Our Journey: 2015
Barcelona: (29 July till 1 of August2015)
As the Second biggest city in Spain, Barcelona is a city that looks like a bee hive. The marina
were we were located was in the area called Barcelonetta and was very busy till late in the
evening. To travel in the city the subway runs from 5am till midnight or even all night on week-
ends. A must see in Barcelona is the Cathedral of the Sagrada family. This building was officially
declared a Cathedral when pope Benedict XVI visited it in 2010. The place attracts so many
people that they limit the number of visitors. So I recommend that you book your tickets on the
internet 1 or 2 days in advance to be sure of getting in. Gaudi, the architect, started this
Cathedral in 1882 and when we visited it was still unfinished. The builders have started to erect
the 4 central towers. The church is expected to be finished around 2026 which means a total of
144 years will have been needed to build it. Gaudi said that his client was not in a hurry. When
we visited the place, our first impression was a great disappointment as there are more cranes
then towers and a lot of scaffolding. But once inside the cathedral, you are so overwhelmed by
the shapes and the light inside that you just keep looking. Inside the building numerous panels
remind you to remain silent so that people can pray if they wish to, but the only noise you hear is
the grinders and other construction tools. If you want to visit the place I can only recommend
that you visit the museum first; it is under the cathedral. The museum explains very well how
Gaudi was inspired by Mother Nature to design the cathedral and how he made mock-ups to
check the constraints to be sure it was solid.
Gaudi also hated straight lines and this can be very well seen in the Casa Pedrera where the
facade looks more like waves and the balconies look like seaweed on the shore. The Casa Batillo
is also unique and does have little resemblance to the surrounding buildings. Both constructions
are located in the area called Passeig de Gracia.The basilica is a beautiful Gothic construction.
Each chapel is a piece of art covered in gold. Under the main altar you have the crypt of St
Eulalia. She is one of the saints of Barcelona and was only 13 years old when she was tortured to
death because she criticized the persecution of the Catholics at that time.
Montjuïc park contains many interesting places, but the most famous one is the magic fountains.
Every Thursday and Saturday night, the fountains offer a kind of fireworks of various colors
and water sprouts of various intensities. The number of spectators around the fountains is a
very important indication of how much people like it. Lastly, we visited the maritime museum
which contains very nice models of boats trough the ages and how navigation on the seas has
evolved. Inside there is a full scale replica of the main vessel of Admiral Don Juan of Austria
(size 60*6.2 meters). Most of the time the boat sailed, but in the harbor, or when the wind was
absent, many oarsmen ensured the 59 oars kept the boat moving.
While leaving Barcelona we knew we had only discovered a little part of the many treasures this
city has to offer.
were we were located was in the area called Barcelonetta and was very busy till late in the
evening. To travel in the city the subway runs from 5am till midnight or even all night on week-
ends. A must see in Barcelona is the Cathedral of the Sagrada family. This building was officially
declared a Cathedral when pope Benedict XVI visited it in 2010. The place attracts so many
people that they limit the number of visitors. So I recommend that you book your tickets on the
internet 1 or 2 days in advance to be sure of getting in. Gaudi, the architect, started this
Cathedral in 1882 and when we visited it was still unfinished. The builders have started to erect
the 4 central towers. The church is expected to be finished around 2026 which means a total of
144 years will have been needed to build it. Gaudi said that his client was not in a hurry. When
we visited the place, our first impression was a great disappointment as there are more cranes
then towers and a lot of scaffolding. But once inside the cathedral, you are so overwhelmed by
the shapes and the light inside that you just keep looking. Inside the building numerous panels
remind you to remain silent so that people can pray if they wish to, but the only noise you hear is
the grinders and other construction tools. If you want to visit the place I can only recommend
that you visit the museum first; it is under the cathedral. The museum explains very well how
Gaudi was inspired by Mother Nature to design the cathedral and how he made mock-ups to
check the constraints to be sure it was solid.
Gaudi also hated straight lines and this can be very well seen in the Casa Pedrera where the
facade looks more like waves and the balconies look like seaweed on the shore. The Casa Batillo
is also unique and does have little resemblance to the surrounding buildings. Both constructions
are located in the area called Passeig de Gracia.The basilica is a beautiful Gothic construction.
Each chapel is a piece of art covered in gold. Under the main altar you have the crypt of St
Eulalia. She is one of the saints of Barcelona and was only 13 years old when she was tortured to
death because she criticized the persecution of the Catholics at that time.
Montjuïc park contains many interesting places, but the most famous one is the magic fountains.
Every Thursday and Saturday night, the fountains offer a kind of fireworks of various colors
and water sprouts of various intensities. The number of spectators around the fountains is a
very important indication of how much people like it. Lastly, we visited the maritime museum
which contains very nice models of boats trough the ages and how navigation on the seas has
evolved. Inside there is a full scale replica of the main vessel of Admiral Don Juan of Austria
(size 60*6.2 meters). Most of the time the boat sailed, but in the harbor, or when the wind was
absent, many oarsmen ensured the 59 oars kept the boat moving.
While leaving Barcelona we knew we had only discovered a little part of the many treasures this
city has to offer.
