An Upside Down House in Colombia Lightens Hearts
2022-01-27
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1An upside down house in Colombia is capturing the imagination of visitors looking for fun after months of coronavirus restrictions in the country.
2The house is in the town of Guatavita, about 70 kilometers from the capital, Bogota.
3It was designed by its Austrian owner Fritz Schall.
4He lives in Colombia with his family.
5"Everyone looked at me like I was mad, they didn't believe what I was saying," Schall said.
6"I said 'I'm going to make an upside down house,' and they told me, 'Ok sir, sure, go for it.'"
7Today, visitors from many places enjoy walking on ceilings where floors would normally be.
8Things like tables and chairs are above them.
9Everything in the place is upside down.
10Inspiration for building the house came from a trip to Schall's native Austria.
11There he saw a similar house with his grandchildren in 2015.
12The COVID-19 pandemic made building the house a little difficult.
13But it was finally finished at the start of this year, Schall said.
14"The pandemic slowed us down a bit, but it's done now," he added.
15For many people, the pandemic has turned their worlds upside down.
16This expression means that people's lives have been greatly changed - often in shocking or upsetting ways.
17But for visitors to the upside down house, the place offers a bit of lighthearted relief from restrictions and other difficulties.
18Lina Gutierrez has already made a visit there.
19She said, after a long period of movement restrictions and other pandemic measures, the house helps visitors like herself have "a moment of relaxation."
20I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
1An upside down house in Colombia is capturing the imagination of visitors looking for fun after months of coronavirus restrictions in the country. 2The house is in the town of Guatavita, about 70 kilometers from the capital, Bogota. It was designed by its Austrian owner Fritz Schall. He lives in Colombia with his family. 3"Everyone looked at me like I was mad, they didn't believe what I was saying," Schall said. "I said 'I'm going to make an upside down house,' and they told me, 'Ok sir, sure, go for it.'" 4Today, visitors from many places enjoy walking on ceilings where floors would normally be. Things like tables and chairs are above them. Everything in the place is upside down. 5Inspiration for building the house came from a trip to Schall's native Austria. There he saw a similar house with his grandchildren in 2015. 6The COVID-19 pandemic made building the house a little difficult. But it was finally finished at the start of this year, Schall said. "The pandemic slowed us down a bit, but it's done now," he added. 7For many people, the pandemic has turned their worlds upside down. This expression means that people's lives have been greatly changed - often in shocking or upsetting ways. But for visitors to the upside down house, the place offers a bit of lighthearted relief from restrictions and other difficulties. 8Lina Gutierrez has already made a visit there. She said, after a long period of movement restrictions and other pandemic measures, the house helps visitors like herself have "a moment of relaxation." 9I'm Mario Ritter, Jr. 10Camilo Cohecha and Javier Andres Rojas reported this story for Reuters. Mario Ritter Jr. adapted it for VOA Learning English. 11_________________________________________________ 12Words in This Story 13mad -adj. (mainly British) insane; very foolish 14ceiling -n. the highest part of a room; the inside surface of the top of a room 15inspiration -n. something that makes someone want to do something or that gives someone an idea about what to do or create 16relief -n. the removal of something painful or unpleasant; a pleasant feeling of ease 17moment -n. a short period of time 18relaxation -n. a way to rest and enjoy yourself; a way to ease tension 19We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.