Sally's Journals

After a brief flight we finally arrived in Barcelona! After hearing so many people talk about what a great city it is to visit we were really looking forward to this trip! We arrived to a beautiful, warm day with clear blue skies and took a stroll down La Rambla, the main street of the old Barcelona. It was a great atmosphere with people bustling by and street performers vying for the attention of passers by. There were also alot of stalls overflowwing with fresh flowers and stalls that had different animals for sale. It was interesting because its not something that I have seen anywhere else. There were all types of unusual creatures. We wandered through the fresh food markets off the side of La Rambla, there was an impressive range of sweets to choose from and some gorgeous fresh fruit. We wandered down to the harbour and sat on the pier to watch the sun set. Ah, romantic. The following day we feasted our eyes on some of the famous architecture of Barcelona - the creations of Gaudi. We began the morning with a look at Casa Batllo, (Gaudi renovated it),which is scattered in green, blue and mauve tiles on both the walls and the uneven roof. The balconies were wavy looking and the overall effect was quite impressive. A short walk down the road was La Pedrera, a remarkable apartment block built by Gaudi in 1905.The shape of the building was like the waves of the ocean, and the balconies looked like a tangle of underwater plants. Once you walk through the main entrance to the apartments you can look up to the sky. the layout of the rooms is as unique as the exterior with a weaving floor plan that eventually leads to the roof. On the roof are some of the most unusual chimneypots ever. Makes for a few great holiday snaps. La Sangrada Familia is the sight which Gaudi dedicated most of his life to, but he didn’t begin the project and obviously wont finish it. This has been getting built for over 120 years and is still only half finished. It is one of the most popular places, if not the most popular place for visitors to see in Barcelona. And what an impressive sight it is!!! Spectacular and very impressive! (also understandably packed to the gills with tourists. This is one place that you have to see to experience. A leisurely wander through Parc Guell relaxed us before heading to La Barceloneta. Here we enjoyed a seafood meal in a waterside restaurant before wandering back through la Rambla. Sunday took us to the Museu Picasso, where we saw the early works of Picasso from his teenage years leading up to The Blue Period. Following this we took a wander around La Ribera and visited some of the historical churches there. One of which was Esglesia de Santa Maria Del Mar, a Gothic church that was built in the 14th century. It was very beautiful, the stain glass windows were really detailed and flooded the church with colour. We also visited the Catedral which is Barcelona’s central place of worship that towers over its surroundings. As our visit was coming to an end we wandered along the beach and soaked up the relaxed atmosphere. I think we will have to visit again…

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