Fountains

I'm not sure why it is that fountains are so mesmerizing. It could be the fact that that so many things are not as they should be. Water, a thing whose natural state is to be uncontrollable, is contained and mastered, defying gravity, and molded into unnatural forms simply because we tell it to.
There is a fountain in a plaza called the Plaza de Espana which may be my favorite place in the city so far. It is often obscured by various large tents set up to house this or that equipment for cleaning or broadcasting some presentation set to take place there, but even in the midst of these attempts to dampen its impact, the plaza is breathtaking. A semicircular wall of arabic inspired architecture with a fountain placed in the center and surrounded by pathways of white and black stone arranged into geometric designs. The fountain itself is unique as well. While most fountains try to maintain a perfect symmetry, this one is set up like a spiral staircase; each side grows in height until it winds its way into the center which is the pinnacle.
I was first struck by the fountain when i walked through the plaza on my way to class and saw a little boy staring up at the fountain. Speechless and still. I looked at the fountain myself, but my eyes kept returning to the boy. I tried to imagine what it would be like to see a fountain for the first time and have this massive stairway of water greet you. I like this image of myself as a boy, looking into the fountain, speechless and still, thinking about how many things I don´t understand. And not so much has changed, accept of course my ability to appreciate my own smallness. The my next entry will deal with silly school. Thanks for the email Grandma, I will reply more personally soon. Until then do take care.