Re-Repost-Brasilia

I don’t know much about Brasilia.  It is the capital of Brazil.  It is, unlike the other major population centers in Brazil…inland. I’ve never been there. 

It is an entirely designed city, and resembles an airplane from above, the curves of the city echoing the large lake beside (or in front of) it.  It is a work still in progress, begun in 1957.

“Oscar Niemeyer, today one of the most famous world’s architects, combined straight and rounded shapes to create innovative architectural masterpieces. Lucio Costa, reknowned Brazilian urbanist, devised a lay-out combining beautiness, simplicity and functionality.”

It has cool buildings, some of which look bureaucratic/socialist and dated,  some of which seem to transcend their time and place.

I’ve never seen anything quite like it.

Addition:  A photo from inside the cathedral.

National Air and Space Museum!

I’ve been travelling this week and got to visit the Air and Space Museum on the Mall in Washington D.C.

They have a kids section where I spent a few hours playing with all the gadgets.

There are great explanations and demonstrations of the Bernoulli principle, and both Keplers’ and Newtons’ Laws. They also show some of the unique challenges with both atmospheric and space flight, as well as supersonic drag.

Highly recommended, and fun.

We also met a nice, older Danish guy. He had travelled the world as a mechanical engineer (diesel engines on large ships) but said he really enjoyed languages. He spoke English extremely well, Danish, French, German and goes regularly to Guatemala as a part of a Spanish immersion course. He was 70 years old and this was his first trip to America, and with no hint of rudeness suggested that this was because he’d gotten a great deal on tickets…..ah, well.

Washington is definitely worth the trip.