Yesterday was largely dedicated to seeing the works of Antoni Gaudi. I went to La Sagrada Familia and Park Güell.
****************************
OK, as I write this I am back from Spain and in the midst of packing to go home, updating my blog, and seeing any last minute things in Amsterdam.
I love the burst of colour and energy coming unexpectedly from within.
Barcelona was fantastic. I got there on Sunday, Aug. 10 and quickly set about sightseeing. As you know by now, I walked everywhere. One thing I noticed right away were the different patterns in the sidewalk. From ornate, which I later found out were Gaudi designs, to geometric.
La Rambla
Predator does La Rambla
The sun was in and out--mostly out--and it was on the humid side. I walked up La Rambla, a very busy walkway with streets going parallel on either side of it. Google Image it to get a better idea of what I mean. There were vendors selling everything from ice cream to books to birds and turtles. There were also a lot of those people that paint themselves and dress up to look like statues or in this one instance, Predator. So many sights and sounds!
Then I made my way to Casa Batlló and more Gaudi. It was hard to take good photos because the front is partially obscured by trees and the building next door was covered by scaffolding. I didn't take the tour--next time for sure.
Casa Batlló
I also went to Cathedral of Santa Eulalia which is very close to my hotel. Unfortunately the entire front façade was covered by scaffolding as well. After that, I decided to hike it up to the one and only La Sagrada Familia, the most iconic structure in Barcelona, if not Spain. I didn't go in because Kevin wanted to visit it as well so I took a bunch of snaps from outside the fence. Little did I know that I was seeing only one side of this Roman Catholic church. I'll go into this more later!
Cathedral of Santa Eulalia
Let me tell you something about Barcelona. They don't have dinner until 10:00 pm or so. Restaurants may be open at 6:30 or 7 pm but only tourists will be there, otherwise they're empty! So here I am at 7:00 pm, hungry, and looking for a place to eat. A guy handed me a flyer for a Spanish guitar concert that night at a church nearby. I had to go! It was for 100 people max and in the basement of an old church. It was hot and stuffy but luckily I was right next to a fan. The concert was awesome! It was a man and a woman and they played their own arrangement of some famous pieces from Carmen, amongst other selections. I bought a cd afterwards too. It was a bit expensive but whenever I listen to it, it will take me back to that moment and be so worth it.
Concert venue and performers
Concert venue
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment