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Published: September 20th 2013
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Barcelona 11 and 12 September 2013
This was a city I was looking forward to visiting! We arrived at the campsite which was 30 minutes out from the city by bus. We checked in and then walked down the beach, which we parked next to. People were playing soccer and fishing. All the campers were lined up and we always look at the number plates to see where people are from. We spotted one that had a kangaroo stuck over the EU symbol so we decided to knock on their door.
We met Grant and Helena from Adelaide and his sister Sharon from the Gold Coast. We ended up having dinner with them at the campsite restaurant, and had a lovely time. They had bought their camper 3 years ago and stored it in France over the winters. We had lots of travel stories to exchange.
The next morning we all caught to bus into the city and bought tickets for the Hop-on-Hop-off bus. What a great city. The new was mixed with the old throughout the city. We saw the Port and the city beaches. It was a coolish day so not many had ventured down the
beach.
We had lunch at a beautiful restaurant, sampling vegetarian Paella which Barcelona is famous for. We didn’t have any sangria which is the other thing the city is known for as we thought it was too early in the day!!!! We then ‘hit the sights’.
The crème-de-la-crème of historic sites, other than the Olympic Stadium (for the 1992 Olympic Games) is the Sagrada Familia, Europe’s most unconventional church. It is an emblem of a city that likes to think of itself as individualistic. Full of symbolism, inspired by nature and striving for originality, it is the greatest work of Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi. His work is seen throughout the city, but particularly the old area.
After lining up for 45 mins we got our tickets and went in. What a stunning sight! With different coloured lead-light windows, there were different colours thrown on the floor of the cathedral. It was bright and cheerful interior. Skylights also let in natural light.
The Familia became Gaudi’s life work and after he was run over and killed at the age of 74, he was buried in a crypt in the church.
The building was started in the
mid 19
th century and continues today. Eight of the 12 spires, one for each apostle, have been built. Each of the spires is topped with a Venetian mosaic.
The cranes and stone saws were working madly when we were there and some of the structures were covered up to protect them from the building work.
We went up into the tower and captured a magnificent view from the top. We went up in an elevator. There was also a spiral staircase to walk up. One front view of the church is a nativity façade. This is the most completed part of Gaudi’s church, which has doorways representing Faith, Hope, and Charity. In the nave a forest of fluted pillars support 5 galleries above the side isles.
After feeling satisfied we had seen all, we hopped on the bus again and made our way to Parc Guell which is more of Gaudi’s work. Designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, the Parc is Gaudi’s most colourful creation. He was commissioned in the 1890s to design a garden city on 20 hectares. Apparently little of his design became reality and what we saw today was completed between 1910
and 1914. It was built in his design type though.
We also saw Gaudi’s famous Casa Mila “La Pedrera” which has a wav-like facade and a roofscape of chimneys and vents resembling abstract sculptures.
After travelling on the hop-on-hop-off bus a little more, at 7.00pm we decided we were ready to return home which is what we did.
The next morning, after saying goodbye to Grant, Helena and Sharon, and made a few phone calls, we drove back into Barcelona to see some of the sights we didn’t see the day before, including the beach.
We enjoyed Barcelona and I hope you enjoy the photos.
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