Throughout this blog, I have links to many of the pages that I researched to prepare for our trip. Just click on the highlighted and underlined words for more information.
As you can see from the pictures in the previous blog, Spring break, it was rainy and cloudy, but that would not stop us from having a good time. We just grabbed our umbrellas, hats, rainjackets and kept it moving. There was so much to see. Barcelona is the capital of a region know as Catalonia. In fact, people in that portion of Spain speak Catalan and Spanish. The area is so beautiful, close to the sea and the mountains. It has inspired many artist and some of Spain's most famous artist come from this area.
Antoni Gaudi was a very unique architect and certainly ahead of his time. He was born in Catalonia and his architecture is known all over the world. His buildings are so creative and are works of art. His work gives Barcelona a look that is like no other city. As I began researching what to do and see in Barcelona, I learned at lot about the work of Gaudi. La Sagrada Familia, the church that Gaudi was commissioned to design, is a great example of Gaudi not following convention. It is very different and strange looking as far as churches go, but a sight to see none the less. It is also interesting that it was started in 1882, but has never been completed. The work continues as funds are raised through donations and tours.
Gaudi's buildings were built in the late 1800's and early 1900's and are Art Nouveau style. Other buildings that we saw were Casa Mila and Casa Batllo. I enjoyed the fantasy that Gaudi's work brings to the city and the boldness of his ideas. Parc Guell was my favorite display of Gaudi's work. The park overlooks the city and exhibits many structures, including Gaudi's personal house. Many musicians and artists were there entertaining and the park was full. It was a great day, with lots of sunshine and we really enjoyed listening to one instrument in particular, a wok-looking instrument called a Hang. We liked it so much, we the bought CD.
My next favorite part of Barcelona was Las Ramblas. We enjoyed rambling down Las Ramblas, a major street in Barcelona. Daniele, Paula and I enjoyed shopping for one of a kind jewelry, hand-made and hand painted pieces. Preston liked the art work and the street performers were plentiful. La Boqueria, a market on Las Ramblas was a great place to buy fresh fruit.
On Good Friday, while walking down Las Ramblas, we were able to see part of a processional of a religious brotherhood. This is a traditionl that is common throughout Spain. They were wearing the traditional Capirote, or cone shaped hood and robes. Unfortunately, the KKK stole the look from this catholic tradition. I am not sure why the brotherhood wears them on Good Friday. Nevertheless, the processional actually gives me something else to think of when I see hoods and robes now. Besides thinking of all the people that have been terrorized and killed because of hate, I can think of the brotherhoods that wear them on Good Friday in Spain and remember that Jesus died for me because of His love!
Easter Sunday was really rainy, so we stayed in and cooked a big breakfast in our apartment. Later that evening, we attended a flamenco show. We had great seats close to the stage and the children were captivated. The intensitiy and the passion of the dancers was evident. The show was held in a restaurant in Poble Espanyol, a display of spanish architectural replicas. We met up with two other expat families that we knew would be in Barcelona at the same time for the dinner and show. Friends, food and flamenco, a great way to end our time in Barcelona!
Tossa de Mar, Spain was our last stop before heading back to Clermont. It is a small village on the beach that has parts of its original 12th century wall in tact. We had lunch, walked along the beach and took lots of pictures. The weather was not warm enough to get into the water, but it was sunny. Instead of sand on the beach, there were actually tiny pebbles. This was very different from South Carolina's sandy beaches and warm water.
Well, after all that reading, here is the video. You can also see it fullscreen on Youtube by clicking the following link to "Barcelona, Baby!"
Antoni Gaudi was a very unique architect and certainly ahead of his time. He was born in Catalonia and his architecture is known all over the world. His buildings are so creative and are works of art. His work gives Barcelona a look that is like no other city. As I began researching what to do and see in Barcelona, I learned at lot about the work of Gaudi. La Sagrada Familia, the church that Gaudi was commissioned to design, is a great example of Gaudi not following convention. It is very different and strange looking as far as churches go, but a sight to see none the less. It is also interesting that it was started in 1882, but has never been completed. The work continues as funds are raised through donations and tours.
Gaudi's buildings were built in the late 1800's and early 1900's and are Art Nouveau style. Other buildings that we saw were Casa Mila and Casa Batllo. I enjoyed the fantasy that Gaudi's work brings to the city and the boldness of his ideas. Parc Guell was my favorite display of Gaudi's work. The park overlooks the city and exhibits many structures, including Gaudi's personal house. Many musicians and artists were there entertaining and the park was full. It was a great day, with lots of sunshine and we really enjoyed listening to one instrument in particular, a wok-looking instrument called a Hang. We liked it so much, we the bought CD.
My next favorite part of Barcelona was Las Ramblas. We enjoyed rambling down Las Ramblas, a major street in Barcelona. Daniele, Paula and I enjoyed shopping for one of a kind jewelry, hand-made and hand painted pieces. Preston liked the art work and the street performers were plentiful. La Boqueria, a market on Las Ramblas was a great place to buy fresh fruit.
On Good Friday, while walking down Las Ramblas, we were able to see part of a processional of a religious brotherhood. This is a traditionl that is common throughout Spain. They were wearing the traditional Capirote, or cone shaped hood and robes. Unfortunately, the KKK stole the look from this catholic tradition. I am not sure why the brotherhood wears them on Good Friday. Nevertheless, the processional actually gives me something else to think of when I see hoods and robes now. Besides thinking of all the people that have been terrorized and killed because of hate, I can think of the brotherhoods that wear them on Good Friday in Spain and remember that Jesus died for me because of His love!
Easter Sunday was really rainy, so we stayed in and cooked a big breakfast in our apartment. Later that evening, we attended a flamenco show. We had great seats close to the stage and the children were captivated. The intensitiy and the passion of the dancers was evident. The show was held in a restaurant in Poble Espanyol, a display of spanish architectural replicas. We met up with two other expat families that we knew would be in Barcelona at the same time for the dinner and show. Friends, food and flamenco, a great way to end our time in Barcelona!
Tossa de Mar, Spain was our last stop before heading back to Clermont. It is a small village on the beach that has parts of its original 12th century wall in tact. We had lunch, walked along the beach and took lots of pictures. The weather was not warm enough to get into the water, but it was sunny. Instead of sand on the beach, there were actually tiny pebbles. This was very different from South Carolina's sandy beaches and warm water.
Well, after all that reading, here is the video. You can also see it fullscreen on Youtube by clicking the following link to "Barcelona, Baby!"
1 comment:
Great blog Clarrette. It makes me very excited about our trip to Barcelona in July! :)
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