Day 109 & 110 ~ A Sea Day & Barcelona, Spain!

April 28-29, 2022

70's. It started off around 55 degrees for our day in Barcelona so I dressed a little warmer than I should've. By the time we returned from our excursion, I had to change completely, from warmer knit pants and sweater to linen and cotton slacks and top!

4/28/2022 Oh, how delicious a sea day can be! We were free to do as little as possible. The only obligation we had was choir practice, then we headed down to the thermal suite which we had practically to ourselves. The warm waters of the thelassotherapy pool were heaven to my aching legs and feet. After a string of high step count days, we needed the respite. 

4/29/2022

The Star was berthed right across from the working port of Barcelona. I was captivated by how colorful the cargo ships were in the early morning sun. I've been having fun looking for reflections to photograph and following the "rule of thirds" but I fear there's something wrong with my phone's camera. I have a little cluster of dead pixels I've been noticing since Montenegro. You can see them in the water in the foreground. I supposed I can pretend it's a sea bird floating on the rippling water, but when it shows up in the center of someone's smile, it's harder to ignore! 

We tried to get on the excursion that would take us inside the La Sagrada Familia Cathedral, but we were waitlisted and never got a place. Fortunately, we saw it in 2018, so it wasn't a cause for deep despair, but we enjoyed it so much last time and wanted to see if any progress had been made in the building of this sacred space that has already been under construction for more than a century. So instead, we opted for the included tour of Barcelona. There were supposed to be 31 on our bus, but only 9 of us showed up. That made it nice for us, but I felt bad for our guide and driver. These folks live on tips and they have had very little work over the last two years. 

Barcelona loves its public art. This installation is a Lichtenstein, an American pop artist. 

Because we were such a small group, our guide Pedro had the driver stop so we could take pictures of one of the many harbors around the city. Barcelona has impounded four yachts belonging to Russian oligarchs, trying to bring pressure on Putin so he'll back off Ukraine. Dubai has confiscated 14. I hope some of this soft pressure will help, but Putin only seems to understand force. 

Barcelona is a beautiful city filled with charming balconies and tree-lined streets. This photo below is of one of the two Gaudi buildings we saw. It was not appreciated at first and called a "rock quarry" by its detractors, but its sinuous lines and bold ironwork now has plenty of fans.

If we couldn't see the interior of La Sagrada Familia, we were at least treated to a walk all the way around it. The tower to the right is the Virgin Mary tower which I don't remember from 4 years ago. At that time there were four towers for the four gospel writers and the Jesus tower is still rising from the center. It will eventually be over 500 ft. tall.

Pedro told us that Gaudi, though he was a celebrated genius, fell on hard times toward the end of his life. His patron died. Funds dried up. He was sleeping inside the still-under-construction cathedral. In 1926, when he was in his seventies, he was struck by a trolley, suffering a head wound and multiple fractures. Because of his injuries and the disreputable state of his clothing, no one recognized him as Barcelona's favorite son. He was taken to the hospital for the indigent and died before he could be recognized and moved to better care. 

But his legacy lives on and work continues. Now that the pandemic is over and tourists have returned, there is a stead stream of income to put toward the construction. Plans to starts on the "Glory" facade are in the works, but it's not without controversy. Gaudi detailed a long stairway from an upper story to go outside the cathedral to a park that would symbolize heaven across the street. It was an open field when the work began. Now it has several apartment buildings on it.

Then Pedro took us on a walking tour of the Gothic Quarter.

Ruins of a Roman temple dedicated to Caesar Augustus. The property owner was not allowed to pull down the remaining Corinthian columns so they built around them!

 

In 1493, Christopher Columbus was received by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella on these steps upon his return from the New World. He brought 7 children from Hispaniola, all about 11 or 12, who were the first Americans to be promptly baptized and within a year had all succumbed to European diseases for which they had no immunity.  

The streets in this area are so narrow, they are supposed to be pedestrian only, but we had to be mindful of taxis slipping up behind us, or scooters or bicyclists who wanted to claim the lion's share of the road. 

A small group of demonstrators demanding a 35 hour work week.

Our evening entertainment in the Star Theater was La Rumba Catalana, a local group of singers and dancers who put on a stirring performance! A wonderful end to a lovely day...