Paella, Procession, and the Prado

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June 6th 2008

Published: August 22nd 2008

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Andy and Christine

Sagrada Familia, Barcelona

Exterior of beautiful stained glass

On the train to Barcelona on May. 13, we could feel the excitement building, knowing that we were on our way to Spain. Among other things, we were looking forward to conversing with people again, since our Spanish is much better than our French. Our train stopped and we realized that we had crossed into Spain without noticing, and had to change trains en route to Barcelona. The train transfer had a bit of a layover, so we wandered, noticing that all the French signs had been replaced with Spanish.

We started chatting with a guy who had been on the train from Avignon, and this is how we met Randy. He was a fellow traveller, from Cleveland, who had just hiked his way around southern France and was also on his way to Barcelona. He asked, and we joined him for a quick lunch while we waited for the train. After lunch, we climbed onto the next train together, eventually arriving after a long eight hour journey, in Barcelona.

The three of us decided to walk to the hotel area, even though we were exhausted after the long train ride. Unfortunately, our destination was pretty far from the

Sagrada Familia, Barcelona

The front of Gaudi's massive structure

station, and it was already night. We found a hotel down a side street, and after a bit of bargaining, secured rooms for both us and Randy. We agreed to meet up shortly and continue our conversation over dinner.

We found a little restaurant down the main street of La Rambla, and there we enjoyed our first Spanish paella, a rice dish cooked with saffron, usually containing meat or seafood, tomatoes, peppers, onions, peas, and sometimes mixed with squid ink. We washed down the tasty dish with a couple of really big beers, a perfect combo. We arrived back at our hotel, buzzed and ready to go to bed. We planned to meet Randy for breakfast the following morning.

The next day, we met with our pal, and had a huge English breakfast at a pub nearby. It was great to devour a big greasy breakfast for the first time in a long while, quite the change from the usual coffee and bread or croissant. Then we all set off to explore.

First we walked down Barcelona's famous street, La Rambla, which was a crazy, busy place. The centre of the boulevard was made for walking and

Barcelona

Christine and Randy enjoying two fat beers

gawking. Cafes lined the sides, and the area of the bird market was filled with stands selling live chickens, ducks, and doves. The area known as the flower market was filled with colourful bouquets, and then tacky souvenirs filled the gaps.

One of the main attractions was the street performers. Groups would gather around and watch these performers, then drop well deserved change into their tip jars. The costumes they wore were very elaborate, colourful, and well designed. We saw everything from a dragon, to a goblin, to a man painted all white, sitting on a toilet while holding a newspaper, with a nervous look on his face.

Barcelona is filled with some fascinating and bizarre buildings. Many of these are the creations of Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926), modernisme's adventurous, creative and most famous architect. One of our first stops in Barcelona was a walking tour to see Gaudi's most famous structure, a must on any itinerary to Barcelona, the Sagrada Familia (or Holy Family).

The three of us strolled the streets, taking in some of the great scenery. We passed Casa Batllo and Casa Mila, some of Gaudi's other creations, along the way. Some more walking, then

Sagrada Familia, Barcelona

Star Wars? No, just figures on the church!

there it was towering ahead, the Sagrada Familia, one of the most incredible sights of Barcelona and maybe even all of Spain. We sat in the nearby park for a bit, just looking up at it and wondering if it was really there, or a figment of our imaginations. It really was strange looking.

Construction began in 1882, and the current estimate is that it will be completed by 2026, well over one hundred and thirty years later! Most of Gaudi's designs were burned after his death, so the work continues based on the architects' interpretation and research. Eventually there will be eighteen towers representing the twelve apostles, four evangelists, Mary, and the tallest of the towers, none other than Jesus himself.

Finally we entered the structure, admiring the colourful, abstract stained glass, the lofty branching pillars, and the detailed sculptures. We eventually took an elevator to the top. Gazing out from the top, we were impressed by the incredible views, then walked the maze of winding staircases down. Each corner presented us with a different angle of the church and the city beyond. We had our fill, saying that we should return to see the masterpiece when

Sagrada Familia, Barcelona

Colourful stained glass

it's finally completed.

We three did loads of walking around all day, with few breaks in between. That evening, we went out for some tapas, which are little bite-sized, Spanish appetizers, often made of meat or seafood, and a few more large, cold beverages. We were having a great time touring around and chatting with Randy, and so agreed to meet up again in the morning.

After another filling breakfast, we set off to see another of Gaudi's creations, Parc Guell. We took a metro ride and walked around the corner to see the largest outdoor escalator we'd ever imagined, ready to take people to the top. Unfortunately, it was busted, so we had to walk up the many, many steps to the top. But hey, a little exercise never hurt anyone.

The park was full of bright, colorful mosaics, winding stone pathways and fantastic views of the city. It was packed with tourists flashing photos, families out for a picnic, and couples out for a stroll. Again, we walked our legs off, then later headed back into the city.

Another huge walking tour day that we had with Randy included heading towards the Parc de

Sagrada Familia, Barcelona

Huge branching pillars inside

la Ciutadella. Leaving from La Rambla, we passed interesting neighbourhoods, and eventually reached Spain's version of the Arc, known as the 'Arc de Triomf'. We took some funny photos, then continued on to the Parc, which is the former sight of a huge fort that used to loom over the city. There we just kicked back, relaxed and enjoyed the green space, an escape from the busy city. To keep it interesting, we later treated ourselves to a Chinese buffet. It doesn't matter where you are in the world, you can always find some great Chinese food somewhere.

Our time in Barcelona came to an end, and Randy generously treated us to a delicious Indian dinner. It had been perfect timing running into him, and he was great company. It was nice to hang out with someone other than just ourselves for a few days, and thanks to his good humour, we had pretty much forgotten about our stolen bag and gotten on with enjoying our trip. So we sadly said our good-byes, hoping that we would see him again somewhere, someday. We continued on our way to the birthplace of paella, and the home of the Holy Grail,

Sagrada Familia, Barcelona

Andy in front of religious figures, carved to perfection

the city of Valencia.

We made it to Valencia painlessly, after a relaxing train trip along the coast, and set off to find a room in Spain's third largest city. We got caught in a bit of a downpour, but after hiding under someone's awning for a while, we eventually found a good, cheap room. We relaxed indoors for a bit, and once the rain had passed, decided to venture out to see what was happening outside.

Lucky for us we had perfect timing! We stepped out of the hotel to having front row views of a huge sort of parade. Crowds of people watched as others, wearing great traditional dress, walked down the street in groups. The people cheered and applauded. It was an amazing sight.

Then out of nowhere, a huge religious statue came around the corner, and was carried down the street on men's shoulders. Incense burned and people threw rose petals from their balconies. Everyone was happy and excited. We were thrilled by the noise and colour, but had no idea of the meaning. It wasn't until later that we found out that the statue is 'Nuestra Senora de los Desamparados' which translates

Sagrada Familia, Barcelona

Family of chickens!

as 'Our Lady of the Forsaken'. She is the official patron saint of the city, and the protector of the homeless and the mentally ill. This was the yearly procession, during which she is moved from one church to another. We were very lucky to have caught such a sight.

Once the crowds had died down, we wandered down the streets and went into the Mercado Central. This is a great market, filled with meats, including jamón serrano, Spanish dry-cured legs of ham, hanging sausages, many types of fish, cheeses, and mountains of fresh produce. It was too bad we didn't have a kitchen to cook in, or we could have had an amazing feast. There was an area outside the market where one could taste the many different types of food on offer, as well as a large clothing and shoe section nearby.

One thing we had to see in Valencia was the Cathedral, built in an interesting mix of Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque and Renaissance styles. It is also home to what is believed to be the true Holy Grail! We thought that this sounded strange, but it is apparently recognized even by the Vatican as the

Sagrada Familia, Barcelona

View from the top

actual chalice that Christ drank from during the Last Supper.

The Cathedral's interior was interesting and ornate, the museum was filled with rich relics and art, and we gazed in awe at the stone cup of Christ. One of the chapels even contained two fantastic and dark paintings by the Spanish artist Goya. But the final treat was climbing over two hundred steps to see the view from the Micalet bell tower.

We watched as huge, dark storm clouds rolled in from a distance, and listened to the sound of thunder. By the time we made our way down and walked outside, the skies had opened up, dumping a massive amount of rain on everyone below. Tourists and vendors ran everywhere, trying to retreat into doorways or got soaking wet in a matter of seconds.

We had a fun, albeit soggy, time in Valencia, but we were now excited to be on our way to Madrid, the lively capital of Spain. We were looking forward to seeing the sights, as well as some familiar faces. There we would meet Christine's sister Melanie, as well as her friend Kim, and Kim's boyfriend, Brian.

We opted for the

Case Batllo, Barcelona

Strange and colourful structure

cheaper regional train to Madrid, which would take around six hours. We would still get there reasonably early though, since we left Valencia in the morning. The scenery during the ride from the coast, inland to Madrid, was incredible. The earth was a rich ochre colour, cliffs rose over us, then valleys opened under the tracks as we chugged slowly through tunnels and over bridges. But before we knew it, there we were, in the biggest city in Spain, with a population over three million.

We first checked out a hotel near the station that was even too scary for our liking. The second one that we looked at was much better, so we pulled out a little bit of our rusty Spanish, and snagged it for a couple nights. Now all we had to do was meet with our sis and pals.

A few hours later, the two of us headed over to the train station, conveniently just minutes from our hotel. There they were, people we actually knew! Hugs were exchanged, and we realized that it had been a while. The last familiar faces we had seen since leaving home were our friends in Australia, almost

Parc Guell, Barcelona

Randy and Andy with odd, yet interesting pillars

six months before. We walked with them to a nearby hotel, then went out for some dinner, a couple drinks and some good chatting.

The next morning, after a delicious breakfast, all five of us went to Spain's most famous museum, the Museo Nacional del Prado. It contains one of the finest collections of art in the world. We had expected a huge line when we arrived there, but we basically walked right in, bought our tickets, got out the paper map they had given us, and set out to explore.

The Prado is famed for it's collection of both Spanish and European art. The great Spanish art pieces featured there include works by Velazquez, Goya, Murillo and Ribera. Other great European masters were represented, such as painters Bosch, Titian, Rubens, Raphael, Botticelli, Caravaggio, Dürer, Rembrandt, Veronese, Fra Angelico, Van der Weyden and El Greco. Some major heavy weights of the best European art. We walked around for over five hours, trying to absorb the many masterpieces. By the time we left to go get some dinner and drinks, we were pretty saturated with art!

Our next days itinerary included eating breakfast, then checking out another museum

Parc Guell, Barcelona

Visitors relaxing at this one unique park!

called the Centro de Arte Reina Sofia. Yes, more art, but this time the style was mostly Spanish and modern. The museum's most famous piece is Picasso's 'Guernica', a massive canvas, inspired by the Nazi German bombing of the Basque town of Guernica. Works by Gris, Miro, and Salvador Dali are other highlights that are placed throughout the interesting, though often bizarre, collection. Again, we spent most of the day admiring the pieces in this fabulous building, then went out for dinner.

Our last day for the five of us together came too quickly. We decided to visit the Palacio Real, the rich palace of the royal family. On our way, we passed through the Plaza Mayor, a huge open square lined with restaurant patios and gorgeous old buildings. Then on to the palace. Built in the eighteenth century, we had the pleasure of visiting fifty of the 2800 richly decorated and furnished baroque rooms!

There were great tapestries, among the best we've seen, next to those in the Vatican museum, as well as crazy chandeliers, royal and expensive. Then the Royal Armoury, where there were rooms full of mannequins of men and horses in full battle armour,

Barcelona

Us and Randy on our last night in the city

brandishing deadly weapons. It really made us feel what the battle fields may have looked like. In all, a disgustingly, but admirably wealthy, and opulent palace.

That night, the five of us went out for tapas and drinks at one of the local watering holes. Every drink we ordered would arrive at our table, accompanied by a free and delicious different tapa. What a great system! We laughed, chatted, shared stories, and after a few hours of that, we were pretty full and pretty intoxicated. Somehow we found our way back to the hotels, and dove into bed. The next day was brutal but hey, we're on vacation! The following evening, we said our good-byes as Mel, Kim and Brian jumped in a cab to the airport. We were sad to see them go, as we had shared lots of good times and laughs with them.

Our last day in Madrid had come. We decided to see the last of the three major art museums and checked out the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, full of international masterpieces. The collection was previously owned by a German-Hungarian family, and was purchased by Spain in 1993 for a mere $300 million US. But

Valencia

Beautiful dresses worn for the procession

what a collection, everything from medieval to contemporary, and all the great artists of that span were represented.

Once we had finished there, we continued on to La Caixa, an exhibition forum which was hosting free exhibitions. First we saw the hall that featured the art of Alphons Mucha, a Czech Art Nouveau painter, who had created posters for actress Sarah Bernhardt. The second exhibit was art from Florence's Uffizi Gallery, and contained some pieces that we had missed in Italy, since they were obviously on tour. A highlight was a great Botticelli painting of the Virgin and Jesus.

Our visit of Madrid was complete, we were fully saturated with art, beer and tapas, and the music and hum of the busy city. Our travels so far in Spain had been fantastic, and we had spent time with lots of great company. The next morning we would be going down south, to enjoy the splendor of Andalusia.

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