Forest Fire in Collserola Mountain, Barcelona

Watching a forest fire from your own window is one of the saddest views you could ever have. This afternoon a small fire swallowed part of the woods on this hill at Collserola mountain. Now that I write this, at night, everything seems to be under control, but mother nature is not always that lucky. It is true that many forest fires start by a mere accident, like lightnings on a storm but the great majority are due to cigarette butts, bottles that act as a magnifying glass and outdoor barbecue grills which are forbidden. But the worst cause is forest arson which is probably what happened here. This is not the first time there's a fire around Barcelona, in fact one year several hills were completely devastated by the flames. The wind makes things worse and the fact the city is near is dangerous at least for those living at the slope of the mountain.

Update: April 18th: The police identifies three 14 year old teenagers as the authors of the fire yesterday Collserola Fire News in Spanish

The Secret Power of Fire

For centuries, man has contemplated this scene. Infinite winters have passed since the very first ancestor took a branch on fire after the storm and tried to grab the magic light with obvious result. They, we, learned to handle it, to fear it, to worship it. We handed it down from one generation to another as one of the most vital assets in the archives of our common knowledge. Now, we know or think we know everything about fire. And still, after a whole eternity, we look into the fire, take a deep breath and let our souls wander into an unknown universe of thoughts, hypnotized by the flames that cannot be touched but keep us warm, just like the very first day.

Medieval Craft Trade Fair: Glass Miniatures

During a medieval craft trade fair that was organized in a town called Suria I caught this artisan working the glass to create miniatures by means of a torch. It is hard for me to understand how medieval this craft can be considering the safety glasses he is wearing and the lighter but if they created this fair which is celebrated every year by the way, they should know better. Other trades and crafts were previously posted here: the stonecutter, the basket weaver, the collier, the potter.