First Time to Barcelona...

To culminate my sister Rachel's visit to Spain, we made a train trip over to Barcelona (nine hours to east of Logrono in the autonomous community of Catalunya, where they speak the Spanish/French mix language of Catalan.

Here's Rae posing on top of one of Antoni Gaudi's famous buildings. Gaudi was a famous architect whose modern style is a powerful symbol for this coastal city and its people. This is actually the roof of Casa Pedrera (originally an apartment building, now a museum).

Here's another of Gaudi's buildings. I really like his use of colors and shapes. We learned about his art, which is heavily influenced by all kinds of forms which are found in nature.


Here's the statue of Christopher Columbus on the end of Las Ramblas, the most spectacular set of streets in Barcelona. There are always street performers and artists of all kinds on Las Ramblas, as well as flower shops, cafes, pet shops, tourist stands, and much more.

Another must see in Barcelona is Park Guell, designed by Gaudi. The park is kaleidoscope of different artistic ideas and designs. The stoned mosaics are its most prominent features.



Here Rachel is going down the spiral stairs of the Sagrada Familia temple (Temple of the Holy Family)... also designed by Gaudi. This monstrosity of modern architecture is so massive and so complex that it isn't expected to be completed until 2026 (the 100th anniversary of Gaudi's death). The construction started back in 1882; so, for over a century tourists have been getting used to the sight of the amazing church surrounded by cranes.

It looks like a giant sand castle.



Here is the cathedral of Barcelona... also under construction. And below is the choir inside.


The last picture of Barcelona I'll leave you with is again of Las Ramblas. It's a stretch of three streets in a row that have a large walkway in the middle where there are always large crowds of people strolling through shops and sitting under canopied tables eating tapas and sipping pint-size eight-Euro sangrias. It's exceptional.