Mediterranean — 2010

Catedral de la Sagrada Familia

We arrived in the port of Barcelona about noon and 8 of our Grant Park group took the Gaudi’s Barcelona tour that left about 1:00.  Our first stop was a home in the city that the architect Antonio Gaudi designed.  From there we went to Parc Guell.  Gaudi envisioned that he would build 60 homes up in the hills overlooking the city, but just 3 were built.  Only one, the home he lived in and sold to an Italian couple (who eventually donated it to the city of Barcelona) exists today as a museum.  The Parc is an amazing place, with a square designed as a gathering place for the community and several pavilions that look like Hansel and Gretel houses.  Gaudi’s assistant, Frank Berenguer, was a Brothers Grimm fan and his influence can be seen in many of the designs.  We left Parc Guell and went to Gaudi’s most famous work, the Catedral de la Familia (Holy Family Cathedral).  Cranes and scaffolding surround the structure.  It never was intended to be a church, but services are held in the crypt today.  Gaudi is buried in the crypt.  He died after being hit by a trolley in 1926 at the age of 74.  Building the cathedral was begun in 1882, and it is still unfinished today.  The budget for 2010 is  € 20 million and it is hoped it can be completed by 2035, although many believe it will never be finished.  The cathedral will hold 10,000 worshipers plus 1,500 choir members.  We returned to the ship around 5:00, had happy hour in the Ocean Bar and dinner in the dining room.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

It was raining hard at 8:00, but when our group of 9 from Grant Park headed out at 10:00 it had almost stopped.  We took the shuttle to the Christopher Columbus monument where we started our exploration of this beautiful city on foot.  We walked along Las Ramblas, where there are many outdoor cafes and booths selling all sorts of souvenirs.  We found the Arc de Triomf, and strolled the lovely Parc de la Ciutadella that is by the Arc.  We stopped for some lunch in the old part of town.  Then we walked to the Cathedral Santa Eulalia, which is covered by scaffolding and not much to look at from the outside.  Marylee and Barbara went inside and saw some wonderful artwork in the many chapels that line the walls of the cathedral.  Lynn and Jim went to the Picasso Museum from here, while the rest of us went back to the ship, arriving at about 4:00.  Jay and Barbara did a quick change and played Team Trivia at 4:30 (tough again) and had happy hour at 5:00.  All of us were in the dining room for dinner.  Everyone loved Barcelona.  We would have liked to have seen the crew show at 11:00, but it was lights out at 9:30.

© Jay 2020