... continued from Cover Over the next several days, we visited other Gaudi works, such as Park Guell, a distinctive nature park with fantastical designs, and La Pedrera, a futuristic building with a unique rooftop. On our final day in Barcelona, we saw the Santa Caterina Market, another structure with a unique roof. Once we were done, we walked down the road looking for a taxi and suddenly ended up in front of the Barcelona Cathedral. Imposing and impressive, it is a colossal Gothic structure completed in 1448. Equally impressive was the impromptu concert by a man playing the electric guitar in the cathedral courtyard! The sound of guitar riffs juxtaposed against the hallowed silence of the church was just … indescribable but so much fun! It’s one of the things I love about traveling — you never know what’s around the next corner. We sat in the courtyard and enjoyed the afternoon sun and the concert. The next day, we traveled to Madrid by train. It was a lovely, almost three-hour train ride on a high-speed line, where views of the suburbs, countryside, houses, gardens, fields of crops, and olive groves breezed by us. In Madrid, we took the taxi to our hotel, the Hotel Opera (because it was literally a block away from Madrid’s opera house, Teatro Real). Since we hadn’t eaten lunch, we went down to the hotel restaurant, sat in their outdoor café, and ordered coffee, cheesecake, and carrot cake for an afternoon snack. Not very Spanish but just what we needed at the moment. Over the next two days, we toured Madrid. Madrid definitely felt like an older city than Barcelona, with narrow, labyrinthine streets and underground tunnels. We were startled the first time our taxi drove underground, but it bypassed a lot of traffic. There was a lot to see in Madrid, but since we had limited time, we chose the Royal Palace of Madrid and the Prado Museum. A palace is always interesting to visit because, unlike a museum, real people live there, and echoes of past generations are in every room and hallway. A vast structure, we saw room after room of portraits, period furniture, and collections of crowns, silverware, and china from different eras. The Prado Museum houses collections of European art, but, importantly for me, it has the single best collection of Spanish art, with numerous works by Francisco Goya, El Greco, and Diego Velazquez. I found much pleasure in viewing the different techniques of artists I had only studied in books. By the time we left Spain, we had a good understanding of the country. It has always held a certain mystique — the land of flamenco dancers, bullfighters, tapas, and paella, with deep influences from Europe and the Middle East. Its vast history includes being conquered by the Moors and then united under King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella in 1480. Then, Christopher Columbus explored the New World under the patronage of Ferdinand and Isabella. It is impossible to take everything in at once, but I’m happy we were able to explore this very diverse country. –Hema Gopal, DMD
Make no bones about it; our skeletons are a real rib-tickler of fascinating facts! From the impressive strength of our thigh bones to the tiny marvels of the inner ear, your bones are the unsung heroes of your body. So, rest your bones in a comfy chair because we are about to dig up some of the most shocking skeletal secrets. Babies have more bones than adults. Although babies are tiny, their bodies have many bones in a pudgy, little package. Human babies have about 300 bones compared to an adult’s 206. Many extra bones are entirely or partly made of cartilage, allowing the baby to stay flexible in the womb. Over time, the bones fuse and decrease in number. Fracture rates are highest when kids are around ages 11–15, the critical time for significant growth spurts Exploring the Marvels of Your Skeletal System! ‘BONE’ VOYAGE
thanks to growth plates that close as we age. Half of our bones are in our feet and hands.
Did you know that many of our bones are in the smaller extremities of our body? Nearly half of our 206 adult bones are in our hands and feet! Each foot has 26 bones, and our hands both have 27 bones, which is 106 bones. Our hands even have a bonus bone called the pisiform, located on the
outside edge of our wrists. The funny bone is a nerve.
Have you ever hit your funny bone? Well, you are not hitting a bone at all. This area on the body is part of the ulnar nerve, which goes from your neck to your hand. Bone, muscle, and fat typically protect nerves, but a small portion of this nerve on the back of your elbow is more exposed. So, when you hit your funny bone, named for its location near the humerus bone (a homophone of “humorous”), you’re really bumping into the ulnar nerve. So, now that you’ve “boned up” on the most fascinating fossil facts, give your skeleton a little nod for the incredible things it does to support you and keep you moving!
3
WWW.BORDENTOWNDENTIST.COM
DR. HEMA GOPAL: 25+ YEARS IN PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator