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Published: September 8th 2007
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House of Bones
We'll be back to visit later. We started the day with another tour of the city sights - which was a bit annoying, as we had already paid for one the night before, that took in much of the same monuments. Some of our group were not happy. Still, it allowed us to get dropped off by the bus right in the middle of town, close the metro station.
With directions on how to get to Parc Guell, where there are 14 acres of Gaudi’s vision. We got off the subway, and headed up the escalator strewn hill - although one of the steepest sections required leg work alone - and puffing, we finally made it to the top!
The park is amazing, and although much of it is just flora (with some very cool engraved cacti) we were interested in the Mosaics and buildings. Walking out on to the main are is breathtaking - it is sweeping views of the city, and the mosaic seats are beautiful. You can also see two of Gaudi’s smaller buildings, which look like something out of a fairytale. There were heaps of jewellery sellers, so I score a blue necklace, before we headed up to the level above;
a series of cavern like paths.
The pillars often lean scarily to the side, and you feel as though you are inside a whale’s skeleton. Izzy was keen to head all the way to the top, and the views were worth it, but I was definitely happy when we made the descent back down, to the more modern columns, and the famous lizard fountain. This was covered with tourists, so we decided to get snapped with an interesting busker instead.
From here, it was an easy 1500m walk down hill, to the metro, and on to the House of Bones, another of Gaudi’s famous landmarks. We had driven past the house in the morning tour, which as the name describes, looks like it is held up by giant bones, so we were both looking forward to seeing the inside.
Thankfully, the queue was short, and you were allowed to take as many photos as you wanted, so we entered into the house. The walls look like fish scales, and water was definitely a big influence in the design. There are so many curved surfaces, beautiful lead light windows, and colourful tiles. You are able to wander through
a large section of the house, as it is still a private residence. The outdoor courtyard was full of mosaics, and the indoor courtyard was made from two open air sections that were filled with light from the skylight above (a very modern idea for the times). The walls of this section are covered with blue tiles, and you can look out on it from all six floors.
On the roof, there are more interesting features, including colourful chimney stacks and a small water room, that shimmers when the door is closed. We also got to descend via the washrooms, with cave like ceilings, to the ground floor. It is impossible to describe the most beautiful house I have ever stepped foot in - so luckily we bought the book.
Another train took us down to pick-pocket central - a section of street known as the Ramblers. This is because the tourists seem to ramble along slowly, while they look at the many buskers, and attention diverted, the pick-pockets strike. At least, that’s the legend. We didn’t see any shady characters here, but still kept a firm grip on the bag. A quick loop of the nearby fresh
food stalls was very interesting - one stall had bags of dried crickets, cans of worms and whole scorpions in small bottles of vodka - PASS!
The fish and fruit stalls were much more appealing, but we settled on Burger King before catching the Metro back to our hotel, and snoozing for a few hours. You become quite tired on these tours, as there aren’t ANY rest days - it’s just go, go, go. But in terms of seeing Europe, it has been fabulous. The night we had was no exception.
Our optional extra was a Tapas Dinner with a live Flamenco show. The food was glorious, and there was so much of it…Paella, Proscuitto, and dessert galore. With bellies full, we took our Sangria (the most potent drink in the world) and found some seats to watch the show.
The performers were amazing, and all are well known in the Flamenco world. The singing and dancing told a story, and although it appears to be fairly unrehearsed, they all seem to keep perfect time. The accompanying clapping of the singers, merely adds to the effect of the fast footwork…these people put tap dancers to shame! Everyone
had a wonderful night, and to top it off, we had a few more Sangria’s back at the hotel.
The blend here was POTENT, and I only managed one glass, plus a Daiquiri. Iz however, guzzled quite a few, and was pretty smashed by the time we got upstairs…which meant he annoyed me for the next hour (I even got some of his ramblings on video.) Flamenco may not be the best thing for men to watch before heading to bed (along with too much Sangria)! Gracious Trafalgar!
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