No letdown.
My experience of Fallingwater was like my experience of the Sydney Opera House. These two icons of modern architecture are among the most photographed structures on earth. Their images had been burned into my consciousness since childhood. Still, when I saw them in real life, each was more beautiful than any photo had conveyed.
The operative phrase being “real life.” Fallingwater, lavish as it is (and was when built, in the depths of the Depression), and while now a house museum, is clearly a well-lived-in home. The building is alive, too, in its continual decay and restoration, and given the subtle modifications (always “in the style of Frank,”) occasionally made so it can survive and welcome up to 1,000 people a day. Then there is the water – sometimes trickling, and sometimes roaring and dripping, as it was on a very rainy day when we visited.
Viðay Island, Reykjavík, Iceland
On November 9th, I ventured to Viðay Island in Reykjavík, Iceland, to
witness the lighting of Yoko Ono´s Peace Tower for John Lennon's
birthday. Ono provided free ferry rides for those who wanted to make
the trip. An Icelandic choir sang traditional songs, as well as a
version of a song by Bjðrk, and finished their set with Lennon´s
Imagine. A full moon hung above all of us, and each beam of light from
the tower was lit, one by one. Ono gave a short speech, followed by a
poem, and hot chocolate was served in a nearby hall. As I walked with
the crowd back to the ferry after the event, the most spectacular
display of Aurora Borialis ignited the sky, following with “oohs” and
“aaahs” from below.
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