White
Pepper went to Barcelona as the first part of a great adventure in
Europe with friends, Gillian and Philip. They have converted their
ferro-cement sailboat, Zubenel into a French canal and river boat.
More about that in the next post.
Barcelona
is a magnificent city—historical and proud. It has an “old
city”, modern clubs, a beach and marina. There is plenty to see
for everyone.
For
Jan and I the chief impressions of Barcelona were the Familia
Sangrada Basilica, the Ramlas, and the architect Gaudi's overwhelming
influence on Barcelona. Also the tapas were great.
tapas display at local restaurant
initial impression of the basilica
We
had heard of the Familia Sangrada Basilica. The architect Anton
Gaudi took over construction of the project in 1883 and worked on it
steadily until his death in 1926 when it was about one quarter
complete. Work has proceeded slowly since and may be complete in
2026 (100 years after Gaudi's death). It is a building of unique
power and grandeur. I was prepared to be impressed; however, the actually
experience was overpowering. These pictures are only a pale
reflection of the majesty of the place. Philip say that when the
building is complete it will be the iconic image of Europe. I agree.
The sense of light and height is amazing
Some details from the exterior
The
other fun thing we did in Barcelona was attend the tapas festival on
the Ramlas. The Ramlas is long broad boulevard that hosts much of
Barcelona's entertainment. Think of Bourbon street or Austin's 6th
Street, just several miles long. At the tapas festival many of the
restaurants set up booths to sell their favorite tapa for a 4 euro
ticket. Beer was also 4 euros. We went for 2 nights.
The tapas festival on the Ramlas
One ticket, please
Beside
the Familia Sangrada Gaudi designed a public park that incorporated
his fantastic images.
In Gaudi Park
And all though town there are many homes and
apartment buildings that he designed. These were not appreciated in
his life time although they are priceless now. He eventually died in
poverty, but was buried in the Basilica.
A copula from a downtown apartment building
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