[6/23 Madrid -- Toledo -- Alarcón]
[6/24&25 Alarcón -- Valencia]
[6/26 Valencia -- Peñíscola]
[6/27&28 Peñíscola -- Barcelona]
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[6/30 Zaragoza -- Ordesa]
[7/1 Ordesa -- San Sebastián]
[7/2&3 San Sebastián -- Madrid]
Map of Itinerary
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June 27 ...
- La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona
We arrived in Barcelona at about
10:30AM. After we parked at the hotel (before we could check in to the
room), we each got a 2-day Metro ticket and headed to our first destination in
Barcelona: La Sagrada Familia.
The Basílica
i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família, Antoni Gaudí's unfinished
masterpiece, is no doubt one of Barcelona's most popular tourist
attractions, and has become one of the most universal signs of
identity of the city and the country. Construction of Sagrada
Família had commenced in 1882 and Gaudí became involved in 1883, taking over
the project (from architect Francisco de Paula del Villar's neo-Gothic
style) and transforming it with his architectural and engineering
style, combining Gothic and curvilinear Art Nouveau forms. From that
moment on, Gaudí devoted most of his life to the construction of the church
until his death in 1926 at age 73 with less than a quarter of the project was
complete. After Gaudí's death, work continued slowly until
interrupted by the Spanish Civil War in 1936, only to resume intermittent
progress in the 1950s. Construction passed the midpoint in 2010 with an
anticipated completion date of 2026 (or recently updated to 2028?), the
centenary of Gaudí's death.
We also went up to the tower on the Passion facade
looking over the city center. There are not only magnificent views of
Barcelona skyline, but also the opportunities to see the details of
constructions and statues up close.
- Basilica of Santa Maria del
Pi, Gothic Quarter, Barcelona
After went back to hotel to check in,
we walked along La Rambla to the Gothic Quarter, the true heart of
Barcelona. This oldest part of the city was the site chosen by the
Romans in the reign of Augustus (27BC -- AD14), and has been the location of
the city's administrative buildings ever since.
Despite the lack
of existing documentary references, the current historiography
considered very probable the existence of a fifth century church near the
western gate of the Roman city. The first reliable reference on Santa Maria
del Pi corresponds to the year 987. The Crown of Aragon comes between the
13th and 14th centuries, expanding regional economic and around the
Mediterranean. This is when the main churches of the city undertake a
renovation, motivated both by a desire to expand and beautify the temples.
In this construction process , stand out above the others, four Gothic
churches of Barcelona, led by the Cathedral, begun in 1298 , and followed
by the parishes of Santa Maria del Pi (ca. 1320), Santa Maria sea (1329), San Justo and San Pastor (1342).
- Barcelona Cathedral
Barcelona Cathedral is one of the most
important examples of Catalan Gothic architecture. Work on the church
started on 1 May 1298 in the reign of King James II. It was
provisionally completed in 1450 under the rule of Alfonso V. The
facade was built at the end of the 19th century and the two towers and
cimborio were built at the beginning of the 20th century. The
Cathedral was and still is the seat of all bishops who have overseen the
diocese of Barcelona.
- La Rambla & Mercat de la Boqueria
We had a snack at Escriba
on La Rambla, and had a quick walk around the market Boqueria.
- Flamenco, Tablao Cordobes
In the heart of Las Ramblas in Barcelona since 1970, Tablao Cordobes is a
small place inspired in Nasrid art, decorated under the direction of artisans
and restaurateurs from the Patronato of La Alhambra. Under the direction of a
passionate family of flamenco artists, this Tablao is the most important show
restaurant in the city. It offers a very special traditional gastronomy with
first quality local products.
The best seats for the flamenco show are
reserved for those who also have dinner here. Since we were the first to
the dinner (before our 5PM reservation), and also the first to finish the
dinner (I could not eat too much for a buffet anyway), we had the best seats
in house (1st row center). We could feel the skirts hitting us when the
dancers were spinning!
- Parc de la Ciutadella
The concert today was outdoor at Parc de la Ciutadella
as part of the "Music in the Parks" program. The crowd was very
excited for their fantastic performance.
- Magic Fountain of Montjuic
After the concert, I had to beg Woanyu to go to the Magic Fountain at
Montjuic to see the famous night show. This marvel of
water-electrical engineering was originally designed and built by Carles
Buigas for 1929 International Exhibition (with over 3000 workers for
less than 1 year of construction).
It also happened that there was a
pop music concert nearby; you couldn't imagine how crowded it was for
the fountain show.
June 28 ...
- Park Güell
Park Güell
is a garden complex with architectural elements designed by
the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí and built in the years 1900 to 1914.
Eusebi Güell, after whom the park was named, wanted to build an urbanization
inspired by the English garden city movement. He sought to return to
nature, health, and an escape from the insalubrious industrial city.
The intention was to exploit the fresh air (well away from smoky factories)
and beautiful views from the site, with sixty triangular lots being provided
for luxury houses on 20 hectares of the family estate . Ultimately, only
two houses were built, neither designed by Gaudí. Gaudí's
mosaic-riddled Park Güell was converted to a public park in 1926. Today,
the entrance to the Park is free but there is an entrance fee to visit the
monumental zone (main entrance and the parts containing mosaics).
We
took Metro Line 3 and took a series of
escalators up to the
hill. We got there right before 8AM and we had most of the park to ourselves. When
the crowds started to show up, we had already finished our loop and had a
relaxed breakfast at the park cafe.
- Casa Batllo
Between
1904 and 1907, Antoni Gaudí worked for he industrialist Josep
Batlló Casanovas reforming a house built in 1877 and locate in Passeig de
Gracia. The decoration of the house expresses a fully-fledged
modernist language. Gaudí gave Casa Batlló a facade that is
original, fantastical and full of imagination. The building consists of a
ground floor, a main floor with a courtyard, four further self-contained
floors, a loft and a roof terrace. Moving through the house, we were
constantly surprised by the details discovered with every step.
- Casa Milà ("La Pedrera")
Usually called "La Pedrera" ("the stone quarry"), the Casa Milà is Gaudí 's
greatest contribution to Barcelona's civic architecture, and his last work
before he devoted himself entirely to the Sagrada Familia. constructed
between 1906 and 1912, its uniqueness, artistic and heritage value
have received major recognition and in 1984 was inscribed on UNESCO World
Heritage List. One of the most significant parts of the building is
the roof, crowned with skylights or staircase exits, fans, and chimneys. All
of these elements, constructed with timbrel coated with limestone, broken
marble or glass, have a specific architectural function, nevertheless, they
have become real sculptures integrated into the building.
- Montjuic Castle
The hill of Montjuic rises 213m (699ft) above the commercial port on the
south side of the city. The summit of Montjuic is occupied by an
18th-century castle, first built in 1640 but destroyed by Felipe V in 1705.
The Castell became a symbol of oppression during the Spanish Civil War and
the time under Franco. Between 1936 and 1938 alone, 173 people were executed
here, one of them being the president of the Generalitat de Cataluny, Lluís
Companys, on October 15, 1940. The castle remained a military
prison till 1960, and became a military museum in 1963. In April 2007,
the government transferred the castle to Barcelona City Council.
The
castle can be accessed by the Montjuïc cable car, which has its upper
station near the castle entrance and connects, via the Montjuïc funicular,
with the Barcelona Metro at Paral·lel station. However, for some
reason, tripods are not allowed inside the castle (even outdoors) ...
- Palau de la Música Catalana
The Palau de
la Música Catalana was built between 1905 and 1908 by the architect Lluís
Domènech i Montaner as a home for the Orfeó Català. The
Palau is an architectural jewel of Catalan Art Nouveau, the only concert
venue in this style to be listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
The Concert Auditorium – one of the most distinctive in
the world – is a landmark symphonic and choral music of the city of
Barcelona. Dominated by the organ over the stage and with a central
skylight portraying the sun, the auditorium is filled with natural light in
the early evening before the concert started.
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[6/30 Zaragoza -- Ordesa]
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