Barcelona, Spain April 12
and 13, 2017
Having been to Barcelona a couple of times, Larry and I
decided to take the Bus tour to see parts of the city that we had not
visited before.
We took a port bus for 5 Euros to the Christopher Columbus
statue.
From there we boarded the Green line and headed for the new beaches...passing
Bogatell Beach, one of seven beaches in Barcelona. We understand that the area
is packed with vacationers during the summer months.
The area was filled with
condos and apartments as well as hotels for beach seekers. Parks dot the area
with great walking and biking paths…if only I had my bicycle.
Also in the area is the Poblenou Cemetery…the first to be
built outside the city walls in 1775.
Lots of very weird art in the parks.
This area was updated and renovated….really modern
architecture…the new side of Barcelona.
We passed the old Water Tower…a
reminder of the industry that is no longer here today.
We got off the green line and walked past the zoo, train
station, and got onto the red line that zipped us to the famous Spanish architect,
Gaudi’s, Casa Batillo (1906) and
La Pedrera (1910)…both unusually
modern facades…...
From here we jumped off the red
line and joined the blue line….the city was becoming a mass of humanity with
Easter vacationers out and about everywhere.
The blue line took us past the
famous Sagrada Familia, (Holy Family Church) Gaudi began building this in the
late 19th century and is suppose to be completed around 2026
Us back in 2012
.It is a
remarkable piece of construction…..the line to go in was sold out through the
Easter weekend. Having visited this area five years ago, we decided then to
wait for the cathedral to be finished before attempting to go in.
We got off the Blue Line bus to walk up, up, up the hill several
blocks to Park Guell, a Gaudi creation named for his patron, Count Eusebi
Guell.
Unfortunately, tickets to enter were sold out for the next two
days…Easter vacationers being the culprit….oh well, we always seem to save
something for the next visit.
We got back onto the Blue line and headed through the city
seeing all kinds of great sights…..it was a gorgeous day and the views from the
top of the bus were fantastic.
We changed to the red line crossing a huge square to finish up the tour
of the eastern part of the city passing.....
Gondolas across the Bay
MNAC...National Art Museum
Placad Despanya, gateway to the great Montjuic Park
Anella Olimpica built for the 1992 Olyimpics
This work of art was built using materials from an Olympic venue
Returning to the Port of Vell around 5:30pm….we walked over
to the New Marina Hotel to capture some views of the Harbor. We caught the port bus back to the
ship….ready for some RNR…. Sight seeing the City of Barcelona had been a very,
very full day.
The second day in Barcelona, we decided to just walk the
famous La Rambla…. A street of vendors, cafes, shopping, and restaurants.
Arriving in the morning we were able to
enjoy watching the shop keepers open up….it was an enjoyable time to just take
in the area because there were very few people out and about the marvelous
garden walkway.
As the morning progressed…mobs of vacationers joined us….Larry
and I had a great time just sitting along the route…. people watching. …We
tried to catch sight of a pickpocket or two. Every time we visit La Ramblas we
are warned to watch out for the pickpockets, that they are professionals at
their tasks. Luckily, we never spotted one.
We returned to the ship in time to
enjoy a fabulous sail away. Adios
Barcelona, until we meet again.
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