journeywithmadonna

…….seeing Sagrada Familia!  We tried to visit yesterday but the line ups were unbelievable.   Unfortunately we could not get tickets on line or at the site so we had to wait another day………and so glad we did.  The Sagrada Familiae is considered to be Europe’s most unconventional church and also Gaudi’s greatest work.   For those of you who don’t know who Gaudi is then you must google both him and the Sagrada Familiae because my fingers are already tired and there is just too much to say.   In a nutshell Antonio Gaudia was born into a family of artisans in Spain in 1852 and studied at Barcelona’s School of Architecture and his work is considered to be supremely original.  Although he has many well known works the Sagrada Familiae is where he devoted his life from 1914 and to it he gave all of his money.   He also went from house to house begging for money to complete the project up until his death in 1926 when he was run over by a tram.  The Sagrada Familiae is crammed with symbolism inspired by nature, and Gaudi’s early years, and he lived like a recluse on the site for 14 years.  The Church is far from complete and work continues today and is financed by the public.    Do google it, as it  is unbelievable!

Following our time with Gaudi we went to pick up our rental car only to find out we didn’t have a reservation.    This, of course, was not true as I had a reservation #, but I was a little shocked to find out the reservation was in fact for a car in Madrid and we were in Barcelona!!!!   So after some fast talking, which is never a problem for me, we agreed the car would be available for the next day and off we go to the little neighborhood bar for wine and tapas……and have I mentioned how good the wine is here in Spain……and the tapas can be tasty as well.

The following day, Sunday,  we left Barcelona and headed north for about an hour and a half towards Figueres to visit the Dali Museum.   Salvador Dali, like Picasso and Gaudi, never knew there was such a thing as  ‘coloring inside the lines’ and his work constantly demonstrates this.  He was born in 1904 and had his first exhibition at the age of 15 and over the next couple of decades became famous for his hallucinatory images.  His work also included writing and film making and he is considered to be one of the greatest artists of the 20th century.       He died in his home town of Figueres in 1989 and he, too, is worth a google

So where to next, we asked?  Given the time of day after our Dali visit we knew we only wanted to drive for an hour or two………..or rather, we wanted Jim to only have to drive for an hour or so as Marilyn and I were really just front and back seat drivers.  Ok, so Marilyn was pretty quiet in the back seat and maybe it was just me who was the assistant driver who was not really appreciated……more about that later.   So we got the map out and found a little beach side resort that has a reputation as a gay resort and we thought “we’re pretty happy” and off we went!  It took us a few hours to get there but what a beautiful spot and the crowds were unbelievable.  We found a hotel fairly quickly but, as always, the parking was a challenge.  Fortunately we were able  to park the car for the night and as the evening went on many, many people left the area and parking became more abundant.  Sitges is known for its beaches, lively  bars  and restaurants and although there were many to choose from we found a great little restaurant that served excellent cod and octopus and we filled our bellies, once again.

Tomorrow we’re headed to Valencia so stay tuned and we will fill you in on what awaits us there!  I have added a few pictures of the Sagrada but photography is not my forte either…….so no complaints, please!

……….began with a pleasant morning walk through the city to try the ‘hop on, hop off bus’ recommended by Diane and Vic, our friends in Calgary, who were in Barcelona last year. Great way to start the day especially when the sun is shining and it’s 15 degrees and it’s only 9am(had to get that in there!). Anyway the tourist bus was an excellent way to get the ‘lay of the land’ so to speak and also to get an idea of where all the sites are so you can decide which ones you really want to take the time to visit. What was so surprising to us was how busy Barcelona is for early March and one of us was frequently saying “what is this place like in July?” as we all tried to take credit for having decided we should visit at this time of year. Fortunately we were able to find our way to the upper level of the bus so we could sit in the open air and the sunshine as we took in the beauty of the city. Before too long we knew there was just too much to do/see in a few days so we began to priorize and our first stop was the Museu Picasso. Most of you know that ‘appreciating the arts’ is not my forte but so glad I took the time here with Pablo. Born in Malaga, Spain in 1881 he lived to be 91 years young and his museum is one of Barcelona’s main attractions. For years I thought he was from France, as apparently did many others, and that’s because he moved to Paris in his early 20’s and although he did return to Spain  often, France became his home. What was truly amazing to me as we looked at his work was how talented he was at such a young age. When he was 16 he painted Science and Charity and you will have to google this as I cannot do it justice here to describe it, nor will google, but it might still be worth having a look to see what a sixteen year old boy is capable of. Staying with the theme of what 16 year old boys are capable of, many art historians believe he found inspiration for his work ‘Les Demoiselles d’Avignon’ (1906-7) among the prostitutes of Carrer d’Avinyo. The museum was well worth the visit and the 3000 piece collection shows mainly his early work.

Following our visit to Picasso’s work Marilyn and I were chatting about how our creativity was stilted, we believe, partly by the nuns who were quick to slap you on the hands if you coloured outside the lines.   Pablo’s fingers  would have been black and blue if he had gone to school with us but then again maybe his rebellion and creativity would have inspired us all.    Catch ya later………I am going to buy some crayons!