HAVE YOU EVER SEEN ANTONI GAUDÍ IN SANT BOI?

Eli, Irene & Olga Bond have gone shopping

Today, The Bonds have practiced Present Perfect with Already, Just, Yet, Ever and Never. Thay have also talked about the modal verb Need/Needn't and the normal verb Need to/Don't need to.

The Grandma has totally crossed and she has needed some caffeine to be a person. Yesterday, she had an ugly incident with some Russian teenagers in the streets of Paris and today she was remembering it. She has had an introspective day and she has started to remember old stories which aren't interesting but can save you if you're able to connect them with whatever you want.

More information: Already, Just, Yet

After these stories, the family has made an homage to Sant Boi, a beautiful and important city next to the old Via Rubricatus and Via Augusta, talking about the importance of its popular people, like Pau Gasol or Marc Gasol and famous ones like Manel Esteller.

Finally, the family has talked about the Phi number and its importance in our universe. The number was an inspiration to our greatest genius, Antoni Gaudí, who was working in Sant Boi before building The Sagrada Família.

More information: El banc de proves de Gaudí (Catalan Version)

The family is still in Paris enjoying these last days before travelling to Kiev where they're going to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest. 

More information: Gaudí i l'Hospital de Sant Boi (Catalan Version)

Good luck family!

The science of today is the technology of tomorrow. 

Edward Teller

THE STREET OF SOULS. A MYSTERY IN SANTS, BARCELONA

Souls Street in Sants, Barcelona

The Grandma is in Sants, a suburb of Barcelona. She's visiting a special street with an incredible story that wants to share with you: Souls Street.

The Romans founded the Colony Iulia Augusta Faventia Barcino between 15 and 13 BC and planned all the city inside and outside. They wanted to know which lands they were going to control and keep but to do it they needed a large net of roads to allow them the total control of the city. They profited some roads which were Iberian probably. 

One of this roads connected the little colony with the Via Augusta. In the western part, crossing the Raval in Avinguda Mistral direction, this road arrived to Hostafrancs and Sants and was named Camí Ral during the Middle Age.

During 1344, a big cross was built in this road and some years later, the cross was covered naming the real suburb Creu Coberta. The road continued crossing a place named the Inforcats a name with a Latin origin, inforcatos, that means crossroads, and obviously, this name demonstrates the different directions that you could take: Martorell, Sant Boi and Llobregat Delta.

More information: Historia de Barcelona

If you continued across Creu Coberta and passed near the current church of Santa Maria de Sants, the road arrived to one of the most mysterious streets nowadays in Barcelona: el Carreró de les ànimes (the street of souls).

The Grandma in Souls Street

This street took this name because there was a little cemetery of animals in the past. It seems that appeared soft lights that floated on the air. This is a real phenomenon with some scientific theories but there's still a little controversy. Some theories say that these fires appear thanks to the rot of the organic materies that produces the oxidation of the phosphine and the methane gas, other say that the real cause of those lights is a phenomenon caused by the natural phosphorescence of the calcium salts of the bones.

The popular voices created the legend of these fires saying that they were the souls of the deads that appear to the mortals.

Some years later, in the 20th century, on the wall of a private house in 260, Sants Street, there was a tile that announced the presence of these souls from the purgatory which were consumed by the seven capital vices.

Nowadays, the street of the souls keeps its magical structure and it's one of the most lovely and appreciate places for the neighbours who live sadly how the new constructions are changing the suburb and how the City Hall is not interested in the idea of keeping and promoting the history of the suburb, a history that is an homage to the past generations and a great proud for the neighbourhood.

THE POPPINS: BORN TO WIN

Sant Boi de Llobregat

Today, The Poppins are closing their circle. It started last April and during these months they have been working very hard to improve their English. They have created a big and unforgettable family and, obviously, they will continue their lives across different paths returning to the beginning and reconnecting with their dreams and proposals again.

The Grandma is preparing her summer holidays in Andorra, her hometown. She’s very proud of the Poppins and she knows, because she lived the same situation, that days like today seem very hard and difficult but they’re exciting because the most important is arriving to the exam and do it. This is the real prize, this is the fantastic triumph and this is the real meaning of this family: do things because we can do them, don’t resign in front of difficulties and don’t give up. Never give up.

We don’t know anything about our closer future but we can guess that it will be difficult, as difficult as it was for other generations but if they survived, we are going to do it, too. 

Some centuries ago, some little villages and towns started to grow up along an important and brave river: the Via Rubricatus. This Latin name was adopted because of the red colour of its water. One of these little towns became very popular and famous because of its natural beauty and the importance of its Roman terms. Years later, the city was an important site during the Succession War in the 18th Century and nowadays is recognized for being the Antoni Gaudí’s testing ground that helped him to create his wonderful buildings. The city is the result of a mix of cultures, like all its country, a directly consequence of growing up between the Via Augusta and the Via Rubricatus. 

Perhaps, some people know its famous doctor who battles against cancer day by day, its historical rugby player who practised this sport for the first time in the town, its popular fashion designer or its two famous NBA players but the History, in capital letters, will write that this city was the hometown of The Poppins, an intelligent, brave and funny family that has become unforgettable.

Come on Poppins! We have born to win!

 

Your town is very important - The Grandma

FIRST STOP: NAPLES AND SURROUNDINGS

Charles Dickens

Today, The Holmes have started a new book: Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and have played a little with The Little Prince and his memo.

After talking about the importance of Sant Boi de Llobregat along the history, they’ve listened to a new story about the relation between Via Rubricatus (the Llobregat River) and Via Augusta (the Roman way). Nothing is closed and different theories are accepted nowadays.

Finally, they’ve worked together in the elaboration of an Italian tour. The family is going to travel around this wonderful country with the company of their two horses. Tonight, they’ve arrived to Naples where The Grandma has lots of friends. It will be an intensive week.

By the way, The Grandma is excited because tonight is aired the second part of The X Files season premiere episode. Again, she is with her heroes: Fox Mulder & Dana Scully. Welcome again, friends!

The most important thing in life is to stop saying 'I wish'

and start saying 'I will.'

Consider nothing impossible,

then treat possibilities as probabilities.

Charles Dickens