Trip to Vic

Yesterday Mauricio, Isabel and I took a little side trip to the old town of Vic, the see of a bishop since 616, lies in a wide valley some 60km/37mi north of Barcelona, on the site of the Roman settlement of Ausa. It was the birthplace of the noted philosopher, mathematician and publicist Jaume Balmes (1810-48), who is pictured here in the funerary monument located in the center of the cloister. The town boasts a few examples of modernist houses, such as the Casa Bojons, also pictured. Another curiousity is the considerably restored Roman temple immediately adjoining the Baroque facade of the church of Nuestra Señora de la Piedad. It seems that the remains of the temple were hidden within the Castle of Montcada, and only recently discovered.

The trip was a working excuse to travel. We needed to take a picture of a capital in a cloister of the Cathedral of Saint Peter (11-15th centuries) for Mauricio's upcoming book. [Congrats to Mauricio, who will be publishing a revised edition of his dissertation with a prominent German editorial house Reichenberger-Kassel, based in Barcelona.] With my new handy telephoto lens, we were able to get a snapshot of the capital approximately 20-25 feet from the floor. I am sure this is just the beginning of getting all the images in various places for his icongraphy collection.

See more pix in my Vic set on flickr.com