Category Archives: Spain

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Barcelona Wrap-Up!

We had a fabulous time in Barcelona and managed to pack quite a lot of sights into five days. We spent the last day moving to the hotel Room Mate Anna which is one in the Room Mate chain. We will definitely check out others in cities we visit.

Last images of the Gaudi designed house near our hotel.

We enjoyed a leisurely Sunday lunch with locals in a small cafe – so much fun seeing large family gatherings and hearing all the chatter that goes on! We added a little culture to our last evening in town and bought tickets online to see Opera y Flamenco at the famed Palau de la Musica Catalana. Our tour of Gaudi and Modernism took us by the theater earlier in the week and Andrei told us how beautiful the interior is. It truly is an art-deco masterpiece. The music and dancing was spectacular and with our front row seats we could see all the foot movements! Photography and videography was not allowed, so I found a link on youtube.

stained glass reverse cupola allowing natural light in theater

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Sagrada Familia

The story of Anoni Gaudi and Sagrada Familia is fascinating. An architect was hired to plan a church on this site, but resigned after just a few years. In 1883 Gaudi was hired and was able to infuse enough donations to redesign the building to his liking.

Gaudi poured his life into this project and he definitely gained his inspiration from nature. A deeply religious man, he made plans and plaster models (which he then photographed) of every aspect of the building. Wherever you look throughout the building there is evidence of nature – the columns representing trees, the light filtering through from above, the honeycomb shapes, and designs from geodes, leaves, flowers and any other natural thing. He knew, from conception, that he would not live to see the completion, and his life was cut short in an accident at the age of 74 in 1926. Therefore, the completion date of 2026 is to commemorate the centenary of his death.

It remains, to this day, a controversial edifice but architects and sculptors continue to put their stamp on this amazing design.

This is how it looked when I was last here in 1973:

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Gaudi and Modernism

We started off in the morning with a metro trip out to see the gurkin tower of Barcelona – Torre Agbar – which has some good reflections of buildings near by. We also came across an incredible market with miscellaneous goods on the top floor and a massive flea market below! Wow!

“Gaudi and Modernism” is the name of the Free Walking tour we took this afternoon, and as it turns out we spent much of the morning also strolling/walking the streets of the “modern” Barcelona – that is the planned section constructed at the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries. We learned today that the area was divided into equally sized plots or “mazanas” (I think 180 meters square) on which plain multi-storey villas were constructed. Each family then decorated the facade to their liking which often meant adding design or sculptures representing their business or their achievements.

From our arrival we have noticed how the buildings at the corners of the intersections or plazas are angled into the squares – they have 45 degree angles instead of 90 – providing much more light and space to the area. Evidently this was something that was planned, here in Barcelona, during the modernist times at the desire of the inhabitants.

Gaudi has, of course, had a huge influence on the city from sidewalk paving stones to houses commissioned throughout the city to the Basilica Sagrada Familia which, as we all know, remains unfinished to this day – 90 years after his death. The plan is for it to be completed by 2026, but I would say that is an optimistic goal. Evidently, in order to complete the entrance – according to his plans – it would require the closure of the street and the apartment building across the street would need to be demolished! The highest and largest tower is yet to be built and is designed to be 172.5 meters high. Cranes are still surrounding the constructions site and the area that I remember from 1972 is now in need of restoration!

It was a good day for being out on the streets and we clocked 18,842 steps/8.59 miles.

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For foodies and market lovers

Today is a drizzly, rainy day in Barcelona and the perfect day to visit some of the fabulous markets! We spent several hours wandering the aisles of  La Boqueria – or officially – Mercat de Sant Josep de La Boqueria! This huge public market is on the records back to 1217, and it still stands today as a huge market hub.

Don’t I wish I could shop here regularly!!!!

An extensive array of seafood…

Vibrant and fresh fruit and vegetables ..

Wonderful breads, meats, spices, legumes, gelato – anything your heart desires ..

 

 

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Barcelona

 

It’s been about 45 years! (How can that be?) since my friend and I hitch-hiked through France to Barcelona. My main memories from that trip are La Rambla and sangria! I remember the lovely shady pedestrian avenue with cafes and benches – and in particular, the bird cages with peoples’ birds tweeting and twirping and enjoying being outdoors. Today La Rambla is paved and there are no benches and no canaries! It is still fun to stroll, stop, and sit at a cafe and sip on a sangria and watch the people pass by, but I miss the old Rambla!

We took another of our beloved Free Walking Tours this morning, and Mitch, our guide – a Canadian from Saskatchewan – took us through the Gothic Quarter and we ended up at the waterfront. We started at the beautiful Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia and, once again, he shared much of the history of Barcelona from the time of the Romans until the Spanish Civil War. We visited many interesting buildings and squares and heard some great stories – some true and some more folklore than fact!

We had an absolutely delicious tapas evening meal at Bodega Biarritz and then another stroll through plazas and pedestrian streets.

 

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Valencia

So glad we made the short stop-over in Valencia, and our apartment was situated within walking distance of most of the highlights which made it especially nice.


We took the three-hour free walking tour with Elena as our guide. Once again we were given so much anecdotal information as well as history. These tours are the best!

We started at Plaza de Virgen – behind the cathedral – and witnessed the end of the Fire Festival,  heralding the start of Spring, where the Virgen statue was totally covered in flowers. Had we known about the Fire Festival (Fallas Festival), we should have arrived a couple of days earlier and experienced the bonfires and celebrations in plazas throughout the city!


As we all know, Valencia is famous for its oranges, and Elena told us about the popular beverage Agua de Valencia which, of course, we had to sample.

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The main market building was one of the striking buildings we saw with a beautiful central dome, lots of lovely ceramic tiles, and leaded windows. One of them displaying the Valencia coat of arms with the two-Ls (given by King James when Valencia twice showed loyalty to his reign, and the bat which is part of Valencia’s lore.