Basilica De La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona Spain

 Hubby and I in Barcelona, Spain sitting in the park in front of the famous Basilicia De La Sagrada Familia.  La Sagrada Familia translates into "The Holy Family".  The gorgeous church/cathedral was consecrated on November 7th, 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI and declared a minor Basilica.

In 1882 this phenomenal project was begun by architect  Francisco de Paula del Villar.  He was replaced just 1 and half years later by Antoni Gaudi'.  Gaudi' worked on, rather dedicated his life from that point forward, until his death in 1926 to his "client, God".  At the time of his death in 1926, when he was hit by a tram, it was only 1/4 completed.

There have been slow and slower periods in it's completion.  Though work has always continued following Gaudi's plans and designs there many obstacles in the way.  The church has been totally funded by donations, which weren't always in abundance.

 There were very slow periods due to lack of understanding of Gaudi's theroy's.  He believe all art should mimic nature and be without straight lines and right angles.  There was sabotage during The Spanish Civil War, which broke out in 1936.  Revolutionists set fire to the crypt and burned the temporary schools, destroyed the workshops, plans, drawings, and some of the models used to carry on Gaudi's work.

 After The Civil War ended in 1939, areas destroyed were restored and work continued.  Click to enlarge and notice the different shapes, sizes, and colors of columns.  They are to resemble trees and a canopy above letting sunlight in. Again, the importance of nature.  The crucifix hangs as if suspended above all, lifting towards heaven.

 In the years since Gaudi's death there have many architects and sculptors involved with the continuation of the work.  This has caused some speculation and controversy that they maybe following their designs and not Gaudi's.  Experts are divided on that point.

 There have been controversy's regarding a proposed high speed rail from Barcelona to France, and or Barcelona to Madrid.  I list both, as I found articles regarding both.  The high speed underground rail could interfere with the stability of the Basilica due to it's proximity stated as one concern.

 Gaudi' was a very devote man, once going 40 days without food during lent.  He is buried here at The Basilica, where he devoted so much of his life.  Though difficult to see, if you look towards the middle of the picture where the candles are on the floor; that is his grave.

 A plaque showing a close up of his final resting place.  He has such a following, there is movement to have him made a Saint.

The story of Christ's life is depicted in very detail sculptures around the outside of facility.  Front and center is The Nativity, the story of his birth.  Gaudi' was so passionate about his work, it is said he once had a donkey hoisted on a crane up beside the area being worked on, so the sculpture could truly be accurate.  Another story indicates he visited the hospital and watched deaths, not to be morbid; but to capture when the soul left this earth and met The Holy Family.  He used passions such as these to create.  This is one of the examples why some feel his work cannot truly be carried forward; others are interpreting his passion.   This lush Nativity Facade

is in stark contrast to newest, very modern, Star Wars/comic and grim Passion Facade.  This cause perhaps the biggest controversy of all.  Thinking of pictures, sculptures you've seen throughout your life of Jesus on the Cross, has he not always been covered?  And yet, The Bible tells us he was stripped of his garments.  Some felt this vulgar and disrespectful.  If you scroll back to The Crucifix inside the Basilica, you'll note while Jesus is in-fact uncovered, Gaudi' had his knee's bent.  It's believed that was his way to show his respect.  This Passion Facade was completed by Josep Maria Subiraehs.

I've read "Art" at it's core should cause people to talk.  With that in mind, perhaps the controversy isn't a negative component.

"A church is the only thing worthy of representing the feelings of a people, for religion is the highest thing in people", Antoni Gaudi'

The grounds are open without charge, while entrance tickets are needed.  Many people pass by the opportunity due to the lines, and or the cost.  I encourage you to take the time, spend the money and do tour both the grounds and the inside.  We went yet a step further and had a private guide, Patrick Ducher; whom I highly recommend.  He got us to the front of the lines, knew how to get in and out of the traffic of people.  His driver dropped us in front and collected us when Patrick called to say we were departing.  Driving there, or trying to park truly isn't possible.  Don't short change yourself.  It is breathtaking, both spiritually  and architecturally. (I've linked to awesome reviews of this tour service, and the webpage).

Tickets were 12.50 Euro's a piece when we were there.  Around $18.00 US and worth every penny!  2 Million people visit annually, these funds along with donations keep this marvelous project going.  Currently, the projected completion date is 2026.

Blogging a-z in May, my focus is Spain Click the drop down box to leave your name and url of your blog post, not profile page.

Gaudi's Güell Park in Barcelona, Spain

 WOW, even on a cloudy morning, what a view.  We're high up on the hill at Güell Park in Barcelona, Spain.  You can see how densely populated the city is.  Güell Park named for Euseb Güell, a friend a benefactor of Antoni Gaudi'.  In early 1900 there were a half million people in Barcelona and growing.  The world's fair was held there in 1888 which showed the world what a metropolis it was.  Antoni Gaudi' a visionary who believed art should model nature, and in nature there are no straight lines.......nature flows.  The two men were friends and people who wanted to solve a problem.

 The problem, a fast growing Barcelona with noise, pollution and sanitation problems that caused heath problems.  Barcelona was a city of art, of modern new ideas.  They decided to build a housing development.  Well, perhaps the term housing development isn't quite right.  They wanted to build a planned community with 60 triangle shape plots, space for community to gather.  A space that couldn't be more then 1/6th development for the wealthy folks in Barcelona.  Gaudi' the talent and Güell the money behind it all.

 So up on a hill away from the hustle and bustle that was Barcelona the development started.  Lots of tile work, walking paths, gardens, trees, planned viaducts, water collections systems...truly a marvel for it's time.  However,

 Only 1 lot sold and in 1914 Güell discontinued work on the project.  After his death, his family offered the vast lands to the city.

 In 1922 the city acquired the beautiful space and 4 years later opened it as a public park.  Even on an overcast day you can see how brilliant the colors are, how interesting the art work, how unique the buildings are.

 Why didn't it sell?  Transportation.  Even the wealthy had no decent transportation to get from the city to the planned development and then to climb the hill.

 Our fabulous tour guide, Patrick Ducher, whom I've mentioned before, but am again living the link to the wonderful reviews......HERE, knew all the best spots to place Hubby and I for photo's that he took for us.  Thank you Patrick.  Patrick and his group have a superb rating with travel advisor, check it out HERE

 All the pictures you see taken from the top are up these steps, where a large open space exited for parades, festivals and community to gather.  Further up the hillsides was the area were the houses were to be located.

 Mosaics with every possible color of the rainbow.

 One such house, were Gaudi' lived until his death.

 Purposeful art, incorporated into a bench.

Do put this on your list of must things to see when you visit Barcelona, and be sure and arrange a private tour, you'll learn so much more then trying to do this on your own...ask for Patrick, he's awesome!

**REMINDER, please leave the url to your actual blog post, NOT your google+ page, NOT your blogger profile/dashboard page. Use the name and url option, or leave a hyperlink. **After the close of April's A-Z, I plan to continue to write a post a day in the month of May using again the A-B-C's as my guide. My focus for the month of May will be Spain.

El Tunel Del Port, Olympic Port, Barcelona

 El Tunel Del Port in Barcelona.  That's hubby looking European with his black.  When we toured we did not dress like Americans with sloppy t-shirts, tennis shoes etc.  We dressed nicely and conservatively.  Those were the guidelines we read about before we embarked on our 12 day tour of Spain.  It's a way to show respect I believe for where you are, and to represent our country in a nicer manner.  There were several times it seemed like we got better service then folks dressed like Americans who'd been working in the gardens...maybe my imagination, maybe not.

Our private tour guide in Barcelona, Patrick Ducher (look how well he and his group are rated HERE), walked us here...right to our table after speaking with the host/manager of El Tunel Del Port.  How's that for service?  We had toured half the day with Patrick and he asked if we'd like him to find us a spot for a late lunch.  The restaurant is right on the beach as you can see.  It has several rooms up and down, and an outside patio area.  Lunch was fantastic, but apparently I was too busy eating to remember to take pictures of the food.

You can see by the menu it's Port, theme and of course the olives which are served before every meal in Spain along with bread.

I did remember to take a photo when we were taking our coffee and desert.  We shared the desert because we were so pleasantly stuffed.

El Tunel Del Port (link is at the beginning of the post), was founded back in 1923 on Ample Street, but moved to Olympic port in 1992 after the close of The Barcelona Olympics.  This location is perfect with something for everyone.  You can stroll the beach, the shops before or after you eat and enjoy the sites of the Olympic Port.

Moll de Gregal, 12
Port Olympic
08005 Barcelona

I highly recommend this restaurant and hope to go back next trip to Barcelona.

**REMINDER, please leave the url to your actual blog post, NOT your google+ page, NOT your blogger profile/dashboard page. Use the name and url option, or leave a hyperlink. **After the close of April's A-Z, I plan to continue to write a post a day in the month of May using again the A-B-C's as my guide. My focus for the month of May will be Spain.

Barcelona

 You've heard the term Bird's Eye View?  This guy arrived on our window ledge to welcome us to the city...at least that what it seemed he was saying..........that or open the window, it's wet out here!  We were in the older historic downtown area of the city, making it a wonderful location to get out and about.  If you click to enlarge the picture, you can get a feel for how old many of the buildings are.

You can also see how dark and gloomy it was on our arrival, though the next day was beautiful, and the 2nd day even nicer.  Look how the city spreads out, how full, how heavily populated it is.  Off in the distance (though we could walk it) is the famous Sagrada Familia.  Do click to enlarge and see the spires and the construction cranes.  We stayed at The Renaissance, formerly known as The Diplomatic Hotel.  The rooms were a bit pricey and small; but the location was awesome and we truly enjoyed our stay there.
Barcelona, my B for May (status post April A-Z)

There will be many posts about Barcelona with specific focuses, this is a bullet point list of things observed during our too short stay of 3 nights and 2 days.

• Stay longer, there is much to see
• People in Barcelona eat dinner quite late, many restaurants aren't even opened til 8 pm
• The city is packed with history
• Traffic is HORRIBLE, leave the driving to someone else.  Parking is in short supply, lots of folks walk, ride bikes and scoots; as well as use public transportation
• The Olympics were there in 1992, a good place to tour
• There are many Cathedrals to visit, as well as Churches, and Basilica's.  
• Art is Everywhere in many forms
• BE WARE OF THE PICK POCKETS.  Barcelona is considered, even by the locals, to be worst city int he world for pick pockets.  NEVER leave your belongings un-attended.  Men should not put wallets in the back pockets, and women should always put their purses across their body...not just hanging from their shoulders, AND the purse should be in front of you.  NEVER wear a backpack, you can't see them in action.
• The airport is HUGE, give yourself plenty of time to find your way
• Check the price of high speed trains if you want to travel elsewhere and compare to flying.  It may be a better option
• It's a busy port city
• Barcelona has been voted best beach city, multiple times.
• World Book Day, April 23rd, started in Barcelona (St. George's Day) 
• Catalonia flags far and away out number flags of Spain.  Catalonians want independence from Spain, speak their own language which is closer to French and Portuguese then Spanish.  The people in Barcelona refer to themselves as Catalonians, not Spaniards.   
• Rock n Roll is far more popular in Barcelona then The Flamenco.
• The city was formed from a military grid...a planned city.
• There are 5 streets with the name La Rambla

**REMINDER, please leave the url to your actual blog post, NOT your google+ page, NOT your blogger profile/dashboard page. Use the name and url option, or leave a hyperlink. **After the close of April's A-Z, I plan to continue to write a post a day in the month of May using again the A-B-C's as my guide. My focus for the month of May will be Spain. I've been planning and almost have every letter thought out.

Arc de Triomf, Triumphal Arch Catalonia

As promised, it's May and I'm starting my blogging about Spain, in alphabetical order...of course.  Arc de Triomf (Triumphal Arch) built for the 1888 World's Fair Entrance.  This photo taken from a distance shows you how wide the promenade is.

The arch was used again in 1929 during the 2nd World's Fair held in Barcelona (Catalonia), as well as The Olympics in later years.  It's built to resemble similar arches in Rome by Joseph Vilasecai Casanovas.  The expansive promenade is perfect place to walk, run, ride bikes, and stroll with a baby carriage.  The sun was warm, bringing everyone out locals and tourists.  It covers an 118 hectares (291.58 acres and is within walking distance to Parc de la Ciutudella on Passeig de Lluis.

The details of color, and sculptures is breathtaking.  Look how small the people walking nearby look....Please click to enlarge so you can fully appreciate this beautiful site.

**REMINDER, please leave the url to your actual blog post, NOT your google+ page, NOT your blogger profile/dashboard page. Use the name and url option, or leave a hyperlink.

Viu Bicing, Vodafone in Barcelona

 A bike rack

For Viu Bicing in Barcelona.  Today is the letter V as we move through our A-Z challenge (if you want a V location post, here's several for Virginia...Richmond, Monticello, Arlington National Cemetery, Williamsburg, and more.

We saw these strange bikes everywhere while we were in Barcelona.  Viu Bicing is a bike sharing program that began in March of 2007 in Barcelona.  It has moved about Europe, to Germany, Netherlands, and Italy as a means to reduce traffic and carbon dioxide emissions in busy cities, reduce noise and it seems to be very popular.  You purchase a pre-paid smart pass annually, and with a swipe of a card can slide a bike out to use.  They are meant for short distances, to supplement public transportation for the locals.

There are 420 stations and close to 100,000 members in Barcelona.  Vodafone (a mobile wallet app) is now involved giving members the ability to track their distance, average speed, and emissions saved.  The first 30 minutes of use are at no additional cost beyond the membership.  Each subsequent half hour has a charge and can be used up to 2 hours.  They are meant for short distances and therefore you are in fact penalized if you hit 2 hours, and your membership can be revoked if you hit 2 hours too many times.

You do not need to return the bic to the same location where you collected it.  Example you hop off the city bus or metro, hop on a VIU bic and ride 3 more blocks, park it and go to work.  When you slide the bike back in the rack, it is identified and locked until the next person/member slides their card.  They are meant for 1 way transportation.

What a great idea, too bad the US doesn't get on board with something like that, then again we don't have good public transportation in most areas either.  Not only is this a means to control noise, traffic and emissions, think of the wonderful on going exercise you'd get.

**After the close of April's A-Z, I plan to continue to write a post a day in the month of May using again the A-B-C's as my guide.  My focus for the month of May will be Spain.  I've been planning and almost have every letter thought out.  If others are interested in continuing to blog daily using our A-B-C's, please let me know.  We could start a linky and continue what we've begun during April.  I don't imagine it will be anywhere near the scope of the annual April Challenge.  But, if you're interested, please let me know in your comment.  And even if you're not up for another blog challenge, do stop back in, I have much to share from recent travels to Spain.**

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