of my miserly world and spend lavishly on something i dont normally spend on. While i got my tie (yes, i have wanted an italian tie for many years) i also learned yet another lesson about stewardship, both saving and spending the money God has given.

Learned:
Rome was my first and only stop of any length by myself. 6 months ago i failed to win a large foreign studies scholarship that i was sure i desreved and would have allowed me to make my own itinerary for the semester in Europe. from my vantage point now, I think God in His infinite wisdom called that one right. Rome was fun by myself, being able to linger where i wanted and skip what i wanted. But i doubt very much whether i could have done it for 3 months. Many things like drawing and travelling and reflecting work well alone. But some things, like touring, were never meant to work alone.

Saw:
Our third and equally beautiful collection of buildings built into a cliff (the other two being Rhonda in Spain and Mont St Michel in France).

Did:
Went swimming in sea, at night, in the middle of a rainstorm, next to rocky cliffs. probably not one of my smartest decisions.

Learned:
This stop was my last visit with any classmates and from here I go to Rome solo. I came to the humbling realization that back in August, one young college kid from Idaho set out to witness to his peers. Standing here now, I see that it was 8 atheist, liberal peers who unwittingly ended up witnessing to me.

Saw:
Mies van der Rohe's German Pavillion for the 1929 Barcelona Exhibition. This is a mecca for modern architecture students and fans, exemplifying Mies' famous quote and ideology: "less is more".

Did:
All of us except the professor stayed in the same apartment. It was very crowded, very loud, and very dirty, but we survived. it did make me most grateful though for the roomates i have been blessed with throughout my college career.

Learned:
In Barcelona, we spent two full days exploring the work of early 20th century Art Nouveau architect Antoni Gaudi. It was revealing to see how strongly his work has become the defining symbol of Barcelona. This brought to mind how powerful architecture was and is in shaping society (especially here in Europe). Seville's icon was bullfighting, Bordeaux's was wine. But Paris immediately conjurs up images of the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe. Charles Renne Makintosh is the icon of Glasgow's urban style, Carcassone in France only exists because the walled fort first existed. And Rome is the Rome we know because of the Colesseum and later St. Peter's Basilica.

Saw:
The Atlas Mountains up close. really close. One can easily see why they were the home of so many myths and legends.

Did:
Circled over 7 miles of urban Marrakech, seeing both its bold tourist side, and the elusive "other side". It was interesting how much there was to experience beyond visual sense. like sight, there were sounds and smells completely foregin that combined to make this all seem like another world.

Learned:
The main attraction of Marrakech is its old Medina or market. As we have travelled through so many moroccan cities and towns, its uncanny how its so often the markets, places for the exchange of stuff, that are always the center and the place of most activity. This seems odd considering its relative poverty and strict religion when its put in comparison with europe, where the church or cathedral was always the center of town.