Barcelona...part I

So....i had 2 days in Barcelona with my friend, Blanca, before i would join Kim on the ship....a different ship....no longer the Jade...now the Spirit...but let me tell you about my 2 amazing days in Barcelona.....Blanca and her family really spoilt me....Blanca fetched me on Friday morning at the airport and then we went to Sagrada di Familia....i have seen it from the outside but have never gone inside.....it is a large catholic cathedral situated in the middle of Barcelona....constructed by Gaudi, the construction started in 1882 and Gaudi became involved in 1883. When he died in 1926 less than a quater of the project was complete, it then relied on private donations to be built, funny enough construction reached mid point in 2010....they want it to be complete in 2026.....hmmmmmm....

Blanca and i vistited the Sagrada and also took an audio guide...this for me was crucial cause i love to learn new things and i definitely learnt some intersting points, for example:

Upon completion of the cathedral, it will have three grand façades: the Nativity façade to the East, the Passion façade to the West, and the Glory façade to the South (yet to be completed). The Nativity Façade was built before work was interrupted in 1935 and bears the most direct Gaudí influence. The Passion façade was built after the project which Gaudi planned in 1917. The construction was begun in 1954, and the towers, built over the elliptical plan, were finished in 1976. The Glory façade, on which construction began in 2002, will be the largest and most monumental of the three and will represent one's ascension to God. It will also depict various scenes such as Hell, Purgatory, and will include elements such as the Seven Deadly Sins and the Seven Heavenly Virtues.

Constructed between 1894 and 1930, the Nativity façade was the first façade to be completed. Dedicated to the birth of Jesus, it is decorated with scenes reminiscent of elements of life. Characteristic of Gaudí's naturalistic style, the sculptures are ornately arranged and decorated with scenes and images from nature, each a symbol in their own manner. For instance, the three porticos are separated by two large columns, and at the base of each lies a turtle or a tortoise (one to represent the land and the other the sea; each are symbols of time as something set in stone and unchangeable).

In contrast to the highly decorated Nativity Façade, the Passion Façade is austere, plain and simple, with ample bare stone, and is carved with harsh straight lines to resemble the bones of a skeleton. Dedicated to the Passion of Christ, the suffering of Jesus during his crucifixion, the façade was intended to portray the sins of man.

And yes...let me share some pics....

Nativity facade

Passion facade

Glory facade

And the inside....just wow...i do not have words to describe it....so colourful...the columns are tree trunks which branch out...i cannot describe...and the architecture...the whole cathedral is just breathtaking...like nothing i have ever seen...definitely worth to see....let me share some pics....

Inside

Roof

Dont you think it is just wow...indescribable....and then we also decided to go up one of the towers....and get a view over Barcelona...beautiful....and to go down...Blanca and i decided to take the spiral staircase....quite an experience....very narrow...but again...beautiful....whole cathedral was amazing....

Blanca and me

Spiral staircase: looking up

Then it was time for lunch...stomachs rumbling...telling us..please dont forget us.....we were meeting Laura, also a girl who worked on the ship, a very good friend of Blanca's....we met at a local Spanish tapas place up on the hills....two reasons...non-touristy is always better and of course afterwards to climb up the hill and get the view of the whole of Barcelona.....but lets talk about the tapas first....divine....deep fried mini-fishes...and the most famous of them all....patata brava (potatos with a reddish sauce, Blanca explained that there is always tomato sauce involved, sometimes mayo, sometimes some tobascco....there are variations) and also crispy bread smothered in fresh tomatoes and olive oil...croquettes filled with chicken....and last but not least mussels....man simple food...but also simply delicious...and yes...a bottle of red wine...sitting in the sun...what more could you want...amazing....can you just imagine we were all about to pop after that....and funny enough...it is now 3pm....lunch time in Spain....very different to us

Mussles and in the background the croquettes

Deep fried mini-fishes

Bread with olive oil and smothered with fresh tomatoes

Patata brava

Blanaca, Laura and me enjoying tapas and wine in the sun

And now to the breath-taking views over Barcelona....

Blanca and me

Me..just enjoying

Next...time to go back into Barcelona and yes...eat encore...the famous churros con choc or in Catalan Xoco....and no, it is not the hot chocolate that i am used to, the drinkable one...it is pure chocolate molten....so it is thickish...and then you dip these churros (deep fried pastry goodies) in it....and eat....no, i was not hungry....but i love trying all the traditional goodies....so yes....i did eat...and yes, i did enjoy....pics...of course...we went to one of the famous two places in Barcelona to eat the churros con xoco

Outside famous cafe

Churros and hot choc

And of course...Europe and Christmas...beautiful...in the night the lights were out...the Christmas markets were going...and Blanca was explaining some of the traditions they have at Christmas in Spain...such as the shitter (in spanish called Caganer), literally looks like a person shitting but he is supposed to bring luck, prosperity and fertility....and then there are these little logs called Caga Tio's. They are another old Catalan Christmas tradition. The idea is that in the month of December, the family "feeds" the Tio and then on Christmas Eve, the kids beat it with little sticks and sing a song and the Caga Tio is supposed to poop out sweets. Kind of like a defecating piñata.

I like learning about traditions...even more interesting is the fact that on the 6th January, its 3 Kings day and that is the day that Christmas gifts are exchanged.....interesting....so the 6th January in Barcelona is a very big public holiday....and here some pics from the Christmas market....

Caga Tio

Blanca and i under the christmas tree

And no....my day definitely did not end there....at home the family spoilt me with an amazing dinner...all traditional goodies...the bread with the smothered tomatoes, cava (local bubbly), cheeses, cold meats, frittata...it was truely special....after dinner Blanca and i took a stroll to a local cocktail bar....and we ordered ourselves a unique cocktail....of course mine was bubbly based and hers was a a type of martini....the cocktails are always on a daily special basis....so you never know what you will be able to order....

So...this is part one of my Barcelona trip....and yes...part one....was day 1...part two will be day 2....and then it is time for the ship.....so for now bye-bye

 

Posted with Blogsy