Saturday 10 December 2011
Croissants milk and bread were the fuel for our last day in Barcelona, though we did not hurry to leave the camp and catch a bus into town. Instead we took the morning slow, showering, organizing the van some more, and other such tasks.
That day in Barcelona was one to remember once we finally did get there. Taking the other line of the tour bus which stopped by more of architect Gaudi's works around the city, we were amazed at his, albeit zany, vision. We stopped at his Sagrada Familia (Holy Family), a church he designed which is still in the process of being built, though the man died in 1926. It's worth noting that just outside the edifice a small hodge podge of stands were set up selling various nativity scene elements and, more notably, tons and tons of caganers! Not just the traditional kind either. There were caricatures of celebrities, politicians, football (soccer) stars, cartoon characters and more! Yes, they even had a Hello Kitty and a Barack Obama caganer.
We weren't sure whether we wanted to pay the €10.50 per person entrance fee, but Nicole urged us all on and boy, were we glad she did.
Unlike most traditional (specifically Baroque or Gothic), grand cathedrals and churches, where one's eye could be overwhelmed by ornate designs and pieces of art from floor to ceiling, the Sagrada Familia was undoubtedly and overwhelmingly spectacular, but in a different way. There was really nothing to look at on the floor, nor the walls. It was the ceiling that blew us away. A person could get a neck ache from looking at it for so long.
Asking a docent if he could tell us but three things about the church we might not know without taking the tour, he went off like a rocket explaining many things not only about the inception of the design, but its current state, the special materials used to build it, and where it would go as construction continued.
Continuing on our Gaudi extravaganza we took the tour bus near the park he designed and walked the 10 minutes uphill to get to the entrance. Not because it was garish or fake in any way, but it reminded us all of Disneyland in the best way possible. There was a childlike freedom amongst the people visiting, and the buildings and staircases were whimsical and colorful, not to mention great pieces of architecture. We enjoyed our leftovers from the "American dinner" with a view of all of Barcelona framed by the setting sun.
Time was running out on our bus tickets, so we hopped back on and rode all the way back to its origin at the Catalunya plaza. We were close to one of the chain department stores El Corte Ingles (The English Cut), where protesters happened to be marching, displaying their anger towards the cuts in the healthcare system, we snuck in past the "mob" and bought some groceries.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch (or campsite), all the campers flocked to the social club center to watch the huge football (soccer) match between Barcelona and Madrid on a big screen TV. We didn't stay for the whole game, but got a good taste of what it was all about. There was no need to watch the game anyway, because firecrackers went off each time the home team scored a point, and many went off after Barcelona won! Luckily for us there was not as much late night partying after the game as we had feared, and we were able to drift off with the unusual undulations of Gaudi's work swimming through our heads.
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| Gaudi's work |
That day in Barcelona was one to remember once we finally did get there. Taking the other line of the tour bus which stopped by more of architect Gaudi's works around the city, we were amazed at his, albeit zany, vision. We stopped at his Sagrada Familia (Holy Family), a church he designed which is still in the process of being built, though the man died in 1926. It's worth noting that just outside the edifice a small hodge podge of stands were set up selling various nativity scene elements and, more notably, tons and tons of caganers! Not just the traditional kind either. There were caricatures of celebrities, politicians, football (soccer) stars, cartoon characters and more! Yes, they even had a Hello Kitty and a Barack Obama caganer.
We weren't sure whether we wanted to pay the €10.50 per person entrance fee, but Nicole urged us all on and boy, were we glad she did.
Unlike most traditional (specifically Baroque or Gothic), grand cathedrals and churches, where one's eye could be overwhelmed by ornate designs and pieces of art from floor to ceiling, the Sagrada Familia was undoubtedly and overwhelmingly spectacular, but in a different way. There was really nothing to look at on the floor, nor the walls. It was the ceiling that blew us away. A person could get a neck ache from looking at it for so long.
Asking a docent if he could tell us but three things about the church we might not know without taking the tour, he went off like a rocket explaining many things not only about the inception of the design, but its current state, the special materials used to build it, and where it would go as construction continued.
 |
| Someone's nativity scene |
Continuing on our Gaudi extravaganza we took the tour bus near the park he designed and walked the 10 minutes uphill to get to the entrance. Not because it was garish or fake in any way, but it reminded us all of Disneyland in the best way possible. There was a childlike freedom amongst the people visiting, and the buildings and staircases were whimsical and colorful, not to mention great pieces of architecture. We enjoyed our leftovers from the "American dinner" with a view of all of Barcelona framed by the setting sun.
Time was running out on our bus tickets, so we hopped back on and rode all the way back to its origin at the Catalunya plaza. We were close to one of the chain department stores El Corte Ingles (The English Cut), where protesters happened to be marching, displaying their anger towards the cuts in the healthcare system, we snuck in past the "mob" and bought some groceries.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch (or campsite), all the campers flocked to the social club center to watch the huge football (soccer) match between Barcelona and Madrid on a big screen TV. We didn't stay for the whole game, but got a good taste of what it was all about. There was no need to watch the game anyway, because firecrackers went off each time the home team scored a point, and many went off after Barcelona won! Luckily for us there was not as much late night partying after the game as we had feared, and we were able to drift off with the unusual undulations of Gaudi's work swimming through our heads.
 |
| Holiday street lights |
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