We are going on a three-week trip, first to Algarve on the southern Atlantic coast of Portugal, and then to the island of Madeira, a Portuguese “possession?” closest to Morocco. From there we head to Geneva, or thereabouts, to visit our daughter, who will take us on a tour ot southern France. She’s an excellent tour guide and fun traveling companion.
In the past in our travels I have strived to avoid making this blog a travelogue, as in visiting new places I know less than anyone there. I need to just observe and be quiet. I have stumbled on matters that became thrilling blog content, as with the crypt of Eva Peron in Buenos Aires, Argentina, leading to the discovery of her fake death and married life in Michigan, producing a daughter we came to know as the pop singer Madonna, explaining both her fame despite lack of talent at once.
That’s a rarity, however. Mostly I am reminded of comedian Ron White, who on his honeymoon in Greece rode a donkey up a hill on his bride’s insistence, because up at the top was “another one of them cathedrals.” I’ve been in a few cathedrals, and I surely miss everything of significance in them, as I am so un-Catholic as to be jaded by it all. Just melt down the f****** gold and get on with it!
An exception to this is basilica Sagrada Família in Barcelona, currently (and perpetually) under construction. It seems inspired more by the unconventional genius of the architect Antoni Gaudi than anything religious. As the story goes, Gaudi met his end after being hit by a passing tram while walking, and since he was dressed like a beggar, no one knew it was him. The basilica is unlike any cathedral I’ve ever seen, and any description I offer will not do justice. If ever you have a chance …
I know this to be a lie, but as far as I know, they don’t say daily mass in that place, which makes it a most useful and interesting landmark. But the Catholic ritual is part of the basis for continued funding, so I accept it as necessary.
Will I ever get to the point? Why start now! I have been treated to some of the writing of Jan Spreen, whose name you might recognize from comments. Jan, a man by the way, is a resident of the Netherlands. I first encountered him in a comment which I urged our friend Petra to dissect. It was about the impossibility of a controlled return of a space capsule from Moon to Earth. We’re about to see that lie again.
Jan has given me an invented dialogue between a young boy and wizened teacher on the impossibility of orbital machines operating out there, and if I describe it further he’ll have to set me straight. There’s been ongoing dialogue here on the (im)possibility of space machines going place to place, and he takes it in a direction I would not anticipate. I’ll publish that on Sunday, the day we leave.
After that he has given us a love story coupled with the fraud we all endured called “AIDS/HIV”. I like a well-done love story, my favorite of all time 1995’s Forget Paris with Billy Crystal and Debra Winger. In that story, the lead characters fall in love, as we are known to do, and then deal with real life. That, to me, is the appeal. Romantic love becomes adult love, with all the associated problems of life. When it succeeds, it is a wonderful tale to tell.
That will lead to Jan’s story, Twenty-First Century Love, which will appear sometime during our travels.
If by chance I pop up with travelogue stuff, humor me.
Piece of Mindful 
You have varying tastes, perhaps you’ll like this Alan Parson’s album (as I do) – dedicated to Gaudi. It is titled … “Gaudi” – shocking, I know.
I look forward to “…orbital machines operating out there…”
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Thank you for the tip. Gaudi’s work is distinct. You can tell it right off from anything else around it.
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You might want to check out these guys channel. Or not.
Timeline Begins in 1800? – Pt 1 & 2 (2025)
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Timeline Begins in 1800? – Pt 1 & 2 (2025)
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This is reminiscent of what I’ve seen and read of Howdie Mickoski. I am not dismissing it. He wrote about World’s Fairs and assembled some very intriguing evidence of their sudden appearance and then dismantling. He also wrote about buildings that seem to have been preexisting and repurposed, of great mud slides and the like, is if we are a successor to another civilization that was wiped out by catastrophe. He also wrote about orphan trains, or giant movement of young children across the land for resettlement.
Last I read of Howdie he had moved on to what he called the reincarnation trap. Not sure what to make of him or the link you provide other than there are more things in this world than my philosophy allows. Horatio.
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Has anyone noticed the interior shots of the capsule they are flying around in look like a huge mess of vents and tape and shit? Just like when they show the space station, its wires hanging out everywhere. No one would even run a lab on earth like that, let alone in freakin’ space where you’d think everything would be totally buttoned down and neatened up. And the capsule shape is the same as that little damn thing they claim came back from the moon several times, hitting the atmosphere at several thousands of miles an hours.
There was a Swedish guy who I used to read who was one of the ones who got me to believe in the nuke hoax, and he was big on space hoaxes too. Anders Bjorkman. Was curious if others have read his stuff and their take on him. He was a frequent contributor to Clues Forum. He makes some strong arguments that anything like a capsule or ICBM re-entering the atmosphere would burn up at speeds of several thousand miles an hour.
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Wish I had more time and Hope I remember this on return. I tried listening to it on a weak speaker where I cannot make out lyrics. It has a bit of a Pink Floyd feel to it.
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I have been to La Sagrada Familia twice, it is quite stunning and feels beyond modern, there’s no time period it fits into yet. Gaudi also has some great apartments and parks he designed that I did not get the chance to visit, like Park Guell, that I hope to visit in the future.
To comment on the timeline beginning in 1800, I used to read a lot of sites which tried to make a claim the timeline starts in 1800, but it just adds more confusion than anything else. Also, for people like myself who can trace their ancestry back ~1000 years – so thats all made up too? And I can see from my desk as I type a house built in 1700, another in 1688, here in my little New England town that has archives dating back at least 300 years. So all of New England history has been faked, and someone went into every town hall and just wrote up history from scratch? Seems like a real dead end.
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We’ve been lied to about our history. Many people can’t find anything past their great grandparents. We do have tunnels underground in my area, been awhile since I been inside one, since all the openings are now on private property or closed off.
Should be interesting at the airports and no flight cancellations happen, with the hyped up Iran conflict and oddly the Ukraine/Russia war still supposedly going on. Posts some photos if you can, like food, gas prices, something to compare the States with.
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His-story is what you (or he) makes.
“if you believe there is nothing up his sleeve” ~R.E.M.
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Have been to Barcelona some 10 years ago. We had a look at the cathedral, ofc. Basically, it’s another giant yoni, the portal. The fancy architecture makes it subliminal. I can’t help it, I discover ’em all over the world. Visiting Barcelona, something to do is a walk around the place of the 1992 Olympics. It had an interesting opening performance, footage is on the internet, worth a skip through, much to discover. PS This year, there will be a total eclipse in the North, in August. Santiago de Compostela region.
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Had to look up Yoni, did not know that word. Doing the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage is on my bucket list. I’ve been to the Spanish Pyrenees and they are really wild mountains, with crazy roads going in and out. Great hiking.
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