Barcelona

Gaudi's Casa Batllo in Barcelona

 It was hard to fall asleep listening to "Carmin Burana" so I took pictures of the passing scenery. After passing a desert like planes that made me think I was traveling in Nevada the scenery changed.  There was quite a bit of agricultural land with wheat fields, young orchards, and terraced farming.

We eventually had to make a pit stop and some took the opportunity to satisfy a nicotine urge. We learned a bit about Felix our bus drivers.  Appantly, he had been a travel agent  with his wife and a book was written about their adventures and then a movie was made of the book called. "My Life in Ruins."  Wow a celebrity! We were all eager to see this movie.

We rode on parallel to the fast rail line that connects Madrid to Barcelona.  We could just see the train zipping by in the horizon.

We continued to drive and by and by more cars joined us on the road until we came to the toll station.

Then we were on a ten lane highway with cars everywhere honking their horns. The truck lane to our right was a constant drive of trucks that had a special pass that allowed them to fly through.  But buses and cars paid the man at the gate and it was slow moving.

Soon we were zipping along the main freeway again, and I noticed a continual stream of graffiti
that bordered the road like crochet lace.  The Graffiti City!

Graffiti Galore

Barcelona is a city of five million people of which one million live in the city proper.  It is the largest city on the Mediterranean coast and second to  Madrid in Spain.  It was founded as a Roman city and it proximity to France is clear in the language being Catalan.  We also noticed several shops on the way to our hotel that had French names.  The world learned about Barcelona during the 1992 Summer Olympics.  It has become a leading tourist destination using its port for cruise ships and the airport for international flights.

We dove through the streets full of high rise apartments with clothes hanging on lines out side the windows. This was clearly not the affluent part of town.   I remembered what my sister said when she warned me about pick pockets in Barcelona.  She said to be wary and not carry a shoulder bag or wallet in a pocket.  Her husband is an airline pilot who flies frequently to European cities.  He is over six feet and was a test pilot in the navy most of his life. He is a handsome hunk of a guy.  He thought nothing of taking a stroll day when he was attacked by a mob of young kids who went through his clothes like fire ants in a matter of seconds. It scared the daylights out of him, and now he is more careful where he goes in Barcelona.  The economy seemed to hit this area pretty hard, and as we drove to our hotel we were watchful of what went on around us.

The Confortel Hotel was walking distance to Las Ramblas the main shopping area and about a ten minute walk to the beach.  Being a bit off the beaten track had its advantages for tourist which is probably why Ed chose this hotel for us.  It was the only one so far that had a pool on the roof, and a workout center which I missed in other hotels because I am a fitness freak.  Meg and I rode the modern elevator to our room on the fifth floor.  It was roomy enough with ample room for our clothes in the cabinet and a large closet. Also the Wi-Fi worked well in the room so I was able to get e-mail and do some blogging right in my room!

I went down to get the key code for Wi-Fi when I saw Lorraine and Charmaine in the restaurant.  I guess  they were as hungry as I was. So we sat in the restaurant and ordered a meal that really hit the spot.  Soon other members of our group came and took tables.   Within a half hour the restaurant was full of people eating way into the eleven o'clock hour.  I was full and the beer did its thing, and I was ready for bed and slept like a log!

The next morning we rose and had a most fabulous breakfast.  By far this was the best hotel we had encountered this whole trip.  We were stuffed when we got on our bus.  Ed said we were going to explore the city of Barcelona primarily going to two places: the church called Sagrada Familia and Park Guell.   Then later we were going to have our farewell dinner at the Marina.  Great! I thought we might be able to see the beach!

Antoni Gaudi

We headed down town known as the Gothic Quarter toward the large steeple and the cranes surrounding it.  Many of the buildings in this area date back to the Roman and medieval times but what we were about to see was ultra modern.  The outstanding piece of architecture is the Sagrada Familia Cathedral designed by Antoni Gaudi, a Catalan modernist. He began his work of art in 1883 and has been on going until it is due to be finished in 2028. Several things have happened to impede its construction.  First Antoni Gaudi died in 1926. The project continued with Gaudi's plans through the architect Domenec Sugranes i Gras.  In 1936 it was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War.  Parts of the construction and Gaudi's plans were destroyed by the war.  The present designs are a result of reconstructed plans and modern designs.  It is financed by private donations part of which are tour groups coming to see the Cathedral in the making.

Sagrada Familia Cathedral The Nativity Facade

Climbing up the stairs to the front of the church.

We drove to the bus lot and walked up to the park in front of the church and met with our guide for the day. We followed her to the entrance where we were given ear phones with a specific frequency so we could listed to our guide no matter where we were.  Spain really had the tourist business down to a tee.

The Kazoo Group:  Carolyn, Dick, Jean, Bill, Meg, Mary, Brian, and JJ

Adjusting our receptors to the right frequency.

We went inside expecting to see what we had seen in all the other cathedrals we had seen all over Spain. It was initially going to be a Gothic revival architecture as designed by Francisco de Paula del Villar.  But he retired soon after the start of the project.  Then Anotoni Gaudi took it over in 1883 and completely changed the plans.  So when we entered we were in for a pleasant surprise!  Apparently the architect Antoni Gaudi besides being very religious was also a naturalist and he brought nature right into his architecture.  The ceiling of the church was decorated like huge flowers and above the nave is a beauty to feast one's eyes.  

Like a star burst!

 The columns were to depict the tall evergreen pine trees. On four of them there were emblems for each of the four apostles:  Bull - Luke, winged man - St. Matthew, the eagle - St. John, and the lion - St. Mark.  Parts depict sea shell structures and the choir loft becomes an undulating path along the sides high above.

We were all amazed and proceeded to take as many pictures as we had time.  If you have Power Point you would be able to see this presentation of the interior with the music, "Ave Maria" by Schubert.

Ave_ Maria_ en_ Kathedraal_ de_ Gaudi-1.pps     Obtained from Sue Palmer

Tim asked us to gather in the back of the church so we could do a mini concert.  We placed ourselves

Preparing to sing

in our Pontifical Choir section and in the Main Choir.  We sang the Jubilato Deo and the Ave Maria and  All My Trials.  This last song was especially for this church which has come a long way in being built through all kinds of obstacles and still has a long way to go.

After we sang we went back outside to the see the Nativity Facade which tells the story  of the birth of Christ all through sculptures on the side of the building.

None of Gaudi's angels have wings.

Nativity Facade

Then we went to the other side of the church to see the Passion of Christ.   This section was begun in 1954 and the towers were completed in 1976.  The sculptures were begun by a team headed by Josep Maria Subirachs. These sculptures are stark, plain and simple.  They represent the the sins of man and the straight harsh lines of the figures are sharp and abrupt.

The Passion Facade

The last section that is still in construction is the Glory section.  It is the most striking section as it will depict the Celestial Glory of Jesus: Death, Final Judgement, and Glory.  It will access the central nave.  To reach the Glory Portico you will enter a large staircase that takes you  underground representing hell.  It will be decorated with demons, idols, etc.  Purgatory an death will also be depicted  using tombs like the catacombs.  The portico will have seven large columns dedicated to the spiritual gifts: Below the seven Deadly Sins and at the top the Seven Heavenly Virtues.  Unfortunately, the city is building a subway for high speed train service, and it is going directly under the church.  It is hoped that when the tracks are laid down with dampers, the church will not shake when the train passes underneath or it will really feel like hell!

Glory under construction.

Also the spires have yet to be finished.  Gaudi wanted at 18 spires to be built but it does not look like 18 will be built.  When they are finished, this church will be the highest church in Europe!

We turned in our  head sets and went to the gift shop to buy some mementos.  We then headed for the bus that was waiting to take us to Park Guell We drove west toward the hills above Barcelona.
The park was originally intended to be a housing development for the affluent people of Barcelona.
The developer Eusebi Guell felt that they would want to live high above the industrial smog that laid over the city  during the turn of the century in 1900.  He was inspired by the English garden city movement that was prevalent all over Europe at that time. He persuaded his friend Antoni Gaudi to design the park that would be the showcase for the development.  Unfortunately, they were not able to sell any homes and Guell at least convinced Gaudi to buy one of the model homes for himself and his family.  Guell moved into the Larrard house which was built prior to the development.  Now Gaudi's home is a museum and the Larrard home is a pre-school and music school.

Gaudi's home which is now a museum.

Gaudi lived here until he died in 1926

 The bus parked in the large lot provided for buses, and we followed Ed into the park. Having been exposed to some of Gaudi's architecture now, we were sure to see some interesting things in this park.  We were not disappointed the minute we walked into the entrance we saw a wonder that would make Disney jealous.

Entrance to the park

We were introduced to our guide who explained that Gaudi utilized the forms of nature to give life to his park. The columns supporting the high walk way are made to look like trees.  He even put nests for birds at the top!

We walked along a path that had large balls placed in a row  and I asked why they were on the path as unsuspecting people might trip over them.   I was told that Gaudi wanted them to resemble beads of a rosary so you could do the rosary as you took your morning walk.

We came to the pink house which was once the home of Guell and now it is converted to a pre-school and a music school.

It is surrounded by a fancy decorated fence.

We then followed our guide to the large Plaza.

Bordering the plaza Gaudi created a serpentine bench.  He got the idea for the form from the naked workers who sat in the mud and left their backside impressions on the clay.  When you sit on the bench it configures to your shape as you sit and it is so comfortable that you don't want to get up.

Gaudi did not want people to sit where water may collect on the bench so he put little bumps in the back part of the bench.

Notice the bumps!

Mary Ann and Jean trying out the bench.

Jean and Meg see others trying out the bench.

Gene and Bill have become good buddies sitting on the bench!

We looked out to see the city of Barcelona but at this time without smog.

We saw the little ginger bread chapel down below.

Now it was time to go down below so we followed our guide down the stairs.

The support system for the upper level was unique.

The pathway was also interesting.  Where the road projects our from the hill hillside the retaining wall curves over tho support the road, and transmits the load onto sloping columns

We then were led to the site of the outdoor market.  Again Gaudi used an undulating ceiling supported by pillars resembling ionic towers.  He had the ceiling decorated with beautiful mosaics. This was a perfect place to sing our songs so we got into a circle around Tim who lead us in our repertoire.

Ionic columns

Mosaic on the ceiling

getting ready to sing.

Song filled the market amplified by the columns.

To hear us singing was such a surprise to people around us that many came and took pictures of us as we were performing.  The sound in this space was fantastic as it bounced off the columns and spread off the corrugated roof above.

We then followed our guide down the double staircase to the next lower level.  Looking up at the tall columns from below was an awesome sight.

 The dragon ceramic by the water fall is one of the icons of the park.  Not long ago in 2007 it was vandalized but now it has been restored.

Mosaic Dragon

I dipped my fingers under the water from the dragon's mouth.

In 1900 the transportation of choice was a horse and buggy or carriage.  They built a carriage house for letting people out when they came to the park.

Carriage house

 Now all we had to do is wait for the rest of our people and head for the bus.

We finally reunited with everyone and started walking toward the bus lot.  As we went by the garden only a few flowers were blooming.  Our guide said that because of global warming all the flowers bloomed early and only a few were still blooming now.  I could just imagine how lovely it looked a few months ago.  The same thing happened at the Master's Golf Tournament in Georgia this year when all the azaleas bloomed a month earlier, and it was a loss not to see the beauty of the flowers  when the golfers were putting on the greens.

Now it was time for us to go back to the hotel and freshen up for our farewell dinner!


We got home and had a chance to refresh before we were to meet the bus again to go to the restaurant.  I took the opportunity to go upstairs and take a dip in the pool.  I found a young french girl there and had fun teaching her how to do the breast stroke. Several of our group took advantage of the pleasant sun and were reading on the lawn chairs. When I looked in the direction of the sea, I could see that it was not far to walk there, and hoped I could take a run the next day.

Around five in the afternoon we left for the Marina and I could see it would be an easy run to the beach. The restaurant was across the street from the beach.  It was a lovely setting for our farewell dinner. We got to the marina and it was wonderful to see the beach at last! We went into the restaurant for a sea food dinner.

We were seated by an Indian host and many of the servers were oriental.  We wondered if we were going to have an authentic Spanish meal.  Everyone was afforded one glass of wine, if someone wanted more, they had to pay out of pocket.  The "rowdy table"  did not hesitate and soon we were all having a great time talking about our trip so far.

The main meal was Paella and our server came with a huge platter to show us the sea food mixed in with the yellow rice.  He didn't put the platter on the table, he just showed us what it looked like, then the servers came with individual plates already dished out.  They were ample servings and we all had our fill of this tasty dish.  The meal ended with a light custard which was just enough for most of us.

Then this being our farewell dinner a committee of made up of Lorraine, Charmaine, and Jean
Questions that we filled our on the bus ride from Logrono.  Now we would see who got the awards for the most in each category:1. El Toro Award for the one with the most bull 2.  Most patience award
3. Bench sitter ward 4. Sancho Panza award for the most loyal:  5.  Wikipedia Award for the one who knows it all:  JEAN 6.  Lost things award  7.  The Carmen Award for the  most expressive singer: LORRAINE 8.  Big Jamon Award for the biggest eater  9.  Toreador Award for the one who hassled the most guides: ANN SMITH 10. The World Cup Award for The Most Cohesive Group: THE KAZOO GROUP!

This was so much fun and our Kazoo group got to each chocolate the rest of the night as an award!
As we left we happened to look down town and saw the Torre Agbar building all lit up.

Torre Agbar building at night!