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Published: September 27th 2015
Folk Dancers from Roumanian
There were groups from around the world17 September 2015, Thursday to 25 September 2015, Friday.
Friday 17 September, is a relaxing day. We walk through Leon's old town and go to the Basilica de San Isidoro and museum before heading back to Hotel Luis de Leon for our bags and a taxi to the airport. The taxi arrives at 1530 and it is a 15 minute, 18 euro fare, ride to the airport. When we arrive the Iberia, Air Nostrum ticket counter is closed. So we wait in line and in a few moments a young lady comes to check us in and tag our hand luggage as it is checked as you get on the plane and picked up on a cart as you get off. Security is closed so we wait outside and are annoyed by a VERY loud cell phone talker more than 40 feet away. We are to board at 1645 for our 1715 departure. At 1645 security opens and we go through the routine of belts off, computers, liquids out of bags and screening. Once through one must pickup all the boxes of stuff out of pockets and bags and carry to another table to reorganize yourself. Well we all get
La Pedrera
Gaudi designed home, commercial and apartment building through and on the plane and are off right on time. And, who is across the aisle from us? yes, the man still talking loudly on his cell phone!
We arrive in Barcelona at 1830 and go through all the duty free shops on our way to exit. Passing a food court we decide it will be a good idea to eat now. It was! The taxi queue was long and like in Las Vegas a person is telling everyone which cab to get into. We have a lady driver, very good and also cautious, who makes the trip to our AirBnB apartment in 40 minutes in the heavy traffic. When we arrive it is about 2000 and Kim, our host, is a little concerned that we are lost. She had only sent details on how to get to her place the day before and I did not actually get to read it until this morning - to late to print or do anything with it.
18 September 2015, Friday. Kim has provided us with a wealth of details and websites. We download the agenda for La Merce' and see that opening ceremonies and Sardana dancing are this
Chimneys and airducts on La Pedrera
Gaudi saw roofs as ugly and added artistic style as well as function evening. We sleep in and go to the coffee shop beside the apartment only to learn they only have coffee and bread, not eggs or vegetables. But the nice man tells us where to go for breakfast. It is a cafeteria on Craywinckel street just a couple of blocks away. (how is that for a good Catalonia name!)
Armed with breakfast we are ready to try our hand at getting a 10 ride Metro ticket at the station just two blocks down the hill. (yes, Marta, it is a steep climb at the end of a long day.) Mike and Marta Hurwitz, our frequent travel friends from Sun City Anthem, stayed with Kim during La Merce' last year. We have decided to go to Monserrat tomorrow and take the Metro to Plaza Espanya where the train leaves for Monserrat. This is a dry run to make sure we know how to do this at 0730 tomorrow. This complete we explore the area and walk by beautiful malls and fountains to the Museum of Art. We then try to find the Metro station near the Museo Joan Miro. Ah, we are reading the map incorrectly and it is a bus
Hospital San Pau
This is the entrance gate and administrative building.
Domenech i Montaner the architect not a metro stop. So we have a longer walk to the Parc de Sants Montjuic incline rail that connects to the Metro line L3 we need to take to get to the La Merce' opening events at the Cathedral and City Hall.
We watch a spontaneous group start the Sardana dances in front of the Cathedral then move to the Plaza Jaume, location of city hall, to watch the giants parade in and the other dragons and beasts do their dances. The place is elbow to elbow and belly button to belly button crowded with people. A cute couple with two young boys is beside us. One boy does not like the rockets and keeps his hands over his head. The other younger boy is really into it and wants to be on his mom's shoulders to see everything. The costumes and monsters are great to see. The spirit of Catalonia is present as is the tension of the coming elections on the 27th, on a referendum to become a separate, free country and not part of Spain. Much like the issue with Scotland last year deciding not to leave the UK.
19 September 2015, Saturday
Hopital San Pau
More of the individual building on the campus Today we elected to get up early and go to Montserrat. Our trial run yesterday made the subway to train part easy. A young person at the station helped me buy the full event ticket that included all the inclines, cable car, train ticket, museum and lunch. This was 92 euro for the two of us and we think a very good value. We were at Plaza Espanya before 0800 and the ticket office did not open until after 8. We found out later that the ticket office would not sell the cable car to Montserrat only the rack railway. The cable car saved more than 35 minutes of travel. The travel time to the train stop for the cable car is a little over an hour ride and the cable car 5 minutes.
Montserrat information office told us where to get in line to see the Black Madonna in the Basilica so that was the first place we headed. It was about an hour waiting in line to get in and see the passages, chapels and less than 15 seconds to view the Madonna. Next stop was for something to eat as we had only some avocado and
The Music Hall
Domenech i Montaner's masterpiece. Beautiful and great acoustics tomato for breakfast before catching the metro. We got our guide book and rented the audio. After some food and coffee we visited the library with the audio-visual presentation and the full description of the work of the 80 Franciscan monks and the internationally known boys choir. This is a very old place dating back more than 1000 years but the millennium celebration is set for 2025.
The hiking trails after the incline railways are good with lots of great art on the way to the Sant Cavo where the shepherds first saw the Black Madonna in the cave. This is more than a mile of down and up hill the last part quite steep. The second incline to the top of the mountain and the Chapel of Sant Joan is a much longer ride but also some fairly steep climbs.
Our visit to the basilica itself was prevented by a wedding and no visitation. Our glimpse was only what we saw in the line going to the Madonna. It is definitely worth a return trip just for the scenery and majesty of the place.
A little more of our agenda in brief:
20 September 2015,
Dome of the Music Hall
One or more concerts are held here every day of the year plus the tours like we went on. Sunday
Notes for the day.
See some of the stick dance drum and fife groups on La Rambla during coffee and croissant.
See human towers at Placa Jaimu
See Folk dances at the Mar near Plaza Colon statue
Music also near cathedral
Watch kids fire run up Via Laiesana
21 September 2015
Tickets to Parc Guell and Familia Sagradia
lots of walking.
22 September 2015, Tuesday
Tickets to Casa Lleo Morera , saw the music hall also designed by Montana and the walking tour of gotic quarter.
23 September 2015, Wednesday
Went to La Pedrera house by Guadi and walked to Sant Pau to see the hospital complex designed by Damenech i Mantaner.
24 September 2015, Thursday
Start to watch the parade, the giants and the human towers but the mob in the plaza is unbelievable. As we are walking to finish the Gotic sector walk in Rick Steves we go again to the palace where Christopher Columbus was received by the king and queen. Then as we are going down the alleys we are beckoned into the museum which has fantastic archeological remains of
Stained glass in Casa Lleo Morera
The block of discord with competing houses from the three leading architects at the turn of the 20th century in Barcelona the 2000 + year old Roman dye works that was housed here along with other living quarters. It was later an episcopal church and wine works and now is the palace and another church. Spent almost 2 hours. We go back to lunch with Kim but Bar Casi was not open. Went to Gracia neighborhood instead and had Syrian food. We walked along looking at more great architecture and the Hotel Fuster done by Domenech i Montaner as well. Got to the fountains and watched for 2 hours before fireworks display which was over an hour of over the top fireworks. Followed the crush of the crowd through the Espanya Square to a side street and walked to the Passeig de Gracias metro stop in about 35 minutes.to get back home by midnight.
25 September 2015, Friday.
After packing to leave we decide to take the two telefericos in Barcelona: one across the harbor and the other to the castle on top of Montjuic. The harbor unit starts from a tall tower at the end of Barceloneta, a peninsula out in the harbor that is now the trendy neighborhood but use to be home to the fishing fleet
View of Barcelona
From the tower at Sagrada Familia families. The line says one hour wait as we get into the queue for tickets and the cable car. Pretty close as it was 1 hours and 10 minutes until we were in the car for the 7 minute ride across the harbor. The view of the city and harbor is great. Really gives one a feel for the commerce, cruise ships and surrounds of Barcelona. I was impressed by my first top down view of cruise liners with sundecks and swimming pools far below us.
It is a short walk to the other unit which we take on top of the funicular connection to the metro we had taken on our first day after scouting out the train station to Montserrat. We walk the 1.5 kilometers around the castle and then head back to the apartment to get out things and say goodbye to Kim. It is a warm send off and we wish her well and peace with the upcoming elections. She has been asked to talk on a radio show and give, "an american's point of view." So with bags in hand we go back to the metro and make the easy connection to the airport
Sagrada Familia
Gaudi's masterpiece in Bacelona bus at Plaza Catalunya. 11.5 euros is the cost for two on the bus which with the subway is much better than the cab fare coming into the city from the airport. All goes like clockwork getting to and through the airport. Our flight leaves 45 minutes late but is smooth with great views of the northern Spain coastline and the Pyrenees. The taxi from the airport to the hotel is 20 euros. Our left bags are already in our room when we check in. It has been a great week!
A day to enjoy Leon and then we are again on the Camino.
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Bob
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Karen's blog
Great job Karen!