Sagrada Familia

We had intended that on our next visit to Barcelona we would go into Sagrada Familia. We had seen it from the outside on a number of occasions and inside about 10 years ago and so it was time to review progress.

It was just as impressive as the first time we had seen it and one marvels at the intricacy of the design and the height of the nave.

Work began in 1882 with Gaudi as the architect until his death in 1926. It is not scheduled to be finished for some years yet: the current estimated finishing date is 2026 or thereabouts.




The old part of the cathedral is being renovated while building continues.



The nativity facade was constructed between 1896 and 1930





The passion scene was started in 1954 and features designs by Subirachs



This horseman is a favourite of Pat who loves the curves and lines the helmet is similar to the chimney pots in Casa Míla.





Inside is like a forest




This is the main altar




At the end of these columns is a staircase.




Many of the windows are plain glass, but a few stained glass windows can be seen






After lunch in a nearby cafe, we walked home admiring the buildings as we went




























Today, Monday we are returning home by train.


Pat and John on tour

Barcelona

We are Spending 3 nights in Barcelona - the excuse this time is that John's second cousin once removed, Lyn and her husband Les are here for a couple of nights at the end of a tour of Menorca, Portugal and Spain. We met Lyn and Les for the first time when we were in Brisbane last year.

We left Béziers at 08.08 on the direct train to Barcelona. The sun was just about up at we waited for the train



The train take about 4 hours to reach Barcelona as it trundles along the coast, through Narbonne, Perpignan, Port Bou, Figueres, Girona and Barcelona.

We had arranged to stay in the same hotel as Lyn and Les but were not expecting to see them until Saturday. The hotel is modern and part of a chain. It seems to be used by tour companies, typically at the start and end of holidays, so there were people arriving who were about to join a cruise and those who were just finishing their holiday. The rooms are large and well equipped e.g. bath and separate walk in shower. This is the view from the window across the skyline. We can see the sea at the far right of our view, unfortunately the Gaudi cathedral, Sagrade Familia, is hidden behind the large tower blocks.




We unpacked and then set off to find some lunch before having a siesta. We didn't have much trouble finding restaurants in the area and enjoyed a tapas lunch. Lyn and Les returned from their bus tour of Barcelona and so we met for a drink before they set out for their last evening of the holiday. Our job for the evening was to find a good restaurant for us all on Saturday evening. We consulted TripAdvisor before setting out in search of the top recommendations in the area. On our travels, we passed doorways with interesting halls.














We ate at a well recommended tapas bar, and were early enough to get a table without any difficulty.

The next morning, we met Lyn and Les and planned our day. Their tour of Barcelona had covered most of the major attractions, but they hadn't been inside all of them. Casa Míla was first on the list; there was a long queue, but it moved quickly enough. We have visited this Gaudi apartment building several times, but it's always lovely to see it again.

This is the garage entrance





The way up to the apartments



The roof is the best, of course













Lyn and Pat with Sagrada Familia in the background.




All of us on the roof






The attic is certainly unusual.





One can also visit an apartment, furnished as it would have been when the building was new.









Lunch was, of course, more tapas and John had found a good place close by. The queue was said to be 30 minutes long, but we were sitting down within 5 minutes and were happy for a rest.

Lyn had seen the outside of the old bull ring, which is now a shopping centre, and wanted to see inside it, so we hopped into a taxi.




The building is very impressive both inside and out and features the longest escalator that I have seen.






The top of the building is open air with restaurants





and superb 360 degree views







The Miro Park


This is some infinity pool


We took a taxi to the Ramblas and then went into the old town.









In the evening, we went to a well recommended restaurant close by, Osmosis. There we had a 7 course tasting menu with wines to match, delicious! Service was great - we even got a complementary glass of cava when we passed by the previous evening to book the table.

It was time to say goodbye again to Lyn and Les with hopes that we will meet again before too long. They left very early on Sunday morning for a 36 hour flight to Brisbane.



Pat and John on tour

John's 65th

John is now officially a state pensioner!

Here he is in the vegetable gardens of the Hostal Empuries in L'Escala.




After checking out of the hotel, we took some photos of the garden complete with chairs- it looked as though something was about to start there- and then wandered into the town.





No visit to L'Escala is complete without yet another photo of the rocks by the hotel and of the hotel from the rocks.








We passed 4 or 5 groups of school children out on excursions.




Found a sun hat for Ernie which is ready for him when he visits us in November, should we have sun.





This cormorant was out fishing close to the main promenade






Then we called into a bar for lunch (in the centre of the photo, with the tower) before we picked up the car and headed back to France.





In the evening we had a birthday dinner with Jill and Terry complete with birthday decorations.









Last night (Saturday) we completed the birthday celebrations with a dinner party for 9. Now we are back to normal until our trip to Barcelona next weekend to meet John's second cousin once removed Lyn and her husband Les whom we met for the first time in Brisbane last year.

Pat and John on tour