With Open Doors

El Greco’s figures are elongated and rather weird (right, Celia?), but isn’t it way too much fun to see “our” Andrew and Father Jim Bok’s Francis in the same painting, conversing. Notice their hands. What do you think Andrew is saying?

So taken I was with this painting by van der Wyeden in the Prado Museum in Madrid, I excused myself from the group, which was heading on to the Royal Palace, and I stayed in the museum. (My friend Celia will be impressed and surprised that I was spending extra time in an art museum.) The 40-minute walk by myself back to the hotel was a walk well spent.

The number “7” must have been St. Teresa of Avila’s favorite number: the seven mansions of the “interior castle.”

This combination of wood floor and pews reminded me about me being more than a little antsy about how our “new” pews (dark) will look on our “new” floor (light) at St. Andrew. This looked pretty good! If it is good enough for the church of burial of St. Teresa of Avila, it might be just fine for us, too?

This was a delightful place to watch people and have a cup of tea (or whatever) as the clock in the square called out eleven.

What a wonder to walk through the arch and see the Plaza Major, the major square, the city center of Salamanca at night.

Our guide mentioned that the Cathedral in Salamanca (Spain) is actually two cathedrals of different times blended together. Pointing our attention to this corner, she remarked that we can see the old and the new together “communicating.” If only the old and the new (of anything, in anything) could “communicate” so elegantly and lastingly.

This is another of my favorite photos, this time from the walk up the hill to the Cathedral of Salamanca, Spain.

Queen Saint Isabelle is the patron saint of the city of Coimbra. She is buried in the monastery on the top of the hill overlooking the …. (I forget) … river. She was the wife of King Dennis. Look up the story about the miracle of roses that took place when she was caught by her husband, as she was on a mission to feed the hungry, which her king-husband had forbidden her to do. The charming guide who joined us for a couple hours to introduce us to her town of Coimbra acted like she was warmed by my account of my queen Isabelle. King Dennis wasn’t all bad; he founded the famous university at Coimbra, stating with the faculties of medicine and law. (Did you hear that, my friends, doctor” John and “counsellor” Erin?) Oh, yeah, search online to see the Harry Potter-style capes the students at the university wear until this very day. The bus did not stop, so we could not photograph any of the university students.
T all bad

This statue in the Carmelite monastery where Sister Lucia spent her years as a cloistered nun. The sculpture created this statue after interviewing Sister Lucia in the monastery.