Barcelona - Beginning of Cruise

We were in Barcelona for a couple of days prior to the cruise and took a one day tour and also walked around on our own.

As in most of Europe, parts of the city are ancient, with layers of reconstruction after various natural disasters and wars. When we did our homework with Google Earth to see where our hotel was, and so on, we noticed a unique feature of the layout of Barcelona. In the mid-19th Century urban planning they used a strict grid pattern. In the photos you will see that all the blocks are square and the buildings at the intersections are cutoff at an angle. This intrigued us and as we got there not only did we notice the strict grid pattern but that all the buildings are the same height. These photos are shown here with other generic views around Barcelona. Another thing we noticed of Barcelona is its cleanliness. It turns out that prior to the 1992 Olympics all of these buildings, which were black and rusty, were cleaned up and now it looks immaculate. The other noteworthy side issue is the importance of Christopher Columbus to Barcelona. When he returned from his first voyage to America he returned to an island off the Atlantic Coast only to be told the King of Spain was in Barcelona. So Columbus took his boats and all the goods on the boats through the Straights of Gibraltar and into Barcelona where he managed to get funding for his next journey.

A place of particular interest to Nancy was the church Santa Maria del Mar, a church built by the Barcelona Mariners in honor of the Virgin Mary. It was close to our hotel so we walked down to see it. For Nancy it was fascinating because of a book she had read. Unfortunately Walt read the book during the cruise but still, seeing it now made the book very interesting. The book, entitled "Cathedral of the Sea" written by Ildefonso Falcones, gives a snapshot of the history of this area in the 14th Century and is an excellent read. Photos of Santa Maria del Mar can be seen here.

Our formal tour began with a walk through what is known as the Roman City since some of the structures date back to that period, but also includes a lot of Gothic structures of the 14th and 15th Centuries. Of interest here was the main Cathedral of Barcelona, the Jewish Quarters of the 14th and 15th Centuries and the King of Spain's residence where Christopher Columbus came to request additional funds. Photos of this area are shown here.

For the International Exposition of 1929, Barcelona constructed an entire village to show the different architectures throughout all parts of Spain. The village is all facades with empty buildings except for the first floors that have shops and restaurants. The village, Poble Espanyol, is on Montjuic which also is the location of the Stadiums of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Here are a couple of photos of the Poble Espanyol. By the way, our Spanish did little to help us in Barcelona; first of all, we speak Mexican Spanish, not Spain Spanish, and secondly, in Barcelona they speak Catalan. Barcelonians are very proud to point out that they are part of Catalonia. It took us a little while to figure out why we couldn't read the signs....

By far the most interesting aspect of Barcelona was Gaudi's architecture. Without question it is unique. One of his driving factors was to design everything as close to nature as possible, resulting in many interesting architectural features. There are several buildings throughout Barcelona that have his architectural stamp. But of high interest was his Park Güell. Here are various photos of some of Gaudi's work.

Although the buildings we have just shown are very interesting, the one outstanding architectural building associated with Gaudi is El Templo de Sagrada Familia or the Temple of the Sacred Family. Currently it is listed as a temple. Sometime this year the Pope is coming to bless it and it will become cathedral. It is a building dedicated to the Sacred Family, in other words, Jesus, His family and His disciples. Architectural drawings were started sometime prior to 1853. Because of some conflicts with the architect, Gaudi asked to take over the design in 1853. So the building has been under construction for some 125 years. The current architect continues to use some of Guadi's original drawings. It is being built totally through donations. Here are photos of some of the significant features. To show all the intricate details would require significantly more photos. Look on the internet if you are interested in more.

Our last day in Barcelona was Palm Sunday and we didn't need to board the ship until later in the afternoon. So we decided to take a walking tour of La Rambla , a wide avenue with pedestrian traffic in the middle and vehicle traffic in lateral lanes on either side. We didn't know what to expect but needless to say, it was interesting. First of all we witnessed a parade representing Jesus entering into Jerusalem. We were under the impression that this was a joyous occasion. However, here is a video of the parade showing how somber it was. But what was most fascinating in La Rambla were the living statues - people who used makeup and elaborate costume to appear like sculptures. They would sit or stand frozen all the time unless you put money in the buckets they had in front of them Then they would perform in some manner. Here are pictures we took as we strolled along La Rambla.

Finally we had to say goodbye to Barcelona but only for twelve days as we were returning again. Here are a couple of goodbye photos.

Next installment will be Rome.