June 3 La Barceloneta

 La Barceloneta  

We started our day with a walk down to the port and the beaches. This area use to be industrial with factories dominating the landscape. It has all been renovated and  is now devoted to the tertiary industries associated with the new digital technology. There are new hotels and some of the remaining industrial buildings have been converted into facilities for cultural and artistic use. There are also several large gardens and parks. We walked through old town and visited some of the churches. We stoped at a Cervezaria which is like a pub with tapas.  We had beer and an assortment of tapas including potato bravas, marinated clams and tiny fried fish. We also had something called Cruji Coques. It is like a pizza with a crispy crust. It was delicious.  We hopped on both the blue line of the tourist bus and the red line which eventually brought us back to Plaza Espanya.  

Palau Guell  

              Palau Güell

 

Wax Museum              

Basilica de la Mercy              

Aps

Post Office

Architectural Jem, Gasnatural Fenosa

 

 

Man made beaches          

One of the builds at the Plaza Forum

Finally! Food and Beverage        

Cruji Cogues. Much better than a Pizza

     

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June 2 Park Guell

Park Guell 

We started off early to get to Park Guell. We walked to plaza Catalunya and cought the Hop On and Hop Of bus. It took us about 30 minutes and many questions later to find the park. We had an 1130 time slot so we had time to walk around the garden and terraces outside the wall. They only let 400 in at a time so you have to wait for your time slot,
Park Guell was begun in 1900. Eusebi Guell asked Gaudi  to help create an estate for well off families on a property that Guell had acquired called Montana Pelada, bald mountain  The setting was ideal with views of the sea and the plains of Barcelona.  Gaudi threw himself into the artistic creation of this garden estate. Gaudi's vivid imagination created  terraces and brightly colored pavilions. The venture failed to attract investors and the park was turned over to the city in 1922. UNESCO declared it a cultural heritage site in 1984.
On the way home, we decided to go to the train station to get our tickets for Ribes de Freser our next destination. This is a 3 day weekend celebrating little Easter on Monday. We first tried to buy tickets by machine and found out we could't buy advanced tickets . We were told to go to another part of the station, to get a number, sit down and wait till our number was posted. Our number was 277 and they had just posted 187. Two hours later, the ticket sales woman said you can't buy tickets ahead of time with no explaination. You need patience to travel: I just used all mine up. Where is the Sangria?

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gate House

 

Opposite gate house        

 

The only house built      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

June1 La Sagrada Familia

 La Sagrada Familia

We started early for our tour of Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia  We were lucky enough to book a tour in English. Gaudi believed in nature and his architectural designs demonstrate that. He only completed about 15 percent of the church when he was struck by a tram and died  The church was started by another architect in 1882. The whole design of the church started to change 1 year later when Gaudi took over. The progress was slow because it was dependent on funds from the people. The government did not contribute any money. After Gaudi’s death  the work on the church continued. The work was impeded by the Spanish Civil war and by the burning of Gaudi’s workshop and models by Catalan anarchists. The work on the church is from reconstructed versions of the plans. It is about 70 percent finished. The hope is that it will be concluded in 2026 the 100 year anniversary of Gaudi’s death. Nothing you read about this church can prepare you for the beauty and intricacy of the design. The facade of the church tells the story of Jesus birth, death and resurrection. It is mingled with symbols of nature. The interior is a spectacular use of light and color. It is just beautiful! In the tour you are taken through the part of the church which was Gaudi’s workshop. Here you can see pictures and models of the church’s architectural design done over the years. We spent a glorious 2 hours in the church. On our way back to Plaza Espana we stopped to see several churches in the area and visited two of the largest open markets. By 1400 we were starving and stopped for a leisurely lunch of Paella.  

Light coming through stain glass windows

 

Windows generating the reflected light.

It is hard to imagine what is holding up church

 

So many angles to appreciate and enthusiasts        

Tilt your head back far enough-the ceiling

 

Ceiling again          

Alter, plain and simple

 

Outside

 

Outside

 

Outside

For many more pictures, visit sagradafamilia. Be sure you watch the "virtual visit".

May 31 Montserrat

 

MONTSERRAT

Montserrat means serrated mountain because it is so jagged.

We walked over to Plaza Catalunya to pick up a bus for our tour to Monserrat. Summer is upon us so you have to book everything in advance. The Monserrat Monestary is 4056 feet  above the valley floor. The mountain is part of  the Catalan pre coastal range. When we arrived in Monserrat we went to see a short movie about the history of Montserrat. It is a multimedia space with both images and sounds. It illustrates the daily life and activities of the monks as well as the history and spirituality of the Santa Maria de Montserrat Abbey. We then saw and heard the most beautiful voices of the children's choir. About 50 boys live here during the week and go home on weekends. These kids sing all over the world. The choir At Monserrat dates back to 1223.

We then took the cog railroad, which is the funicular of Sant Joan, one way to the top of the mountain . This is straight up and has 5 separate brake systems. The cable is made of intertwining steel and capable of holding the weight of 10 cars. There is the Monastery of Joan at the top. We decided to walk down. It is a very steep trail that takes about 40 minutes. We just had time to go over to the Basilica where the Black Madonna resides. On our way back to the bus we stopped to sample some liquor and later cheese. The trip is  about 5 hours with 3 hours at Monserrat. There is so much to see 3 hours is not enough. I would advise taking public transportation to have more time. We then walked back to Placa Espanya stopping on the way for a beer, some potato bravas and a chicken coquette. 

   

Joan's favorite hang out - Desigual across the intersection.

 

   

Montserrat on the horizon

   

Funicular

   

Sant Joan Chapel

   

Black Madonna

   

Monastery

   

Prior to service

   

Service within

   

Proof Stu was there.

Joan taking the final picture

May 30 Arenes - MNAC

Arenes and MNAC

 

Placa de les Arenes             

                                                                                MNAC        

   

After a comfortable train ride back from Girona, we dropped of our gear, and went up to  Plaza de les Arenes. This arena was built to be a bull fighting arena but the Catalunyans were not interested in bull fighting so they converted it to shops in the round. There are 4 levels of shopping for everything imagineable. The Boulton's of Florida recommended we look it over. After a quick visit to Desiqual, Joan's favorite store, we found a huge grocery store on level -1. We have been eating our meals out and wanted to fix a meal at home. We bought 2 large pieces of Salmon in a curry marinade, pre packaged salads and a tortilla. In Spain a tortilla is layered potatoes cooked with egg. It is usually served as a tapa with any drink you buy from coffee to wine and it is delicious. We also bought a bottle of lemoncello with cream. We had a great dinner. Lemoncello is very expensive in the US here $5 for a bottle. Cava which is the Spanish Proseco is just a few dollars. A liter bottle of beer is 67 cents. In the early afternoon, we visited the Museum of National Art of Catalunya, no entry fee for old folks. What a wonderful place. There is Gothic Art, Romanesque Art, Renaissance and Baroque art. The whole upper floor was dedicated to modern Art with a large mural by Joan Miro.

 

Joan Miro

 

Wood panels

 

Fresco like

 

Stained Glass

   

Furniture

   

Big wood panels              

 

Mirror with Joan. That is a glass, not a stain

 

Finally, a Parakeet in its nest