Barcelona

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Whoa, Barcelona – who would have thought we could have added to our extreme weather experiences (snow, rain, sleet, sand)? Oh yeah, not just a thunder storm, not just lightning, and not just rain, but oh boy, the works! How weird could it be standing under the shelter (minimal) of a KFC shop opposite the Sagrada Familia Gaudi Temple, with no vision because of a blimmin tree and fog??

Wow, did it rain, and worse, was the distance between the lightning and the thunder instantaneous? Scary, very scary. My golf shoes are ruined, but that is ok, they are old. But we had to wade through ankle deep fast running water. Whoo – ee; pretty interesting stuff.

Then, finally into the temple, and again, whoo – ee – as Davie says, this was expected, but it was so beautiful, so elegant, so unbelievably altogether – nothing like the Disney photos we have seen for ever. What an experience (even coupled with wet feet, sox, shoes, pants and for many of our group, who had no umbrellas – totally soaked). I agree with Davie, it is genius.

We were ok, given our trusty iPhone, we knew it would rain and that a storm was predicted, so we had all the right gear, thank goodness.

Thank goodness again that we paid for a guide. He showed not only how the temple is being constructed, but what the thinking behind it is, and how it will be completed. Very complex thinking for such a simple looking structure. Gorgeous.

The whole Disney impression disappears when the links to nature and the holy trinity are explained, and when one sees the glorious stained glass windows, yes, I can see how that is supposed to represent the light in rainbow form in the forest. Just lovely; so simply, yet so complex.



The rest of the day was pretty ok too – the coach continued its way down to the port, the Olympic village, up the hill for a big view and then, yet another surprise; the Poble Espanyol. This is one of those representative villages we have seen in other places like Bucharest where they had all the little huts and houses, and KL with the different pole houses. This is different though. There are houses and streets representing all the different regions in Spain. All very typical, and they feel very real. They were constructed, like the Eiffel Tower, for a great exhibition in the late 1920s, with a view that they would be demolished once the show was over.

But, like the Tower, the village was so popular it was kept – and it is truly a very interesting and pretty place to visit. Lots of artisans, a big Picasso exhibition plus a lovely sculpture show, plenty of cafes and restaurants, ceramic shops, Lladro vendors, glass blowers et al. It was pretty special with the well-established orange trees, and grape vines. It was really nice, and a good visit. We liked the tapas too; grilled aubergines, slices of roast pork and the ever present croquettes.

Given the storm in the late morning, one could have expected the day to be custard, but no, the weather cleared, the Spanish told us it never rains in Barcelona, and anyway, no-one understands the weather anymore, anyhow! So here we are late in the day, blazing sun, and sadly the downpour did not sluice out all the smells from the drains.

We are now adept enough in Spain to know that we can’t buy grog on a Sunday, so we did our own form of the evening walk with a weather eye out for some Sunday wine. We wandered up to take more photos of the Gaudi Casa Mila in the sun; this was lovely. But we were sad to find the local deli was closed (still Saturday). Never mind, we found a suitable outlet, and then bar hopped down the Ramblas. What a lot of sights to be seen.

Tomorrow we have booked an early trip out to the Montserrat – the full day, rather than the four hour rush job. So we leave early (too early for brekkie and coffee – these here dudes don’t open till after 9 am, and then not many). Should be good and the weather is forecast to be ok. Whew.

So, given the future lack of sustenance, we had an early dinner. Oh man, the food here is simply the best. We went to a little place yesterday, and amongst other tapas dishes, we had octopus – soft, tender, hint of garlic, slices of soft potato and lashings of savoury olive oil. Mmmmmmmmm.

So, back we went to have that again as an entrée, and Davie had a sausage dinner with the most interesting coated haricot beans (garlic, semolina, olive oil) and I had a goats’ cheese salad. And hey Pip, here’s a new angle, the goats’ cheese had honey on the top (nothing new with that) AND it was grilled so it was like the top of a crème caramel pudding. Diiiiiiiiiivine……. With walnuts, bitter salad and tomato. Who needs pudding?

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Photos

Dave captivated by new transport options
Tiny city transport options are offered in a variety of ways, this is probably the smallest we've seen. There are many versions of the two seater mini-Smart car with one passenger behind the first. This model has GPS and is a sort of self guided tour vehicle. Guess who wants one?

Sagrada Familia
My photos cannot do this place any favours. The most amazing photos were its consecration by the last Pope in 2010 - it really looks like a cathedral with the red carpet and candles. But the natural light and the towering pillars are simply amazing.

Inside a gallery - would love these in the garden...
Picasso was also display, no photos though, allowed.

Octopus and grilled goats' cheese salad
Does he look a happy chappie? That octopus is soft, tender and as tasty as anything.