Barcelona: Dia Dos
Trip Start
May 14, 2006
1
3
90
Trip End
Aug 17, 2006
Barcelona, Spain
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
My first full day in Barcelona has been absolutely amazing. I think that I am already pretty much fully adjusted to the SEVEN hour time difference...though I did wake up around 5:00 am & stayed pretty restless for an hour or so. Since our hotel offers a free breakfast in the morning, I definitely did not pass that up. The food was great. I treated myself to some eggs, jamoñ, and a bit of cereal. The milk here is quite different by the way. I'm told that is has something to do with how it is pasteurized. It is very creamy...and similar to like half-and-half. Very fattening but great.
After breakfast, we all caught the subway & headed for the other side of town. Another first for me, since I've never been on a subway before. Quite an experience. There was a man sitting in the terminal playing his guitar for tips & he was seriously one of the best guitarists I've ever heard...And I believe that is saying a lot. I have a video of him playing "Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd & I'll try to upload that to my gallery. Let me know if it works....
So we get off the subway & turn the corner...and there it is. The La Sagrada Familia - completely dominating the skyline. For one of the first times in my life, I was at a loss of words after seeing a building. The following is paraphrased from numerous pamphlets, journals, and from my own research.....
"The construction of this unique Temple began in 1882, and one year later Antoni Gaudi was appointed Project Director. He worked on the project over 40 years until his death in 1926. The overall plan and his in-depth studies of the project, based on the use of innovative geometrical shapes of naturalist style, are the cornerstones on which the current architects continue the work to this date. Eight of the twelve bell towers of the façade, dedicated to the Apostles and having a height of 100 meters, are already built. The four belfries awaiting construction are those of the Façade of Glory, the 170 meter central dome in honor of Jesus Christ, the Tower of the Virgin Mary (125 meters) and the Tower of the 4 Evangelists. The vaults of the main nave are finished, and work is focused now on the area of the transepts and the apse. From the very beginning, the only financing for building the Temple of the Sacred Family (Sagrada Familia), built under the concept of a temple of astonishment, came only from private donations and alms, and it continues to be so due to generous donations from the faithful and admirers of the project."
It was truly a unique experience to witness firsthand a Cathedral of such world acclaim & magnitude being built. It will be something that I will never forget.
After spending three hours or so at Sagrada Familia, the group left to go see Jean Nouvel's (who happens to be one of my favorite & most admired architects) new building, Torre Agbar, which opened in late 2005. However, once we arrived, we learned that due to the fact that this was a state government building, no visitors were permitted inside the building. Completely lame, but what can you do? I personally was actually quite disappointed with the overall building. I just did not find it impressive. It basically looks like a giant multi-colored cylinder with thousands upon thousands of glass louvers surrounding it. I might go to visit it at night, as that's when it is said the building flourishes.
Next, we headed to the Santa Caterina Market, which was designed by Enric Miralles & Bendetta Tagliablique, and opened in 2004. The market appears to be very modern in design & has many food stands and cafes. Definitely a neat place to see. Les, Amanda, and I caught lunch at a nice café called "Edelmann Café & Restaurant". We stuffed our faces & enjoyed the company and atmosphere.
The afternoon consisted of visiting the Commercial Waterfront District. We saw several street vendors & entertainers during our stroll. We also got to see the Christopher Columbus monument & visited a really nice mall. A great way to end the afternoon. Check out my gallery for pictures.
I know that this was a long post & I offer my apologies. But in my defense, it a day packed full of new experiences & I felt compelled to share these. I hope everyone is well. Send me an email if you can...I like to read them. Thanks for the comment by the way Stacey - it was nice....
Until Tomorrow.......
Comments
So Jealous!
Hey there! It's great to be informed on all of your adventures in Europe. I am so jealous. I'm sure the architecture and culture that you are seeing is AMAZING!! Hope you are having an incredible time! Be careful! Love you lots! MACE
Sagrada
Did you go up into the towers at Sagrada? If you did post some of those pics, it was cloudy and rainy last year. Who's wallet was stolen, I told you so. :) Talk to ya later
Re: Sagrada
Hey Aaron. I'm still trying to figure out on how to communicate w/ ya. It looks and sounds like you are having the time of your life! Bear w/ me until i figure this out. Let me know if this message gets to you.
Take care,
Jerry