While Jonathan was still with us, we took him to one more cruiser’s BBQ at the marina. This is the usual “bring a dish to share, and something for the BBQ”.
Diane and I took a few days off to visit Barcelona, about a 628km drive from Cartagena. We chose to do it by rental car for two reasons. First, this allowed us to drop Jonathan off at the airport in Alicante (along the way). Second, we have found that the connections (bus, train and plane) to/from Cartagena are not as good as we had hoped for. If you return by airplane either to nearby Murcia or Alicante, there are simply no buses or trains after 7pm. Also, the buses and trains to take you to either airport are not frequent enough to be convenient. Therefore, it made sense and was actually more cost effective – to simply drive to Barcelona. We are very big advocates for public transit, but it “has to make sense”.
Our hotel (B&B Hotels) in Barcelona was conveniently located in Viladecans just SW of the city. We took a bus or train (20-30 minutes) in to the city each day and avoided the hassles of driving and parking in the city.
Once in Barcelona, we made prolific use of the “hop on” / “hop off” touristic buses that we often see in big cities. This allowed us to spend nearly two days driving around through the city, passing by the sites and listening to an English dialog suited for each stop. There is no doubt about it, this was the way to see the sites in a short time.
The city of Barcelona hosted the 1992 summer Olympics and I’ve read that this had an enormous impact on the urban culture and outward projection of Barcelona. The Games provided billions of dollars for infrastructure investments, which are considered to have improved the quality of life in the city, and its attraction for investment and tourism.
Barcelona has become one of the most visited cities in Europe after Paris, London, and Rome. New centres were created, and modern sports facilities were built in the Olympic zones of Montjuïc, Diagonal, and Vall d’Hebron; hotels were also refurbished and new ones built. The construction of ring roads around the city helped to reduce traffic density, and El Prat airport was modernized and expanded with the opening of two new terminals.
We visited the Basílica/Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família, otherwise known as Sagrada Família – a church under construction in the Eixample district of Barcelona. It is the largest unfinished Catholic church in the world, and designed by renowned Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926).
Construction of the Sagrada Familia began on 19 March 1882, initially under the architect Francisco de Paula del Villar. In 1883, when Villar resigned, designer Antoni Gaudí took over as the chief architect, transforming the project with his unique architectural and engineering style, combining Gothic and curvilinear Art Nouveau forms. Gaudí devoted the remainder of his life to the project, and he is buried in the church’s crypt. At the time of his death in 1926, less than a quarter of the project was complete.
The Sagrada Familia has been described as “the most extraordinary personal interpretation of Gothic architecture since the Middle Ages”.
This Church has been “under construction” for over 140 years, and although it has had many architects, there is still a strong resolve to remain true to the vision of the original designer Antoni Gaudi. The stone initially used in its construction came from the nearby Montserrat mountain, but it became clear that as quarrying there went deeper, the stone was increasingly fragile and an alternative source had to be found. Since 2018 stone of the type needed to complete the construction has been sourced from the Withnell Quarry in Brinscall, near Chorley, England.
The designer Gaudi conceived the inside of the Basilica as a huge forest, where the columns would be tree trunks branching out from the capitals into the vaults, through which the sunlight would filter in, representing foliage. Computer-aided design technology has allowed stone to be shaped off-site by a CNC milling machine, whereas in the 20th century the stone was carved by hand.
Inside the towers, Gaudi designed a set of tubular bells comprising a carillon covering seven full octaves, which is every note on a piano. The music that can be played with the 84 bells of carillon isn’t only audible inside but floods the interior through the main organ.
This is the symbol of the Sagrada Familia, containing the initials of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. This symbolism can be found at the top of the three columns: the central column, which features Jesus’ complete genealogy from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, finishes at the top with the letters of Jesus, while the columns on the right and left, respectively, features the names of Mary and Joseph. All three names can also be found on the end towers of the façade, under the balconies.
On 7 November 2010, Pope Benedict XVI consecrated the church and proclaimed it a minor basilica. Work continues to this date. The alter is really something special, something I’ve never seen before in a church.
Also inside, I noticed this spiral staircase.
Here is another first – an elevator.
I thought this wrought iron railing was also unique.
Literally across the street from the Sagrada Familia is a McDonalds, Ben and Jerry’s and Five Guys (my personal favourite), although we never went to any of them.
