Barcelona and Gaudi...

Tuesday 27th May 2014

So you remember we had found a wonderful idyllic spot by the beach last night? Well, not only did we hear the trains running through the night, and the fishermen...who seem to like the wee small hours...coming and going but at 8am, workmen, in huge dumper trucks, diggers and lorries began work on the area we had chosen to stay in. Not only that, but they were merrily hammering huge great big stakes in cordon off an area to resurface...blocking us in completely......well...we have never got out of bed so quickly!!! We threw clothes on, chucked everything from the front seats into the back before making a hasty retreat before getting completely hemmed in for the day! I managed to take a very quick photo out of the window before we fled the scene.....that was a narrow escape!

[caption id="attachment_1052" align="aligncenter" width="640"] A narrow escape[/caption]

We had heard that the weather wasn't to be too good for this morning so we had planned to take the train into Barcelona, take a look at a few of our favourite shops...one of them being the travel book shop...Atalia....and then return to Bluebelle to make our way to Port Ginesta. The train left at 10.15...leaving just enough time for a coffee stop in town....and we arrived in the city an hour later. For the most part, the journey was really lovely...much like the Newton Abbot to Exeter line...right by the coast....until the outskirts of Barcelona...which left a lot to to be desired! The station at Sant Pol is right on the beach...literally! One minute you have sand between your toes and the next you are treading on the hard concrete of the platform!

We spent a lovely morning in Barcelona….hopped back onto the train to Sant Pol and then made our way to Port Ginesta. Whenever we have been to Barcelona, we have seen, up on a hill behind the city a church which we have always wanted to visit…so we did. It is awesome. Tibidabo is a mountain just northwest of Barcelona, crowned with the Church of the Sacred Heart. But the mountain's main draw is the Parc d'Attractions, a more than one hundred year old funfair….and the view from here over the city is amazing!…it was well worth the trip up another very windy road!

[caption id="attachment_1028" align="aligncenter" width="640"] View across the city[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1029" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Looking towards the airport[/caption]



[caption id="attachment_1031" align="aligncenter" width="640"] This massive mast is seen for miles around too[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1032" align="aligncenter" width="427"] Church of the sacred Heart[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1033" align="aligncenter" width="427"] Looking towards the Sagrada Familia…still unfinished![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1034" align="aligncenter" width="640"] The old and the new sitting side by side[/caption]









[caption id="attachment_1039" align="aligncenter" width="427"] The entrance to the church[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1054" align="aligncenter" width="640"] This is one of the attractions at the top of the mountain…it is L'Avió, an airplane that has been flying in circles since 1928…giving flyers an uninterrupted view of the city[/caption]

I am fascinated by the Gaudi architecture here….who wouldn't be, it's so unique, wacky, weird, colourful and fun! Last time we visited Barcelona we went to the Sagrada Familia which was absolutely stunning…it still isn't finished, but the vision that Gaudi had for it is amazing. The stained glass windows scatter light in a myriad of colours throughout the building, the 'forest' that holds the man structure in place just takes your breath away…..well worth a visit if you ever come this way. Neither of us had been to Parc Guell…It was a bit of a mission trying to get there as we suddenly released we were trying to navigate our way through the city in rush hour!!! BT was very calm as we dodged cars and tried to understand our trusty Tom Tom…do you mean here???? Anyway, it was worth the trouble….

[caption id="attachment_1041" align="aligncenter" width="427"] This structure so reminds me of the Sagrada Familia[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1040" align="aligncenter" width="427"] Amazing mosaic work[/caption]



[caption id="attachment_1043" align="aligncenter" width="427"] Gaudis house…now a museum within the park[/caption]



[caption id="attachment_1045" align="aligncenter" width="640"] A popular tourist attraction[/caption]









[caption id="attachment_1050" align="aligncenter" width="427"] The entrance to the park[/caption]



 

Then it was off to Port Ginesta…to see our beloved Windekind….(boat) and to say 'Goodbye' to faithful Bluebelle for a while…..