Barcelona

by

Jim Eaton


Barcelona is known for the architecture, and Casa Batlló with an exterior design by Antoní Gaudi, doesn’t disappoint.

La Pedera – another Gaudí building. We enjoyed walking around the city especially at night.
Barcelona really comes alive after 9:00PM.

The influence of Gaudi is widespread – I call this one the Urban Jungle…

The outside of the Sagrada Familia is covered in statue scenes.
This is from the newer side of the building and shows a happy moment.

On the older side of Sagrada Familia, the statues have a different shape and feel.
They also tended to be a little less happy.

The view from the tower at Sagrada Familia – Guadi’s massive church in progress.

Looking down the spiral staircase as we descend a Sagrada Familia tower.
There were a lot of steps and no railing…I was hugging the wall while this was taken.

The Sagrada Familia is constantly a work in progress. They still have quite a bit left to do. La Sagrada Familia’s website says the church will be finished in “the first third of the twenty-first century” but the completion date has been pushed back many times. When completed, it will have 18 towers. Right now it has eight.

Parc Guell – Gaudi didn’t just do buildings, he also designed parks!
The stone work was incredible. The park felt alive.

The Gaudi house museum at Parc Guell.
We spent the afternoon wandering around this huge park on the outskirts of town.

There was a lot of graffiti around, some was interesting, most was junk.
I do like the bold colors here but I question the artist’s use of space…

From inside La Pedera – I’m not sure I’d feel at home on this balcony but it does have curb appeal.

On our way up to Montserrat, a monastery on a mountain about two and a half hours north of Barcelona.
That little yellow dot is the other cable car.

I <3 cheese. Montserrat has an amazing market with some great cheese vendors.
Earlier that morning, the cheese I was eating was milk! We got it with honey, but it’s also served plain.

This little guy serenaded us for quite a while as we rested during our hike around Montserrat.
We needed a break from the city and it was peaceful and serene.

This stone work is on a wall on a trail around Montserrat. Shrines dotted the trail we were on; the other featured statues of saints and Biblical figures.
The trails around the monastery were peaceful, quiet and well-maintained.

A view of the trail at Montserrat

Even at the monasteries they have modern art.

We rented an apartment for our stay, as a result, we cooked. Since we cooked, we needed wine.
The grocery store wine was AMAZING! They keep their best homegrown wine for themselves, and it’s inexpensive.

Our apartment was very close to Mercat de la Concepción. We bought some super-fresh produce. I really enjoyed cooking such fantastic ingredients. These are sautéed cepes mushrooms with zucchini and new potatoes. The market also has a huge flower shop that is open 24 hours! Attached to the other side is a traditional grocery store with household items, toiletries, wine and frozen foods. Locals buy produce, meat, nuts and dairy products on one side, then buy soap, shampoo and wine on the other.