Barcelona 24 - 26 May
With only one station change I arrived in the city directly opposite my Airbnb accommodation in a seven floor apartment building.
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| View from AirBnB Apartment |
An ancient lift delivered me safely to the sixth floor. My room was spacious and comfortable with city views.
Slept well and set off sightseeing early on Friday to make the most of my day. A few drops of rain early looked ominous but fortunately it cleared and by 10am the sun was shining. I purchased a ten trip ticket which could be used on either the metro or buses. Metro trains are on time, frequent, fast and usually crowded. However they are just a means of getting from A to B as they are all underground, so I mainly used buses so that I could see something of the city.
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| Chapel at Cathedral |
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| Sarcophagus |
BARCELONA GOTHIC. CATHEDRAL
I went to Mass in the side Chapel of the Holy Sacrament and of the Holy Christ of Lepanto which contains a cross said to date from the time of the Battle of Lepanto in 1571. It also had a very elaborate coffin behind the altar which had a likeness of its
inhabitant lying on top of it! Mass was celebrated by three priests. The one who lead the singing could have moonlighted as an opera singer. With the congregation of about 50 joining in, it was special to listen to.
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| Barcelona Cathedral, built 15th century |
The cathedral was constructed from the 13th to 15th centuries, with the principal work done in the 14th century. The cloister, which encloses the Well of the Geese (Font de les Oques) was completed in 1448. The full name is the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia. She is the co-patron saint of Barcelona, a young virgin who, according to Catholic tradition, suffered martyrdom at 13 years of age during Roman times. Among its attractions are the 13 geese (number to match Eulalia's age) which are kept at the secluded Gothic cloister, which has a garden and a pond.In the late 19th century, the neo-Gothic façade was constructed over the nondescript exterior that was common to Catalan churches. The roof is notable for its gargoyles, featuring a wide range of animals, both domestic and mythical.
Inside, the cathedral is vaulted over five aisles, the outer two divided into about 20 chapels, devoted to various saints, and Mary. Some are very ornate, and others have striking paintings. The high altar is raised, allowing a clear view into the crypt. A magnificent church to visit.
PORTS, MARINAS and BEACHES
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| Port Cable Car |
Lots of activity at the port, and sailors arriving for Friday afternoon racing on some very impressive large yachts. A fine day with a steady breeze blowing, it would have beaten sitting at a desk for most of them. Although that is probably how most of them earned the money to pay for their expensive boats. There were several "super yachts" alongside the wharves, one of which had its own helicopter. A high pylon like structure in the middle of the port was the anchor point for a cable car. The Transbordador Aeri del Port (Port Cable Car) was built for the 1929 Barcelona Universal Exposition and links the Barceloneta beach to Montjuïc on an adjacent hill overlooking the harbour. The red and white cabins can accommodate 20 people and take 8 minutes per one way trip.
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| Some of the fleet |
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| Old yacht well restored |
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| Super yacht with own helicopter |
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| Main Barcelona beach |
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| Long sweeping beach |
The swimming beaches with their golden sand were popular on a sunny day.
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| The sightseer |
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| Maria, my lovely guide |
Heading back in to the city, I wanted to head to a park on the other side, so asked the lady sitting beside me. However her English was as limited as my Spanish but with the aid of a map, I was able to show here where I was heading. She then roped in a young woman sitting across the aisle from us, who willingly gave me directions on how to get to Park Guell. Maria then got off the bus at my stop just to show me where to catch the next one.
BARCELONA. TRAFFIC
It was interesting watching the traffic. Taxis are all black with yellow doors and boots, and seem to have a different set of road rules to everyone else, being driven aggressively. The dominant means of private transport seems to be Vespas and smaller motor bikes. All of the riders wear good helmets, and their road rules dare them to race the lights, or even ignore them, weaving among crossing pedestrians if they think they can get away with it. Cyclists, many of whom seem to be young 20s to 30s visitors, don't wear helmets, and play Russian roulette with the cars and Vespas etc. Many work vans and trucks but not a lot of private vehicles.
Much safer to catch a bus or the Metro, would be my observation!
PARK GUELL
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| Gaudi's house in park setting- now a museum |
The Park Güell is a public park system composed of gardens and architectural oddities located on Carmel Hill. With urbanization in mind, Eusebi Güell assigned the design of the park to Antoni Gaudí, a renowned architect and the face of Catalan modernism. The park was built between 1900 and 1914 and was officially opened as a public park in 1926. In 1984, UNESCO declared the park a World Heritage Site under "Works of Antoni Gaudí".
Güell and Gaudí conceived this park, situated within a natural park. They imagined an organized grouping of high-quality homes, decked out with all the latest technological advancements to ensure maximum comfort, finished off with an artistic touch.
They also envisioned a community strongly influenced by symbolism, since, in the common elements of the park, they were trying to synthesize many of the political and religious ideals shared by patron and architect: therefore there are noticeable concepts originating from political Catalanism – especially in the entrance stairway where the Catalan countries are represented – and from Catholicism – the Monumento al Calvario, originally designed to be a chapel. The mythological elements are so important: apparently Güell and Gaudí's conception of the park was also inspired by the Temple of Apollo of Delphi.
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| Flamboyant walkway supported by arches |
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| Doric columns viewed from entrance gate |
Park Güell is designed and composed to bring the peace and calm that one would expect from a park. The buildings flanking the entrance, though very original and remarkable with fantastically shaped roofs with unusual pinnacles, fit in well with the use of the park as pleasure gardens and seem relatively inconspicuous in the landscape when one considers the flamboyance of other buildings designed by Gaudí.
I hope that when Masses and other ceremonies are held there, that the congregation is not charged to attend!
It was inspired in the 19th century by a Spaniard named Josep Bocabella. Bocabella had founded a religious organization called the Spiritual Association of Devotees of Saint Joseph, which was campaigning to have a new church erected in Barcelona dedicated to the Holy Family.
Eventually, the association raised enough money to purchase some land and hire an architect named Francisco de Paula del Villar y Lozano. Paula's original plan was to build a Neo-Gothic church, which was a very popular style in the 19th century, whose buildings were based on the magnificent Gothic churches of medieval Europe, characterized by their high levels of decoration and towering spires. The first stone of the new church was laid in 1882, but Paula resigned soon after. In 1883, construction of the Sagrada Familia then fell to another architect: Antoni Gaudí.
He immediately began changing the design of the church. While he was committed to the generally Gothic style, he also felt that this was naturally limited. Medieval Gothic structures relied on large support structures called buttresses, and Gaudí did not want to imitate this. He believed that God's house should be free of bulky supports, yet limitless in its height and grandeur. To resolve this problem, Guadí turned to nature, seeking inspiration in what he saw as God's architecture.
There's a reason the Sagrada Familia today looks almost botanical. Not only are the design motifs largely based on natural and organic forms, but the support structures of the church are actually modeled on the stems of plants. This unique design was stronger, lighter, and allowed for a greater amount of natural light inside the church. Art historians, therefore, identify the Sagrada Familia partly with the neo-Gothic movement, but also with the emerging Art Nouveau of the late 19th century that stressed organic and flowing forms.
You will see in the photos that the exterior is incredibly busy, with a multitude of figures, words (Sanctus features hugely), tableaux and depictions of plants and trees. It would probably take a year to examine them all in detail. I was delighted to find that the interior was light and spacious with stunning stained glass windows. The downstairs crypt could be seen through arched windows at the side of the main altar.
Certainly well worth seeing. Gaudi's imagination had no boundaries!!
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| The striking La Sagrada Familia |
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| Crypt below main altar |
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| Some of the structure |
I went to Mass in the side Chapel of the Holy Sacrament and of the Holy Christ of Lepanto which contains a cross said to date from the time of the Battle of Lepanto in 1571. It also had a very elaborate coffin behind the altar which had a likeness of its
