Good-bye to Barcelona and a Great Trip!

     

A toast for a great trip!

  On our last day in Barcelona we got up early to get in line to see the fantastic Sagrada Familia Basilica.  I had the good fortune to tour the cathedral last year when I came to Spain with the Bay Chorale.  I was now eager to show John this fabulous basilica.

           We made our way west on  St. Joan street.  Along the way, we stopped at a pastry store and bought a bag of goodies to munch on the way.  We turned to the right on Carrer Street and headed for the basilica.   The spires were so tall we could see them four blocks away.  As soon as we got near the block, we saw a line of people extending all the way down the street.  There was another line with equal length of people who already had tickets.  They were slowly going in.  So we circled around until we found the line without tickets and joined the line.  We were moving nicely for the first fifteen minutes as we made conversation with a mother and daughter from Denmark.  They had been spending a month touring all over Spain, and now they had a few days in Barcelona.
   We arrived at the window and paid for our two tickets which included earphones and a guide pack that we hug around our necks.

John adjusting his earphones.

 We then began our tour at the front face of the cathedral.  The Cathedral was begun in 1882 and Antoni Gaudi was asked to take over the building of it in 1883.   He transformed the architectural and engineering style into a Gothic Art Nouveau form that was unique for its day and even today. The floor plan is similar to other Gothic cathedrals in Spain, but is more complex in that it has five isles including the center isle, seven chapels, three portals and eighteen towers. The front is known as the Nativity facade.  It is filled with decorated scenes of Jesus as he is growing up.  Also Gaudi included symbols of nature. For instance at the base of two columns, he placed two turtles to represent land and sea. He also placed two chameleons to symbolize change.  The Tree of Life rises above the door in the portico of Charity.  Four towers in the front are dedicated to these saints: Saint Matthias, Saint Barnabas, Saint Jude, and Saint Simon.

Nativity Facade

Tree of life and four towers

Turtle under the pillar signifying earth.

       We stood back while we listened to the audio explanation about the building of the church and the Nativity Facade.  John searched around and pointed to the different scenes as he recalled from his Catholic school training when he attended St. Joseph's Military Academy as a child. 
       After a thorough scanning of the facade, we entered and followed the numbered stations around the church as we listened to the instructions in our headset.  The church is in the plan of the Latin cross with five isles.  The central vault is 150 ft long and the isles are 100ft. in width.  The transept has three aisles.  The four center columns support the great ceiling reaching 200ft and the apse is capped at 250ft.  When finished in approximately 2028, the building will be the tallest church in the world.
        My jaw drops when I enter this church and look at the amplitude and beauty that surrounds us.  The place seems like you have shrunk in a garden and all the trees and branches are huge as you stand and look above. Not even Disney could have imagined the scene of huge pillars that look like plants illuminated by multicolors coming from the stained glass windows.  It is the natural beauty of the earth that Gaudi had in mind for inspiration, and it fill you to the brim with awe and reverence.

The colors from the window give a garden appearance.

The flowers above appear to blossom

Gaudi created a scene of trees, branches and blossoms in this spectacular nave that seems to burst with life!

We continue to follow the audio directions and John makes a comment that it is like doing the stations of the cross on Good Friday!  We finally get to the center altar and observe how different it is from other churches we had seen.

The Central Altar

We exit through the back entrance that has the Passion facade.  This part is all about the death of Jesus and his resurrection.  The Passion Facade is quite austere in that the sculptures are carved with harsh straight lines.  The construction began in 1954 following drawings and instructions left by Gaudi to future architects and sculptors.  He died in 1926 knowing that this project would extend beyond his life.  The towers were completed in 1976.  Joseph Maria Subirachs began the sculpting of the various scenes and details of the facade in 1987.    He and his team  aimed to give rigid and angular form to evoke a dramatic effect to the passion of Christ. Gaudi wanted this facade to strike fear upon the viewer.  It faces the setting sun to indicate the symbolism of the end of life.  The large columns are designed to be sequoia trunks.  The four towers are dedicated to the four apostles:  Saint James, Saint Thomas, Saint Philip, and Saint Bartholomew.

The Passion Facade

       Again we stood for a long time observing the sculptures of the last scenes of Christ on earth.  It is all very solemn and most overwhelming when you think of all the work that has gone on for so many years to come to still partially built basilica.  It is to be completed in 2028 but with the use of computers, the process might come to a more rapid conclusion.  I am sure that everyone in Barcelona would love to see the awful cranes disappear.  They seem to detract from the magnificent church like praying mantis in the background.

      After exploring the museum below, we were now ready to head for the beach and to have some lunch. We walked down St. Joan street again because we were familiar with it, and did not want to get lost.  On the way we found a bakery that was selling empanadas from Peru. I got in a conversation with the owner, and he said that he had come to Barcelona five years ago and decided he would open this bakery and add saltenas or empanadas.   We bought two, then went next door to a market and got some orange juice.   We were on our way again munching along.
     We went by the Arc de Tromf where  an EcoRalley was being held.  The cars were fueled with everything other than gas.  Most were electric cars, but some had other kinds of fuel.  Europe is very much behind finding alternative energies.  When I was here last year there were windmills everywhere using the wind as a resource.  Also on our travels we noticed the use of photoelectric cells on multitude of panels using energy from the sun.  The use of electricity is common in cars here as well.  The roads are narrow so smaller cars are used as well as vespas and motorcycles.  There are lots of thoroughfares that are pedestrian only, but allow for bike use.  So bike rentals are everywhere.  You simply use your credit card at a bike rental and drive it until you find another site to turn it in and it automatically bills you for the time you have used the bike.

Arc de Tromf and the Eco Rally beyond.

Bike rentals below the Hostal Nuevo Colon

We continued walking past the arc into a park area called Parc de la Ciiutadella where many people were having picnics.

 We were delighted to see the other side of the Three Dragaon Castle.

The Three Dragon Castle turned into a museum.

 A lovely fountain was refreshing to see.  There were other places where you could fill your water jug in the park.

Fountain to fill your water jug.

Refreshing fountain in the park

Playing music and lounging in the park.

The park also had a lovely lake where people could rent canoes and paddle in the lake.

People enjoying the lake in canoes.

The park had statues of prominent people and events in Barcelona's history.

El Cid with friend on top!

Fighting the Arabs

We passed by the zoo and got on the main promenade by the beach.  There were lots of young people walking by with many outdoor restaurants long the way.

     We looked up and saw the California flag hanging from one of the balconies.  That brought a sense of nostalgia back when we had this flag in our classrooms growing up in Northern California over fifty years ago!

We crossed the street to find a restaurant near the beach.

We found one that was doing great business but was not too expensive.  Next door was one where the servers were in fancy tuxedos, a sure sign of high prices....tuxedos on a beach?????

Casual Dining!

We were delighted with the menu, and we ordered a chicken salad.  Our waiter brought out sangria and fresh bread.  We were delighted and we did some serious people watching!

Our waiter, Javier from Colombia.

The sangria was great!

Chicken salad with lots of surprises...Yum!

These guys were heavy smokers....We were glad the wind was blowing away from us!

Guys waiting for their sangria....Where is Javier?

On going love affair while she checks her e-mail!

When we were done, we decided to walk to the beach and take relax like the rest of Barcelona was doing on this Saturday afternoon.

Playing soccer at the beach.

We looked for a good spot to settle into.

Is this a topless beach?

We found a place near the water.

The sand was soft and the water was refreshingly cool.

There was enough wind to propel a windsurfer with a large sail.

Down the beach there were two paddle ball players who held our interest.

Of course there are always lovers on the beach.  They held our interest as well!

It had been a lovely day on our last day of our trip.  We were reminded that love makes the world go round and people all over the world are just like us going through life, enjoying the simple things that make life interesting and full of adventures.

So now we return home at sunset and keep on looking for fun in all the right places!

Leaving Barcelona at sunset!

Barcelona: Our Last Port of Call!

 

Mary in Barcelona!

        We arrived in Barcelona welcoming a chance to speak a new language!  We waited for our floor to be called to disembark the ship.  Everything is done in an orderly manner with so many people having to leave the ship at one time.  So we waited as we planned what we were going to do in this great city.
       I have been here the year before and was eager to show John the sights.  There was the Sagrada Familia Basilica, the Park Guell, and the Montserrat Monastery on the hill.   We had planned to stay the night in Barcelona and have tomorrow for sight seeing. On this day of depending on how much time we had left after disembarking, we planned the afternoon for touring the city.  We decided the Montserrat Monastery would be a day trip,  and we could  spend the morning at the basilica and then maybe we would have some time for the beach in the afternoon.  John perked up with this idea especially being the end of our trip,  relaxing on the beach would be great!
     So while we waited to have our number called, I did some research on Barcelona.  The name is attributed to Hannibal's father Hamilcar Barca who named the town Barcino.  In 15 BC the Romans invaded setting up a military outpost, and called the city Faventia.  They set up the typical Roman grid for streets which can still be seen in the Gothic Quarter. After the fall of Rome the Visigoths moved in, and made it the capital of all Hispania.  The Arabs conquer most of the Iberian peninsula in the 8th century, but the eastern region was reclaimed by Charlemagne's son Louis and he set up the area as a buffer zone ruled by the Count of Barcelona.  As time went on, this area became increasingly independent included the area called Catalonia bordered by the Pyrenees and south near Valencia.  It developed its own language which sounds somewhat like French.
        Catalonia joined the Crown of Aragon through marriage and became a conquering force acquiring Naples and Sicily.  With its success it created a banking system that is recognized as the oldest in Europe.  Again through the marriage of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella of Castille in 1469, the area became the northern part of Spain moving the seat of government to Madrid.               Throughout history, however, Barcelona has always been the the seat of Catalan separatism movement due to its independent nature.   This spirit was apparent during the Spanish Civil War and the anarchist held on the to city until they lost control to government troupes. This caused a mas exodus of civilians who fled to the French border. The government led by Franco abolished the Catalan language and Catalonian institutions.   The Nazis never entered Spain, perhaps because Spain had a different guage for their train lines, or because Hitler was a friend of Franco.  We can be thankful for this as some of the churches in Spain are filled with New World riches and the Nazis would have loved to get their hands on them and melt them down.
       Finally, our floor was called to leave the ship.  Out luggage was taken the night before so all we had to do was gather our back packs and leave.  We made our way to the port to claim our luggage and got in line for a taxi.  The of line people serpentined all around the building and there was a fleet of taxis waiting for passengers.

Taxis waiting their turn to take people to the city.

   We left on our taxi and in a half hour we were in the middle of the city at our hotel, the NH Podium.  We drove right by the Arc of Triumph and made our way to Carrer and St Joan intersection.   We checked in and got a map and left to find the hop-on bus a ten minute walk away at the Placa Catalunya. This is where La Ramblas begins.  It is the famous walkway for tourists that leads all the way to the pier and the statue of Christopher Columbus.  Not today for us as we thought the Hop-On bus was the best way to see the city.

We found seats on the top level of the bus.

We got in and clicked "English" for the earphones. It looked like this might have been an end destination for past passengers as they threw their earphones on top of the shade umbrellas.

Old ear phones

So off we went on the red line heading in to the center of the city up the Passeig Gracia.  The guide on the earphones spoke of some of the history of Barcelona.  He then spoke about the Casa Batllo and the famous architecht from Barcelona, Antoni Gaudi. 

Casa Batllo by architect Antoni Gaudi

Gaudi rebuilt this home in the affluent part of town in 1904 and it has been recently renovated for the  benefit of the tourists.  Gudi designed many of his buildings int eh Modernista style with undulating lines and decorative, sculpted stonework.  This one has the facade completly decorated in broken ceramic tiles in colors of golden orange and greenish bues.  The roof is a rounded hump of a dragon ending with a turret and cross which is symbolizing St George killing the dragon with his spier.  St. George is the patron saint of Catalonia.

Other buildings around it give a sense of different architechtural styles.

We continue taking pictures of other architectural treasures.  Here is one in a Baroque style

Gothic Style

We soon pass another Gaudi building with undulating floors. The balconies in a misshapen filigri style were designed by Josep Maria Jujol.  It was the first building by the architect to have underground parking and separate lifts and stairs for the owners and their servants.  It is now a museum where tourist can see the building inside. It  was built for Roser Segimon and Pere Mila.  Roser was a wealthy widow of Josep Gardiola  who was a rich Catalonian who made his riches in the new world. When he died Roser maried Pere Mila who built this house for her.  The residents of Barcelona ridiculed the building and joked that it looked like a quarry.

Casa Mila or La Pedrera (the Quarry)

Inside atrium of Casa Mila

Antoni Gaudi

Gaudi's architecture is all over Barcelona.  The most outstanding being the Basilica of Sagrada Familia which we planned to see the next morning.

We traveled up the diagonal avenue going west.  This area is filled with more modern architechture like this building.

We soon passed a colorful mall.

 We  continued our tour  arriving at the placa de Francesc Macia which is the main business section of the city.  It is a large intersection named after a former president that promoted a free Catalonia.

Monument to Macia

Rounding the corner we turned south west toward the Placa Espana Industrial where we were  greated with a lovely park.

Placa Espana Park

 We cruised down past Joan Miro Park.  He was a modern artist in the style of Surrealism who drew childlike drawings in pure simplicity.

Jean Miro park

Soon we came at Placa de Espana which is another roundabout.

Round about at the Placa d'Espana

This Colloseum ois mostly used for Soccor.

   This modern arena could be a smaller Colloseum with the arches over the windows and doors.
The Arena is at another end with the two towers facing the opposite direction.
We soon found ourselvs at the Magic Fountain of Montjuic in front of the national Museum of Art of Catalan.

Magic Fountain of Montjuic

Across from the fountain we see the National Museum of Art of Catalonia.  I would need a few more days to go through this museum.  Alas, I leave it for another trip!

National Museum of Art of Catalonia

Now we head up to the Mountjuic.  Soon we see the Olympic spire, the symbol of the games of the Barcelona Olympics.  I notice that John is now paying more attention as he looks around for playing fields.

We see the gondolas as they make their way to the top of the hill.

We stop at the building to buy tickets for the gondola.  We can go down now or take the gondola up to the fort.  We decide this is what we will do.  So we get off and go to buy our tickets.

After buying a ticket we got in the gondola with a young German couple.  The view from the window was a spectacular panoramic scene from above.

We could see why this city is the second largest in Spain after Madrid.

      The gondola ride was a wonderful way to get to the fort.  This is a high mountain that overlooks the city.  It is called Montjuic or "Jew Mountain." A fortress was built here in the 17th century to overlook the harbor. As time went by, it was used to house garrisons and later political prisorners.  The central area of the fort is the site of many executions.
     In June 1792 the French astronomers Jean Baptiste Delambre and Pierre Mechain set out to measure the meridian arc distrance from Dunkirk to Barcelona,  two cities lying on the same longitude and also longitude of Paris.  The Fortress on Montjuic was chosen as the reference point in Barcelona.  Using this measurement and the latitudes of the two cities they could calculated the distance between the North Pole and the Equator in classical French units of length and produce the first metre which was defined as being one of ten millionth of that distance.  The definitive meter bar was made of platinum.
   When we came to a stop, we jumped out and made our way to the fort, and walked across the mote bridge.

Entrance to the fort.

Manicured gardens at the fort.

John entering the tunnel

The fort was a solid fortification made of solid rock.    

We walked up the steep path.

Coming out of the tunnel we found ourselves on the walk over looking the harbor.  Large canons were still in place ready to defend the fort.

The view from the edge was spectacular.  We could see the harbor with a large number of cargo sitting on the dock.  We also saw our ship waiting for the next group of tourist to begin their trip back to Venice.

Very busy harbor

The Carnival Sunshine getting ready to depart

Over to the left we noticed a statue of a nymph overlooking the fort.

Near the building behind us a group of runners who decided not to take the gondola but instead ran all the way up the hill, decided to take a rest.

Resting Runners

We walked into the central plaza of the fort.  Today many of the rooms are used as administrative purposes so there are people actually working in the buildings.

Central building

Plaza were executions were held.

We walked all around the building and found ourselves at the entrance once again.

The gondolas were still running so we waited our turn to get on one to return to the bus below.

Gondolas on their way

Once on the gondola, I was able to take more pictures.  John was looking for the Olympic stadium which was on the other side.  The park was also built for the Summer Olympics which was a great success for the city of Barcelona in 1992.

View from the Gondola

Down below we found our bus and left for the rest of our excursion.

Back on the bus to continue our sight seeing!

We rode down the hill and got on the main road heading to the beach area.

Fancy street signs like this one were at every intersection.
Down by the pier we drove by the lovely yachts all in a row.

 Some people found this was the place to disembark and threw their ear phones on the shade covers.

We circled around the statue of Columbus as he points to the new world and drove by the Maritime Museum

Stature of Columbus

Maritime Museum

There was quite a bustling crowd strolling by the beach.

We could see the beach as we drove by.  John was ready to get out right there and I had to hold him back.

The beach was so inviting!

We circled around and then headed north back to the city.  On the way we went by the park that was also the entrance to the Zoo. 

Soon we saw the ancient building of the Castle of three dragons.  It was built for the Exposición Universal de Barcelona in 1888 by Lluís Domènech i Montaner.

Castle of Three Dragons

Here is one of the happy dragons!

We finally came back to the Placa de Carolunya where we were to disembark. It was time to get rid or our earphones so we tossed them on to the shade umbrellas and that was that!