Barcelona—April 18 & 19, 2016

Took TGV (2h20min) to Barcelona. Got to Hotel Adagio about 12:30PM and checked in right away. Did an orientation walk up Ferran (our street) to Jaume I, a square with Barcelona's City Hall, the Catalonian Parliament, and the Big i. Walked to Santa Maria del mar, over to the Picasso Museum (closed on Monday’s but we knew that), up to Palau de la Musica, with it’s art deco architecture, but the best part was Santa Canterina Market. Way cool. Back to the Cathedral and then to the hotel for a nap. Ate dinner at the Adagio and then walked two doors down to Starbucks for a cookie. The Starbucks ceiling is two hundred years old and I got a picture of it.

Called it a night about 10PM. Amazing how noisy the streets are. It sounds as if there’s a parade going on just below us, but it’s just folks talking and walking over to the Rambla. The narrow streets and five story buildings have a canyon effect on voices.

The following pictures were taken on what we call an orientation walk.

What we see upon stepping out from hotel.

The Cathedral. More pics coming later.

Exterior of Santa Maria del mar. We
returned the next morning to tour
inside the church.

Neighborhood surrounding Santa Maria del mar.

Santa Maria del mar.

Starbucks ceiling.

Santa Canterina Market.

Santa Canterina Market.

Santa Canterina Market.

Santa Canterina Market. Can you tell

this everyday market was a favorite of

ours? La Bocqueria gets all the press, 

but this one really feels like a neighbor-

hood market.

Gothic Quarter. Typical street view.

Even the locals hope to get some sleep. In other words, take 

your party to another neighborhood.

Jaume I Square is the center of Old Barcelona and today the
seat of the Catalonian government and Barcelona's City Hall.

Art off Jaume I Square. Keep an eye open,

because you never know what you might see.

April 19th      Retraced our steps from our orientation walk the day before, making time to enjoy both the Cathedral (built 13th-15th century) and Santa Maria del Mar (built between 1329 and 1383).

Cathedral of Barcelona.

Cloister where real geese are kept where the
Well of the Geese was completed in 1448.

Her dad caught her.

Cathedral wedding cake-esque spire.

Choir seats. Used the flash to get a picture of beautiful seats
because it's so dark inside the Cathedral. Note difference
between the darkness of the Cathedral and the light of Santa
Maria del mar shown below.

Just outside the Cathedral life goes on.

Nave and Choir Screen in the Cathedral.

Santa Maria del mar. Note how spacious and 

open this church is.

Marie admires chapel behind main altar.

Front of Santa Maria del mar. It's impossible
to get a picture of any church, monument, or
important building in the Gothic Quarter.
It's part of the charm; you never know what
you might discover as you wind around its
narrow medieval streets.

The tiles along Carre de Petritxol are a
perfect example of the serendipity, the happy
accidents you make in the Gothic Quarter.

In our morning stroll we happened upon Carre de Petritxol. Based on all the tiles placed along the street, we figured it had to be famous, so I looked it up and discovered it is nicknamed the chocolate street. This street has a cool history. 

We returned to this street, better known as the chocolate
street, for a cup of hot chocolate and churros.

Getting a little help from his friend.
We saw many elderly folks out for a
morning walk with their care givers.

We ended our early morning Gothic Quarter meanderings at Catalunya Place where we would begin our all-Gaudi day, purchasing tickets at the Big i for a guided tour of Sagrada Familia at 3:30PM (the first time available when we inquired at 10AM).

Mission accomplished we walked up Gracia Street (the Rodeo Drive of Barcelona) and took in the fancy shops in the Eixample district where Casas Batilio and the Amatlier, two Gaudi designed buildings, sit side by side. Three blocks beyond we gawked at LaPedrera, the Gaudi building famous for its Star Wars rooftop.

Like everything related to Gaudi here, there was a line at the ticket office to get in to all three, so we stood outside and took some pictures and gawked from “afar” like regular peasants.

She's not part of the Art Nouveau

scene, but still a looker.

La Pedrera rooftop.

A modern building near Gaudi's.

La Pedrera and its twisted wrought iron balconies, undulating

front, and innovative rooftop sculptures. Finished in 1912, this

building included a parking garage.

We jumped on the 24 bus and rode up to Park Guell. The bus was crowded and hot, but luckily, 10 minutes before our 35 minute ride ended, the bus driver turned on the AC. The good news was that the bus dropped us off at the entrance of Park Guell.

   In a grotto-colonade-esque walk 
   a young man was playing a steel 
   drum that looked like a turtle shell.
   Beautiful acoustics in the colonnade.
   He had CD’s that seemed to be selling
   pretty well. 

Gotta love these street artists. They're all over the Rambla
and just about anywhere tourists are, which is to say—
everywhere.

It was a warm day, but the trees provided shade along the path so it was a pleasant climb to the higher section of the park.

Park Guell is on a hill that provides vistas of the
entire city and its sites.

Gaudi's house in Park Guell.

One of the major Metro stations where more than one

line connects.

And the Metro is well-used, clean, and efficient.

Eventually we wound our way downhill and out of Park Guell, following the signs pointing to the metro and bus stops where we caught a train at the Lesseps Metro station to Sagrada Familia. Had a great lunch at La Pedrera’s, a café one block from the basilica. 

Marie had grilled salmon perfectly cooked and I had a ham and cheese crepe. A salad and flan came with the plat du jour all for 10.20 Euros. Finished off our lunch with an espresso. Lovely, relaxing break from all the walking we’d done since 9:00AM (about four hours).

As expected, just one block off the main drag and you can have a good meal at a decent price. It’s a universal rule.  

Fortified we strolled one block down to the park across from Sagrada Familia and sat on a park bench waiting for our check in time for our guided tour of the basilica.

For an hour or so our guide, informative and witty, entertained our group and we learned a lot about the symbolism of the sculptures and architecture both within and without the basilica.

My pictures are okay, but if you really want to see some stunning photos of Gaudi's architectural masterwork click on the above linked words.

Of course, the Sagrada Familia. 

Taken from park bench across the street.

We were back to our hotel and in bed by 8PM, pooped from a long, warm day full of walking. By our second day we noticed how Barcelona grew on us. Yes, it's crowded, noisy, overwhelming (at first), filled with tourists and rip-off artists, but it's also vibrant, colorful, lively, surprising, and stimulating.