Our last stop – Barcelona, Spain! Today we say good-by to the Celebrity Constellation. Hermann, our cabin steward has taken excellent care of us, as well as Izhick and Elvis, our waiters in the dining room. After the first night, they had iced tea at our table every night and kept it coming during the entire meal. Our English table mates wondered how we could drink so much and not be up all night. The food in the dining room was superb. And this is the only time that I am addressed as “madame” and I was getting used to the name. The entire 12 days have been rather calm and smooth, so we will not have any problem adjusting to land. So, one last breakfast on the back deck as we see Barcelona for the first time.
We took a taxi to our hotel – the Cotton House -in the city center. Our driver spoke no English and did not interact at all. Our hotel is really beautiful. We are greeted with champagne and pastries and then given a tour of the hotel, which as only been opened for two years. It had been the private home of a wealthy Barcelona cotton merchant and had recently been renovated and converted into a boutique hotel. It featured a spiral staircase that went all the way to the top floor; we were very glad they also had an elevator. Our room was on the top floor and was beautifully decorated and had a sweeping view of a portion of the city center.
Looking up the floating spiral staircase
With a map in hand, we then started out to explore the city. Our first stop was the Sagrada Familia. The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família is a large Roman Catholic church designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926). Antoni Gaudí Cornet was an architect from Reus, Catalonia, Spain. He is the best known practitioner of Catalan Modernism. In 1882 construction of Sagrada Família commenced under architect Francisco Paula de Villar until 1883, when Gaudí became involved after Francisco resigned as the head architect. Taking over the project, Gaudí transformed it with his architectural and engineering style, combining Gothic and Art Nouveau forms. Gaudí devoted his last years to the project, and at the time of his death at age 73 in 1926, less than a quarter of the project was completed.
This is a modern, massive, magnificent cathedral that is still in the process of being built. The highest in the world. Gaudi, stated that man should not build anything higher than what God had created, so its highest pinnacle stands just lower than the height of the nearby mountain peaks. Nevertheless, the structure still is visible from every part of the city . I cannot begin to describe the fabulous pillars and numerous stained glass windows and the photos just don’t do it justice. The completion is set for 2026, attempting to finish the work to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of Gaudi’s death.
Exterior of Sagrada Familia:
Inside the cathedral:
Glory doors – The Lord’s Prayer in Catalan
Because we only had one day here, we decided to take a taxi to another side of town in order to save time rather than walking 40 minutes. We only had one day, the city is large, and we wanted to cover as much ground as possible. The taxi dropped us at Placa Catalunya, at the very top part of La Rumbla, a tree-lined pedestrian mall that stretches for 1.2 km, connecting Plaça Catalunya with the Christopher Columbus monument at the port. This promenade is lined with shops, the Gran Teatre del Liceu (opera house), and the Central Market, often simply referred to as La Boquería.
Placa Catalunya
Looking down La Rambla
Opera House
A triple decker McDonalds with outdoor seating on La Rambla
Statue of Christopher Columbus at bottom of La Rambla
At La Boqueria we walked through the market and grabbed some octopus tapas to eat while we walked. We then sat at a little tapas lunch counter and ordered grilled squid and Razor clams and some sangria. It was very busy and the food was excellent!
Grilled Octopus
Razor Clams
Grilled Squid
We continued walking down La Rambla and then turned into the Gothic Quarter,The quarter was built primarily in the late 19th and early 20th century, though several buildings date from medieval times. Remains of a section of the original Roman Wall can be seen and the layout of the streets is very confusing, with many small streets opening out into squares. Most of the quarter is closed to regular traffic although open to service vehicles and taxis.
The Quarter is filled with narrow streets, shops, and a large Gothic cathedral, Basilica Santa Maria del Mar.
Barking loudly from balcony – another Spanish Lucy
Final yard art for Tom
Our last stop before returning to our hotel was the Cathedral of Barcelona. The cathedral was constructed from the 13th to 15th centuries, with the principal work done in the 14th century. The cloister, which encloses the Well of the Geese (Font de les Oques), was completed in 1448.
Located in front of the cathedral was a most unusual truck with a set of bells played by a young man at a keyboard – very unique.
While there, Jeff noticed people on a roof of a hotel across from the cathedral. We went into the hotel and found our way up to the roof, taking 2 separate elevators to get there, and were treated to a great view of the cathedral and the rest of the city.
As we travelled through Italy, France, and Spain we had the opportunity to see many beautifully ornate and massive cathedrals and churches, all awe-inspiring. But we were reminded of the words of both Paul and Stephen in the book of Acts that helped put it all in perspective: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord, or what is the place of my rest? Did not my hand make all these things? Then, “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven, does not live in temples made by man, nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything…that they should seek God and perhaps feel their way toward Him and find Him. Yet He is actually not far from each of us.” God has made a way for us to be near to Him, not through a church, beautiful as it might be, but through the finished work of Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us.
We walked back to hotel and had a short time to rest before our evening adventure.
Views from the balcony:
Barcelona is the 2nd largest city in Spain, over 1.5 million people
Nuria of Barcelona came to hotel at 6:00 in a vintage motorcycle with a sidecar to pick us up for a tour of the city. I spent the next 3 hours riding through the streets of Barcelona in a sidecar! It had been a very hot day and at night it had cooled down a bit, a perfect evening for a ride through the streets of Barcelona. Jeff rode behind Nuria and I rode in the sidecar, a pretty neat way to tour the city!
Nuria took us through the old town, then down by the sea where we saw the marina and the city beach, still crowded with people even at 7:00 PM. We went back into the city and into a more residential neighborhood where she lived for a snack. Nuria chose a small tapas bar, Bar Sucarsal, located in a renovated building that had previously been used to process olive oil. She ordered food for us- all typical Barcelona tapas along with some Sangria.
Then we rode to the Placa d’Espanya which was built for the International Exposition held in Barcelona in 1929. This plaza was the gateway to the entire area that was constructed for the exhibition. We rode to the top of the hill where the The Palau Nacional or National Palace is located. Now home to the National Museum of Catalan Art, it was the main site of the exposition. From this vantage point we had fantastic views of the city.
Next, we rode to the area where the stadium and facilities that housed the Summer Olympics in 1992.
As we cruised through the city both Jeff and I noticed that people would do a double take and/or stare as we went by in the motorcycle and sidecar! Although the city was filled with motorcycles and scooters (apparently the city has the highest ratio of scooters/ person in the world – 1 scooter for every 3 people) they were not accustomed to seeing a rig like ours. It was a great way to tour Barcelona and Nuria was an excellent guide, as well as a very sweet person.
It was a great way to end our long day in Barcelona and, sadly, our fabulous western Mediterranean adventure. We thank God for this opportunity to see His creation, for the great seafood, the fun adventure, and just being together.
We retired early this evening after walking 17,500 steps (7.2 miles). The bed in the Cotton House was wonderful and tomorrow we were going to have an early start on our journey back to the good ol’ USA.
Buenas noches
