Wanting to skip the line to see Sagrada Familia, we took in a city tour which allowed one to do just that & it provided us with a few other city attractions as well. Starting with a panaramic city view from Montjuic, we were given some recounting of the history of this Catalonian capital
In the distant hilltop sits Tibidabo, the tallest mountain of the region. At its summit, the Catholic church, Templo del Sagrado Corazon, is lite brightly at night as I was able to observe prior to sleep from our hotel balcony window
We gained some perspective on the Catalonia region of Spain.. in fact, although it is a very prominent territory, there are in fact 50 provinces in the country of Spain each with its own capital. Catalonia comprises of four provinces including Tarragona. Barcelona, or founding name 'Barci' had seen conquerors from Iberia, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, then Visigoths and Muslims / Moorish. Surprisingly, in recent history, Spain was able to remain neutral, although being a fascist state at the time under Franco, the Pyrenees mountain range insulated the country in a sense thus they were not drawn into WWII like the rest of Europe.
Catalonia culture is distinct with it's own language and culture & cuisine ( ie, fideuas instead of paella). They were the first region, other than the canary islands to ban bullfighting in Spain.
Our tour guide took us to another Mercat - Santa Caterina food market under a bright undulating roof to sample local produce... we just got some much needed coffee to go...
Outside the Barcelona Cathedral with our coffee..now its ok to start the tour...lol
Gothic Quarters
more than 2000 years old -- the Temple of Augustus -- pretty amazing that these ancient pillars were simply part of someone's living quarters before excavations began
Driving by Casa Batllo
It must be said that for us, Sagrada Familia was the highlight in terms of attractions in Barcelona. As churchs go, it is as breathtaking, creative, elaborate but more original & avant-guard than most. Although not slated to be completed until 2041, its construction and design is already quite extensive, one can easily spend most of the day taking in both the exterior and interior architectural, engineering, and art nouveau elements.
Here, as observed in the earlier sites we toured are evidences of the Gaudi's unique signature. It appears that Gaudi took the cue from the natural world of his childhood and employed a style which infuses in its contruct, an architectural or design template evoking nature in terms of shapes and forms found in living organisms. The church arches itself resemble tree roots. But if one observes closely, there are curved leaf like shapes, honeycomb hexagons, conical, ellipses, parabolas, hyperboloid in the vaults, naves and columns, etc.
Our true appreciation of the church came actually from its interior. There is a lightness, an airy feeling as you enter it. Both the colors and deliberate use of natural light combined with expressively whimsical touches here and there makes this a most inviting space to hear perhaps a chorus or a hymn being sung...
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Aboard The Crystal Serenity
By 4pm it was time to get back to our hotel for a transfer to the cruiseship to embark on a 10 day cruise around spain/portugal and france...sad to checkout so soon as it seemed we just got initiated in our exploration of Barcelona. Gracies ..adeu fina un'altra ...
Lobby of Crystal Serenity
Dockside views from port of Barcelona
Day 3 : Cartagena, Spain
Land Ahoy!! This must be Cartagena, not of Columbia but the original Iberian port city since the second century BC
The Roman Theater dates back to late first century BC - only unearthed in 1990s.
We arrived at the scenic viewpoint on top of Parque de Torres via Byzantine Rampart to Castillo de la Concepcion which offers up 260 degree view of the harbor
Peacocks sounded like meowing cats
An old timer travelling with his best friend?
Visiting the historic Puni Wall of ~1100 AD for some historic perspective ( Phoenicians, Greeks & Carthaginian, Roman, Moorish all had footprints here). City of Cartagena was founded by Hasdrubal, brother of Hannibal, during the wars between Carthage and Ancient Roman Republic. Silver mining and commercial & naval ports were most notable then but now it's main industry is oil refinery. The crypt was built by Guild of St. Joseph ( brotherhood of artisans & carpenters )
Cartagena City Hall
