Bob's WebPage

This pic was taken from the top of one of the church towers! The park is where the picture opposite was taken.

Sagrada Familia:

This is a model of the church located at the exit.

I will be adding more pictures of the church later. In the meantime if you want to see more of the church click on the model. So far there are only pictures of the outside but there will be more up soon. Check back often.

A walk south through L'Eixample district, reaching...

...the Arc de Triomphe

and the enterance to the

Parc de la Ciutadella

* According to wikipedia, Eixample: "is a district of Barcelona between the old city (Ciutat Vella) and what were once surrounding small towns (Sants, Gràcia, Sant Andreu etc.), constructed in the 19th and early 20th centuries."  Also, it "is characterized by long straight streets, a strict grid pattern crossed by wide avenues, and square blocks with chamfered corners (named illes in Catalan,manzanas in Spanish). This was a visionary, pioneering design by Ildefons Cerdà, who considered traffic and transport along with sunlight and ventilation in coming up with his characteristic octagonal blocks, where the streets broaden at every intersection making for greater visibility, better ventilation and (today) some short-stay parking space. The grid pattern remains as a hallmark of Barcelona, but many of his other provisions were unfortunately ignored: the four sides of the blocks and the inner space were built instead of the planned two or three sides around a garden; the streets were narrower; only one of the two diagonal avenues was carried out; the inhabitants were of a higher class than the mixed composition dreamed of by Cerdà. The important needs of the inhabitants were incorporated into his plan, which called for markets, schools, hospitals every so many blocks. Today, most of the markets remain open in the spots they have been from the beginning"

Once past the Arc de Triomphe, we entered the Parc de la Ciutadella - all of which were built for the 1888 worlds fair.  At the north east end of the parc, we admired the Cascada - an impressive fountain.

The gold chariot is for John Robert; he was very impressed with it when he was here earlier in the month.

After a brief rest, we exited through the west end of the park and entered the windy corridors of the El Born district, which is also known as La Ribiera.  According to Wikipedia, "Many of the buildings date from late Medieval times. It was a well-to-do quarter during 13th–15th centuries, when it really was by the sea shore, and the area that today is named Barceloneta was still an island. Notable buildings are the Basilica de Santa Maria del Mar...

The Basilica of Santa Maria del Mar

This picture was taken from the back side. Completed in 1329.

This is just a sample of the unusual buildings and it is not a Gaudi.

Take a close look - the building in the center is covered in fresco designs - very cool

 and the palaces along Carrer de Montcada, including the Museu Picasso, the 

Museu Barbier-Mueller d'Art Precolombí, and part of the Textile Museum.

Another place of interest is the Fossar de les Moreres, the site of a mass grave of Catalan soldiers fallen during the siege of 1714, which ended with the fall of Barcelona and the end of the War of the Spanish Succession. Part of the quarter of La Ribera was demolished after the War of the Spanish Succession to build a military citadel to punish the defeated city.

On the way to El Born...

The lower section of the La Ribera district, just below Carrer de la Princesa, and leading to Barceloneta is referred to as El Born after the 19th century market on Carrer del Comerç that dominates the area. This is one of the trendiest and most touristic districts in the old city. It is a popular place for expats and contains many art boutiques, bars and cafés.

And we are here...

...click on the manue above to go to the website

After dinner, a taxi home and to bed after a full day.

I think we are getting old...hard to believe!!

PS:

Forgot to mention --- along the way we visited the Picasso Museum, where a Dali exhibition was on display (two neat collections)...no pics were allowed but we all enjoyed...even Sam.

PPS:

Thanks to Nicole for most of the narrative on this page.

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