Spanolia and Barcelona - give us your best shot for 3 days!

 Not sure how I was feeling about going to Barcelona after being waited on hand and foot for 10 days, where we had no stress, no worries abut getting to and from excursions, no worry about the language barrier. Getting through Porto airport wasn't too bad considering we were flying to Barcelona with and obscure airlines, which took two hours and no leg room for Dave, no snacks or water at all. We arrived at 8pm in the rain and decided to take a taxi to our hotel.

What a mission! We found the taxi areaOur hotel easily but there was a queue of people lining up in the snakey queue lines, the length of which was at least 300m long. It was amazing because the taxis kept on comming, three lines wide and officials organising who gets in what taxi. The line moved so quickly but I kept saying to Dave they were going to run out of taxis, but they kept on coming! It  took us 10 mins to get a taxi!

Our hotel was in the gothic quarter, basically the old town with cobble stones, narrow streets and little squares everywhere. One of the main tourist roads to the main square and to the sea was 2 mins away.

by the time we got there it was 9,30 - 10pm but Dave went for a walk around to have a look

Sagrada Familia

What a place! Not having done my research but knowing it was on the bucket list I was told by our Aussie friends to book a 'skip the queue' ticket with a quide for a set time, which I did and my god we were so glad I did. There were queues for miles waiting to get in - 7 cruise ships in and all of them were having tours there plus the likes of us.I thought it was a cathedral but actually it is a temple for all religions, even tho the pope conscricated it a while ago!

Our guide was extremely knowledgable and blew me away with understanding what the place was about. It started off as a church and then the architect Guadi took over and completely changed the design. He was all about geometric shapes and using them to support and create. He got rid of the normal inside of the church and made it open and spacious so there are hardly any chairs. He died after being run over by a tram in the 1930's while still young, with only one tower finished. The construction is on going still with tourist fees going towards the construction of the design he had created with models before he died.

On each coloum on the outside are  different sculptures with fruit or birds or animals (nature) on the top. This is my favourite with sun on top. You can see the geometric shapes making up the towers.

This is the entrance which took a while to get though after security etc like an airport. He designed it as an ode to joy - Jesus birth, Mary and Joesph etc. The statues are happy types which made you smile.

The exit was for sadness and had different sculptures of sharp shapes Jesus and the crucifixion scenes.

Jesus tied to a pole with rope

Can you see the cross with jesus on?

Mary crying

Inside was a revelation - an oh my god moment. It was nearly all open up the top of the towers with light every where from stained glass windows. These were especially importatnt as they were on each side of the building aimed at morning sun and afternoon evening sun.

This side was the afternoon,/ setting sun in gold and reds and oranges. They shone through to this area to sook like a sunset coming through with a golden glow.

This side was the morning side and was in colours of blue and green (sea and forest) and shone through in blues.

Can you see the tall columns in the middle? they were to be the trees of the forest but were on a lean with the opening parts at the top to be the branches and canopy of the forest. How on earth did they hold up the high ceilings as there were no beams holding anything up. Apparently it was a puzzle of geometric designs which some NZ designers worked our a couple of years ago!

These are the statues of the birth of Christ at the entrance which were done in a totally diffferent way to the exit.

I just loved this place, was fascinated by the design and artwork which was so quirky.

ps once inside the crowd was not so bad as the space was vast and allowed for looking. It was 27c outside but cool inside.

At the end we went down to the museum to learn more about Gaudi and his way of designing.

HABOUR BOAT RIDE

So 27C and you need to get out on the harbour. The marina was close to our hotel,15 min walk, and a cool place. We went on a catamaran for over hour trip.

Super yachts tied up

 Going past all these cruise ships. It is only the start of the season.

There was a yacht regatta on the harbour with one old yacht out.

Whale sculpture amone buildings on the foreshore

At one end of the harbour are the beaches which looked a bit man made, but full of people on the beach but hardly anyone in the water. Saw  some paddle boarders tho.

Walforf Hotel with amazing views!

this bridge opens up for the cruise ships and super yachts.

This is the marina which has a cool wave bridge that is pedestrian but opens up in two places to allow yachts with masts through. We saw a lot waiting to go out and start a regatta.

This is one of the inflatables with the buoys for the regatta. One fell off and he had to try and get it back on without tipping over.

The yeachts lining up to go

This is our gothic quarter with old buildings and narrow streets. We went for a walk each evening to see what was going on. Lots of buskers and music and food. Very cool.

Our square with our food = pork paella, which you got in a big pan and serves two.

Happy me - paella and sangria!

While we were eating these young guys turned up on electric scooters and were casing the crowd. Dave felt they were a group of pick-pocket types. However they started some music and did brak dancing and acrobatics as in busking! Went round for coins and took off on their scooters to the next square! Great idea.

Shop virtually opposite our hotel. Dave would not go and get some!

This is the La Rambla street by our hotel which is so wide with a main walkway down the middle for the tourists with cafes with umbrellas, stalls, etc all the way down to the main square. It was crowded with people by the afternoon. We walked to the square to get the hop on off bus which took all of the second day.

Quirky building designed by Gaudi - he liked curves!

Lots of old buildings with wrought iron balconies.

For the soccer inclined - Chris?? - we went past (did the full circle) around the Barcelona FC club stadium with lots of merchandise around. Funnily enough Dave was impressed but not willing to go for a tour!

This is the huge train station we are going from to Paris. Even has its own hotel!

Had to happen - bull ring built in 1900 and now not in operation. Oh what a shame!

go

So Barcelona is surrounded by hills and then plains down to the sea. Overlooking the port is de Montijuic. It is called a 'mountain' so the bus goes up and it has the most amazing parks and trees around it. We saw a gonala going up to the lookout which is an old fort that used to guard the port and entrance to the city. So we got out and went up, the views of the city were spectacular and showed how big and spread out it was. Smoggy and hazy as well.

 

The fort/castle at the tope had huge old canons people had climbed over.

You can see the moat and bridge to get inside it.

The next big surprise was this - the 1992 Barcelona olympic stadium built on the side of this rather large hill. The tall thing at the right is where the flame was lit.  Our question was we knew the olympic village was down in the city, how did they get the athletes let alone the crowds up to it?

Back to the marina, they had an old watch tower transformed into a place where gonalas could go through from the hill to the beach going across the city.

This does not look like much but we went past where the next Americas Cup is going to he held and saw Team NZ on a poster and buiildings for the yachts. Great place to hold the race.

LOTS OF OLD BUILDINGS!

the beaches.

So thoughts of Barcelona - over-crowed already with tourists, very expensive, lots of jostling for space.

           - amazing history and well-kept old places. Loved the S. Familia and would love to have gone to Picasso museum and other places. The water front was a favourite of mine to walk along. Lots of huge roundabouts 4 lanes wide around statues in the middle with crazy drivers changing lanes etc! Helpful people willing to speak English to avoid frustration. Lovely weather but would hate it in summer with the heat and the crowds. Our time of the year was good.