La Sagrada Famiilia

This afternoon we were in for a most wonderful treat. After a brief rest at the hotel we hopped into a cab and headed for La Sagrada Famiilia, a place that has been on my bucket list for a while. Carm exchanged pleasantries with the cab driver as he shout and traded insults with bus drivers (something about the size of their whatevers).

We got through the traffic and came to a halt outside the meeting place for our tour. Turn around and there through the trees it was. Tears pricked at my eyes - I was tired and excited.

Its towers soared into the sky. There was a dog park in the park across the street from SF. Wow. From here it was amazing. I was wondering if it would be one of these things that seem that they might be good but are a disappointment. Not so far.

We had signed up for a ‘get ahead of the line’ tour which we hooked up with. The guide gave us an overview of the outside… and then… we stepped inside. I was blown away. It was like stepping into a giant stone forest where the trees soared, their branches reaching out to the sun. I was overcome with emotion. No disappointment here.

The photos really do no justice to the feel of the space. If you have a chance to visit it is a MUST do.

The carvings on one of the facades is really detailed. Lots of animals and of course religious scenes.

We finished our day with some sangria on Las Ramblas and then supper at a little restaurant in the Gothic quarter. Yum.

Actually the day didn’t finish there - we are in Jo Ellen & Don’s room enjoying a late night glass of wine while I finish up this blog.

Morning at the Cathedral and other places

The stupid alarm clock went off this morning at 7:15 am. I can’t say I lept out of bed in my excitement to get going, instead I dragged myself up and stumbled into the shower. That perked me up.

We met with Jo Ellen and Don downstairs so we could have breakfast before heading out. It was a nice buffet with smoked fish, frittata, pastries, etc. - and it better be as it was 13 euros each - yikes!

Our aim as we headed out this morning was a cathedral that was in that general direction. We zig zagged our way down the narrow streets of the Gothic Quarter and finally the walls of the church came into view.

On our way we went down many narrow lanes, just barely wide enough for a pedestrian, but somehow cars shoehorned in. Hidden squares were dotted along our path.

People were out walking their dogs. Where? I couldn’t figure that out as there isn’t a speck of grass to be seen anywhere so I guess the pooches pooped on the sidewalk. I didn’t see any hint of that so everyone must have been good at picking up, plus there were street cleaners and washers all over the place.

The back edge of the cathedral.

The courtyard in the cathedral. There were ducks and a koi pond inside.

Inside. It was Carm’s first time in a cathedral in Europe. His words “I have to take some pictures, you’ll never see anything like this again.” It’s true that it was a lovely building but we had truly awe inspiring places to see later in the day.

One of Gaudi houses that we searched for. We weren’t lacking for steps today - by the end of they day I over-topped 19,000 steps on my fitbit. The Gaudi house was interesting.

Carm resting his feet at the edge of a fountain. We would have all liked to dunk our achy feet right into it!

Day 1 - the photos

Before I write about today, I'll post a few photos from yesterday starting with the view from our hotel. The Port Catalonia hotel is just at the edge of the Gothic quarter and a few blocks the other direction to Las Ramblas, a giant pedestrian walkway with entertainers, restaurants, shops, and crowds of people. It is also a hangout for pickpockets so we are on our guard.

The next photo is a snapshot of Las Ramblas. Lucky for us the weather was perfect for wandering around the city.

We stopped for some tapas and sangria at a restaurant. The drinks were big enough to quench our dehydration from the flying and only left us a little tipsy ;-)

After our snack we walked to the first house that Antonio Gaudi built. It was an impressive structure and quite classical in its design. He hadn’t moved to his organic phase yet.

This is from the roof of Gaudi’s house.

This is a square that we passed through on our way back to the hotel. Not a speck of grass to be seen. People were strolling around it, out enjoying the beautiful evening (or who actually knows what time it was - I was all mixed up).

The streets around the hotel are narrow alleys with balconies and stone details. As we walked around there was a chorus of ‘look at that’, ‘look up over there, that lintel is amazing’ - everything was so different from our streets at home, and so old and wonderful.