Barcelona

We're running a little behind with writing and keeping up. Here we go...

8 - 12 November 2013

Barcelona, Spain

 

Barcelona is a city of the old and the new, with the new elements working to both preserve and celebrate the ancient.   It all works very well together. 

Legend states Barcelona was founded in the 3rd century BC. Being a walled city in the beginning, the city has grown and changed over the centuries, turning it into the modern city it is today.  

Barcelona gained international recognition by hosting the 1992 Olympic games, which brought a massive upturn in its tourism industry.  Although we were told it is now off season and there aren't many tourists right now, we have seen plenty many tourists.

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Yet another train station...

We enjoyed watching this street artist create wonderful shapes from bubbles.  It is good to see someone doing something fun and entertaining with the hope of tips.  

Oh...what a life!

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The public bikes in Barcelona bring a whole new form of visual art. 

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Legend says gargoyles scared evil spirits away from the church, which reassured congregants that evil was kept outside the church’s walls.  In reality, they were designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing rainwater from running down the stone walls and eroding the mortar between the stones. 

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The word "Rambla" is derived from an old Arabic word, "ramla" meaning sandy riverbed or dry riverbed.  The Rambla in the 14th century marked the western city limits of Barcelona. Towards the end of the 18th century, a promenade was established. 

Today, La Rambla is a street in central Barcelona popular with tourists and locals alike. This tree-lined pedestrian mall stretches 1.2 kilometers and is lined with kiosks for vendors and restaurants, all in open air and large umbrellas.  La Rambla ends at Port Vell.  

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While walking La Rambla, we came across a quite exciting attraction, at least for us food lovers -- La Boqueria Marcada.  This daily market has roots dating back to the 13th century. The atmosphere and "just looking around" is as good as it gets. We did not purchase anything as we didn't have the facilities to cook, but we had a great time just walking around and taking in the sights...figs, mushrooms, fresh fish and meat, veggies, olives, sweets, dairy products, and on and on.

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Port Vell

Port Vell (Old Harbour) is a waterfront Harbour in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. and is part of the Port of Barcelona. It was built as part of an urban renewal program prior to the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.  Before its completion, it was a run-down area of empty warehouses, railroad yards, and factories. Today 16 million people visit the complex each year.

At the Harbour end of La Rambla is the Maremàgnum, constructed in the early 1990s. It is here a wooden walkway, known as (La) Rambla del Mar, leads to the Maremàgnum.  The Maremàgnum is a shopping center open daily with shops, restaurants, bars, acquarium, IMAX cinema, and information center.  

Even the buoys in the Harbour have artform. 

There were some pretty cool reflective glass panels at the edge of a building at the Maremàgnum. We looked up and took our own picture. Kind of fun...

View from Starbucks at the Maremàgnum...  Not bad huh?

The Rambla del Mar was created as a wooden suspension bridge with a wavy pattern, symbolizing the connection to the city with the Mediterranean. For decades, Barcelona had turned it's back towards the sea and the extension of the Rambla symbolizes Barcelona's renewed opening towards the sea.  

One of the restaurants on the Maremàgnum...

The entrance to the shopping mall at the Maremàgnum...

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The Port Authority of Barcelona

Located where the Rambla and the Maremàgnum meet stands the Port Authority building. An ornate structure built between 1896 and 1907, this building  was originally a maritime station. Today it houses the Port Authority of Barcelona. 

While walking on La Rambla del Mar, we watched some rowers competing in the bay.  

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Street entertainment...

Street musicians - playing to sell CDs to make a living...

Living statues on La Ramblas... These folks look like only statues...until a passerby puts a Euro in the till - and then they come alive!

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Basilica de Santa Maria del Pi - (St. Mary's of the Pine Tree)

This church was built between 1319 and 1391. The style of the church is Catalan Gothic and is almost devoid of the ornamentation seen on most churches. 

The Basilica was also used as a venue for local entertainment. And...

We took in a classical guitar concert at the Basilica. 

This musician was fabulous! His repertoire consisted of classical, movie themes, and even some rock 'n roll.  He has toured all around the world, including the Lincoln Center in New York.  

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The Christopher Columbus Monument -  

This monument was constructed to honor Columbus' first voyage to the Americas, depicting Columbus pointing towards the New World with his right hand, while holding a scroll in the left.

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Sagrada Familia

Church of the "Holy Family" is a large Roman Catholic Church designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi (1852–1926). Although incomplete, the church is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and in 2010 Pope Benedict proclaimed it a "minor Basilica", as distinct from a "cathedral", which must be the seat of a bishop.

The construction of the church commenced in 1882 and, believe it or not, the anticipated completion date is 2026, the centenary of Gaudí's death. 

The photos cannot show the depth of detail. It has been said that it is "the most extraordinary personal interpretation of Gothic architecture since the Middle Ages".

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What a great sunset from the steps of La Sagrada Familia...

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Just in case you've forgotten what we look like...

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We took a hop on - hop off bus tour around the city.  It was a beautiful sunny day - about 65 degrees - great day to be on the top deck seeing the sights.  

When taking the city "Hop on - Hop off" bus tour, they gave everyone blue ear buds in order to plug in and pick our own language from the multiple choices.  Maybe they should have a plan to recycle these before they're discarded on the roof of the bus stop!

The old and the new...

More artwork in the city...

Some variations in architecture are typical within the city.

Check out the painted on windows on the side of the building...always so much fun to see the creativity.

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The Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia 

The cathedral was constructed from the 13th to 15th centuries, with the principal work done in the 14th century.  There are 13 geese which are kept at the Cathedral in a garden and a pond. This is the Fountain or Well of the Geese and was completed in 1448.  The number of geese being kept at the cloister is always 13, representing the age of Saint Eulalia, patron saint of Barcelona, when she was killed by the Romans.

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Opposite Barcelona's Cathedral, Picasso's frieze is on top of the modern College of Architects building.  The playful graffiti quality of this work for his home city is in striking contrast to Picasso's normal style. 

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From a little higher elevation, looking down on the city...

The Port of Barcelona is one of the busiest and most important ports in the Medeterranean.  Cruise ships in the distance, the port and the rail lines are used for moving shipping containers from the port to their destinations.   

In the distance is the Rambla del Mar. 

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We couldn't help but hop on over to the Barcelona Hard Rock Cafe. 

As usual, very cool on the inside...

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A great story...

We stopped by a tapas place for lunch on the weekend called PaTapas. As one might expect, we struck up a conversation with both the waitress and the manager. In the conversations, among other things, we learned that the waitress, Abigaille, though educated in International studies, has a passion for yoga and is a yoga teacher (in Barcelona, a yoga teacher is called "Profesor of Yoga").  

The manager, Victoria, has an herbal shop called Granola. On a whim, we decided to take a walk over to the square where she said it was, and to her surprise, there we were!  Victoria, in the photo below, is an herbalist and massage therapist. Before we left, she gave us a gift of some tea and naturally scented soaps. 

As it turns out, both of our new friends only work the tapas place on the weekends to help make ends meet. 

Our meeting and the interaction with people is what makes for some of the best parts of the trip and is so much fun. 

Chica y Victoria

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We read about these places where you can bring your own bottle to buy your wine. Check out the barrels inside and the jug of white wine in that guy's hand. 

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In the old city, Gothic section, we came across a neighborhood that, back in the origins of the city, streets were named for the place one would go for specific things. Take a look below...

District 1 - Neighborhood 5 - Street of the Daggers   -   This is where you would go to buy knives. 

Although the literal meaning of this is "Download of the Books", surely the meaning is for the street to be able to purchase books.  It is one of the streets where examples of book shops remain. 

Street of the Magistrate - If you're coming to this street, you could either be in trouble and are here to see the Judge...or maybe you're getting married and want to see the Justice of the Peace. 

District 1 - Neighborhood 5 - Street of the Trumpets of Jayme the First - Maybe Jayme had a Trumpet store here. 

Trumpets Street of James the First...The place to go if you want to buy Trumpets that Jayme didn't have!

In the Catalan language, Tapin means "Clog". This could be the street to buy shoes. 

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We usually tell or show something about our Airbnb or the hosts.  The simple explanation here is that we moved to a hotel. Our parents taught us that "if you can't say anything good, don't say anything at all".  We stayed our last night at the Atlas Hotel - a great recommendation if you're ever in Barcelona. 

Now we're off to our final journey to Marrakech and the Sahara Desert in Morocco.