Barcelona
It was the first time that we met
Barcelona
How can I forget
The moment that you stepped into the room
You took my breath away
-Freddie Mercury
This is not our first time in Barcelona (pics from our 2003 trip are here https://www.travelerblues.com/uncategorized/spain-trip-2003/ but we’ve got a bit of a layover in Barcelona in route to Dubrovnik so what to do?
First we walked the Ramblas to Port Vell and then crossed the bridge to the beach and relaxed with some fresh seafood and paella.
The sand you see is from the Sahara, brought in to create a ‘proper’ beach for the 1992 Olympics as well as Frank Gehry’s fish structure.
This is what is known as a ‘folly’ – a structure that does not have a particular practical purpose – something between a sculpture and a building. The large fish was designed to glimmer and twinkle, like a fish moving under water. Just last year we saw another Frank Gehry design at the Ohr- O’Keefe museum of art in Biloxi, MS. http://georgeohr.org/design-architect/
…We’ve seen lots of different types of vending machines in bathrooms but this was a first…a toothbrush dispenser!
As we rambled through the Gothic Quarter we came across the Basilica de Santa Maria Del Mar which was built in the 14th century and houses a replica of the famous Black Madonna in Montserrat. Montserrat is about 30 minutes north of Barcelona and is one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Spain. We just didn’t have time to fit this into our schedule during our quick layover. According to Catholic tradition, the statue was carved by St. Luke around 50 AD and brought to Spain. It was later hidden from the Moors in a cave (Santa Cova, the Holy Grotto), where it was rediscovered in 880 AD.
Random street stuff:
