[Infrastructure] Rose kissed Barcelona

"Happy Graduation!"

In the graduation season of 1877, the Barcelona School of Architecture was very lively.

This year, the summer in Barcelona was extremely hot.

The overly bright sun scorched the red roof of the architecture school, and the cicadas in the distance were screaming like crazy, but they couldn't cover the laughter of the whole school.

There are young students laughing and crossing their shoulders everywhere. Every time they see graduates wearing black architect robes, they can't help casting envious eyes.

Ah, how much they want to be able to graduate early!

Those talented students will be able to show their talents after graduation; those who are not talented will finally be relieved after graduation.

The auditorium was full of graduating students, chattering non-stop, and everyone's faces were full of longing.

"Antonio Gaudí—"

Antonio took the graduation certificate from Professor Dago.

There is the headmaster's autograph on it, and the content filled in the "Graduation Project" column is clearly visible - Barcelona Palace.

"I really don't know if I sent the graduation certificate to a genius, or..." Dago shook his head, "Forget it."*

This irascible old professor, who had been scolded behind his back many times by his students, has gray hair and thinks his temper is much better than when he was young.

In any case, now he will at least refrain from his habit of preaching when awarding students their diplomas, leaving a happy ending.

"Congratulations, you are finally officially an architect."

After all, Dago couldn't bear his temper, and emphasized "finally" sarcastically.

After saying this, his old eyes hidden behind the thick presbyopic lenses were clouded for a moment.

In fact, Dago still remembered the appearance of Antonio in the first grade when he caught him skipping class for the first time seven years ago.

At that time, he was not as tall as himself.

And he scolded him like he did to all other students who didn't study hard, and finally couldn't help but froze while looking at his homework.

The young man in front of him was the most amazing student he had ever seen, and one of the most infuriating.

Finally, I don't have to wrestle with this guy in attendance, and I can probably live for a few more years—for some reason, Dago felt a little melancholy.

"Thank you, Professor Dago."

The young man bowed slightly to him with a solemnity beyond his expectation.

"I learned a lot under you - of course I could have learned more if I had been allowed to skip classes."

He blinked, "Just kidding, sorry."

Antonio turned away and strode down the steps.

Ha, sure enough, it's still as hateful as ever.

Dago squinted his eyes to see the robe on his body flowing away, saw a careless end, but also saw another unbelievable beginning.

Even he himself could not foresee the future of this young man.

Only time will tell.

"Happy Graduation, Mr. Architect!"

Joey thrust a large bouquet into Antonio's hand.

"Let me see!" She snatched the graduation certificate and let out a sigh of relief when she saw the beautiful cursive characters.

Finally, the dust has settled—she is not afraid of being laughed at, she was really worried that Antonio would have to drop out of school because of too many skipped classes.

"Ah, it's Her Royal Highness!" The young students whispered not far away.

"where is it?"

"There! The girl next to Antonio!"

Joey silently closed the graduation certificate.

Alas, Barcelona today is not very friendly to her social terror.

"Let's go, let's see Mary off first." Antonio pulled her out of the school.

The little girl completed all undergraduate courses with amazing speed and excellent grades in just two years, and she will go on to study for a master's degree this fall-according to the current situation, a doctorate is no problem at all.

This summer vacation before graduate school, she will go back to Poland to spend time with her family.

The train station was hotter than the outside, and the two long rails were shining white in the sun. Whether it was the passengers carrying bags or the people seeing off, they were constantly fanning the wind.

"Ah, Your Royal Highness, I'm sorry I didn't know you were here today," the station master said apologetically, "We just arranged a VIP lounge for you..."

"No, thank you. We'll just deliver a child. It doesn't need to be so troublesome. Please go and do it." Joey replied.

She turned to Mary: "Take care of yourself, be safe on the road, and write to me if you need... No, send a message quickly."

Joey felt like he had turned into a chattering old hen.

"Understood. Don't worry." Mary put down her luggage, walked over to hug her, and smiled: "I'm already an adult."

Vincent was full of emotion: "I actually lived under the same roof as such a young physicist! God, the same latitude, even the same name, how can I, a Dutchman, be so much worse at reading than you, a Pole ?”

"After all, I can't draw." Mary winked at him, "God must have mercy on me."

Although Vincent was not particularly conspicuous in the first Barcelona exhibition of the Impressionists, two years later, he is now more recognizable than the Impressionists, and even opened a solo exhibition.

"At first glance, you will be struck by the passionate and unrestrained colors like the flames of the sun, and you will never forget it. And when you can't help but look closer, you will be surprised to find that you can see every stroke clearly —so bold and rebellious, yet so innocent.”

"The same curly and delicate brushstrokes can properly depict the lush green texture of the summer mountains, and also render the magnificent starlight in the night sky. Those paintings are therefore dazzling."

A year ago, Leon's clothing store bought several of his works and enlarged them for printing as promotional posters on glass windows, which caused a sensation in the city.

People suddenly discovered that the bright light and shadow, bold contrasting colors and rough color blocks of these new painters can stimulate the visual cells of the human eye more than the balance, elegance and solemnity emphasized by traditional paintings - which means stronger consumption. Desire | desire.

Since then, more discerning department stores have spotted the opportunities in art and fashion.

Today, large posters of paintings can be seen almost everywhere in the busy commercial streets, and famous painters are also very busy going out to sketch and hold art exhibitions.

A long siren sounded, and the train started to move slowly.

Joy just watched intently as the steel giant carrying the little blond girl—now a teenage girl—accelerated and disappeared from her field of vision.

Joey couldn't help but sniffed.

Hate, actually a little sad.

"Long live! I finally sent her away hahahaha!" Vincent laughed loudly, "At least I don't have to feel stupid all the time this summer vacation! I'm going to sketch, goodbye!"

Joey: "...bye."

In the future you'll probably be proud of the idea that you're outwitting the best brains in the world.

"Let's go." Antonio's voice suddenly rang in her ears.

"Where?"

"Go and see my graduation project - after all, it is dedicated to Her Royal Highness the Princess."

When the sun was setting, they took the tram to the top of Montjuic.

The Pennisetum on the mountain has been baked into a dejected brown color by the scorching heat. Now that the sun is about to set, a cool wind finally blows from the edge of the open cliff.

The highest point of Montjuic on the cliff is the recently completed Barcelona Palace.

Like everything Antonio had done before it, it caused a stir and controversy.

Some people say that it looks like a pile of cranberry ice cream that is about to melt, and some people say that when they see it at night, they feel that Montjuic Mountain is drunk and dancing.

But Joey felt that Antonio definitely drew inspiration from Vincent's Starry Night.

This palace is like a galaxy falling into the world, every line is flowing and dancing, as if it can be traced back to the most ancient imagination of mankind.

Standing in front of it alone, it is hard to believe that this is a static building - it is more like a symphony of mountains and seas than a "poem of stone".

Sitting under the shade of trees on the hillside, looking towards the city, the stepped structure of the entire Expo site is clearly visible, and the venues have also begun to take shape.

For such a huge and cumbersome project, the task of the architect team has basically been completed, but the civil engineers are still working hard.

"Oh oh oh--"

The deafening cheers suddenly erupted from the oval white stadium in the distance, and the whole Montjuic mountain trembled.

"Looks like we scored again." Joey looked over there.

This day is Barcelona's city derby - just one year after Barcelona was founded, the Real Espanyol football club was not far behind.

Today is the first game of the season for these two teams. The stadium that can accommodate more than 5 people is packed with crazy spectators, and the cheers and shouts are earth-shattering.

"I really want to go to the game too—" Joey complained in a drawn-out tone.

"There should be no one who dares not let you go." Antonio glanced at her.

"...but it's hot, really hot."

Joey sighed, "And there will always be a bunch of people coming to me to ask for sponsorship and investment, asking for introductions to the royal family... I don't even look at the occasion, it's annoying."

"If you want, someone will be willing to fix you a box, like in the theater." Antonio gloated.

"Wouldn't it be too boring! Watching a game requires a large group of people to be noisy together."

"So, look at me so pitiful." Joey suddenly looked at Antonio with flickering eyelashes. "About the key—give me a clue."

"I've already given it to you." Unmoved, Antonio gave the answer she had heard countless times.

"It's too much!" Joey held his head and wailed. "The clues are so perfunctory—who would be like you, who would give gifts with their own riddles? You don't deserve gifts if you don't have enough IQ, right?"

Her burning curiosity came to a head when she faced the key in the rose-wire light bulb, and she tried countless possible and impossible places with it, but none of them matched the key.

That little yellow key has become her biggest obsession.

"Then please, I might tell you the answer." Antonio asked leisurely.

"I don't." Joey flatly refused.

She made a bet with him—though she doesn't know what she was thinking now—that she would find the door with this key.

As a result, Joey even secretly tried to ask Antonio when he was sleeping when he was exhausted, but he didn't talk to anyone in his dream.

"Let me think again." She looked into the distance resentfully.

She is so smart, she can always think of it.

The cloudless sky burns into an orange-red sunset glow, reflecting the row upon row of street buildings in Barcelona, ​​making it feel hot to look at.

"Ah, this summer, Barcelona is simply unbearable." Joey couldn't help muttering, "It's so hot, and it's too inconvenient to be recognized everywhere."

Antonio suddenly turned his head: "Why don't you escape from Barcelona?"

"Huh?" Joey was taken aback.

"Remember? I took over the design of a villa on the outskirts of Santander three years ago - the single owner is abroad, so there is no rush at all. I can go over and preside over the construction at any time."

Santander is located in Cantabria on the northwest coast, which is bordered by the North Atlantic Ocean and has cool and humid summers.

"Hey," Joey was dazed by the sudden proposal, "The Expo site... oh, there's no need for architects now."

Antonio continued: "The church has already finished the underground altar and columns, and the construction of the overall structure will take about a year. During this process, I can only design on paper for the time being, and I can't do much on site."

Joey was shocked to find that this whimsical proposal was actually possible.

"Ah, I really don't have anything to do right now... The investment projects are all in the hands of professional brokers. Just talk to Pascal and arrange things..."

She was really moved.

The sun crashed into the horizon like a soft-boiled egg, and the last rays of light hung in the sky.

After a whole day of sunshine, Barcelona is not so cool at night.

Just like a potato cake sizzling in a pan, even if it is turned over, the other side will be tormented by the heat wave.

"Go?" Joey looked at Antonio with bright eyes.

"Go." He winked at her.

So they really hurried out of the scorching heat of Barcelona on an early summer night with very little luggage.

When boarding the train bound for Santander, Joey couldn't help poking Antonio: "Do you think we are obstructed by a pair of families, and decided to overcome all difficulties and elope secretly?"

Antonio glanced at her speechlessly: "... Where does it look like?"

Joey was extremely disappointed: "Why are you so boring! Can't you share a little bit of your romantic imagination in architecture?"

Antonio didn't speak, and pulled her through the car, past the yawning old man in a fur cap, avoiding the children who were running around with their small suitcases buried in their heads, and found their compartment.

"Wow, that's not bad." Joey walked in first, looking around curiously, "It's just that the compartment is a little hot..."

The door of the compartment closed with a "click" behind him.

She was suddenly pulled into a scorching embrace, staggered two steps unsuspectingly, her waist was clasped so that she didn't hit the back of her head directly against the wall.

Joey felt Antonio's eyelashes touch hers, tickling.

But then there was no time to think about it.

The mimosa curls up in the breeze, and butterflies settle on the delicate petals.

The kiss in the small space didn't last long, and Joey soon leaned against the cool door wall with lingering fear, out of breath.

At this time, a faint voice came from my ear: "I think it's more like a dragon has kidnapped the princess."

The train slowly left Catalonia at night, along the long and narrow corridor eroded by the Ebro River between the Meseta Plateau and the Pyrenees, and passed through the mountains and river valleys of northern Spain .

The silver moonlight fell on the winding Ebro River, as bright as a mirror.

The vines of Rioja are full of moonlight. From a distance, the large fluffy vineyards seem to be covered with a layer of duck down.

Joey was very excited about this instant trip, and happily lay down in front of the window to watch the fireflies twinkle outside the car window, and did not fall asleep until midnight.

As she fell asleep to the rhythmic clang of the train, the train sailed into the mountains of Cantabria, like a fish in a galaxy swimming through an invisible mirror from the sun-baked east coast of the Mediterranean. On the other side is the mild and humid mirror world.

In the morning, when Joey woke up to the aroma of coffee, the irritating heat had disappeared without a trace, and the cool and humid wind was filled with the coolness of the forest.

The moon hangs low on the blue horizon like a silvery mint.

Thank goodness for finally saying goodbye to the maddening Mediterranean climate.

Long live temperate maritime climates!

The milky white morning light streamed outside the window, the lush forest was wrapped in mist, and everything had not yet woken up from the dewy and cool night.

The silent green field and the edge of the mountain reveal a smooth blue——

It is not the brilliant and bright blue of the Mediterranean Sea, but the calm and deep blue of the Atlantic Ocean. The currents in the deep sea bring the chill of polar ice and snow.

That is the Côte d'Azur in Cantabria.

The author has something to say: *The principal's original words: "I really don't know if I sent the graduation certificate to a genius or a madman!"

Santander has a surprise, hehe~