The Casa de los Botines (built 1892-1893) is a "Modernist" building in León, designed by the famous Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí. Although I don't find Gaudí's work that appealing (especially that weird cathedral in Barcelona, which I find grotesque), I do enjoy the idea of eccentrics venting their eccentricities and I think a number of Spanish artists demonstrate this, including Gaudi, Dali and Picasso. The book I am reading on this trip is is called "What Do We Really Know" by Simon Blackburn. Its a philosophical book which covers 20 or so BIG questions. One question concerns what the meaning of life is or, put another way, how to give life meaning. Blackburn talks about the importance of creativity and how humans would do well to try and express themselves in ways which are not purely in pursuit of a specific practical purpose. Blackburn, in fact, rails somewhat against utilitarianism and how this ethos may actually impede what he calls spiritual development. I think Gaudi, Dali et al understood this point very well (directly or indirectly) and I support the fact that they expressed this in their art, irrespective of whether I actually like their specific output (my mother, bless her, always thought Picasso's cubist pictures reminded her of a migraine attack). Mind you, as David Bowie once famously proclaimed, "It will all end in art" and let us hope that is true, rather than some banking crisis.