March 15

Barcelona:  Gaudi Archiecture Excursion

What a great day!  From the moment we got up and watched the sun rise over the Mediterranean we had breakfast, through the entire afternoon as we toured from a little after 8 am until almost 2 pm, it was just a sensational day of weather, sights/sounds, and being on a great trip!

We met in the theater and had no longer taken our seat than they called our bus number and we were off.  We drove through Barcelona and got the "highlights" tour as we headed to Park Güell which featured architecture from one of the most renowned architects of Spain (and the world), Antoni Gaudi.  The passage ways and columns look like they are natural stone, but they were all constructed via Gaudi's designs.  The park itself had a lot of shops and you could see the covered courtyard from the base of the steps.  And on top of the covered courtyard, the top level is where they have a market which features a panoramic view of Barcelona.  Inside the courtyard there were ninety columns planned, but Gaudi eliminated four of them and only put the top of them on the ceiling and colored them to reflect the four seasons (you can see three of them in the photo below).  We took a selfie on the steps down to the park and had photos taken of each couple at the base of the stairs.

One

The next stop was THE HIGHLIGHT of the day and for anyone visiting Barcelona, a trip to the Basilica de La Sagrada Familia.  Designed by Antoni Gaudi, construction began in the late 1880s and it's not scheduled for completion until 2026.  For the most part they continue to follow Gaudi's original plans - although is some controversy that the current architects have infused their own twists into the construction.  The photos below you see the ongoing construction from the outside; and then a close-up of the facade.  According to our guide, if you know your Bible the facade tells the stories from the Bible.  The third photo is a model of the cathedral....what is colored gray has been completed, what is colored beige has to be done by 2026 to meet the deadline.  AND at that time the two blocks of buildings in front of the basilica will be demolished to make way for a park - apparently the original owners had to sign a promisory deed/note that they were aware that would happen upon completion of the basilica!  The next photo is moving your view to the top above all the Bible carvings - the tree is to represent heaven.  The next two photos are of the interior - the alter and above the main door.  And finally the group photo of us outside this iconic stop.

When we left and returned to the bus we spent an hour touring around the city seeing the sites as we made out way back to the Viking Star........

We grabbed lunch and then we split up.  The girls headed to the Infinity Pool and then met Dan at the gym.  I literally spent almost the entire four hours putting these pics together and building the web page - but hey, that's what I like to do!  This evening we set sail at 6 pm and are headed for Marseilles, France!