And Josh!
Different Pictures from around Barcelona
Sagrada Familia
Building going on inside
Front Foyer
Front Foyer
Caixa Catalunya
The Olympic Village
Guadi Park
We flew back from Barcelona on the Monday night at night and didn't get home until after mid-night, it was tiring going to work on Tuesday - the only upside was a short week.
Josh and I made up for it the following weekend by not doing a lot other than going to the gym, Church and dinner with some friends of Josh's from work on Friday night.
On Saturday we took a 9am flight to Barcelona which meant we arrived at mid-day. It was about 20 degrees but it was raining. We talk a little walk around the city then Josh, Terry and I went back - enjoyed some wine - while Lou and Paula did a bit of Jewellery shopping. We then met up in the evening for dinner - enjoying a relaxing day. We where staying together in an apartment right in the centre of the city. There is an hour time difference between Barcelona and London, we had arranged to all get up to leave at 10am on Sunday and head out for a day of sightseeing - however we all overslept - except Paula. The girls left home at 10.30 and Josh and i followed at 11am after waking up at 10.30 when we heard them leaving!
We all caught up in the end and spent the day on the hop-on-hop-off sightseeing bus. It's really good in that it has commentary and takes you everywhere you need to see in the city and you can get off at the sights and have a look around. Only the cues to get on the bus where huge! We cued up to get on the first time - Josh and i waited in cue for about 30minutes! The weather was nice and sunny about 25 degrees! We where reluctant to get off to see too many things on the first day (Sunday). We started off by seeing Guadi Park. Guadi was a famous architect - his buildings are amazing. Guadi was born in 1852, he began his studies in 1873 and was educated in the spirit of the Catalan Renaixanca under the tutorship of Elies Rogent and Josep Fontsere. According to history, he is supposed to have paved the way to modern architecture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He died in 1926. Personally I am a big fan, never knew much about him before we went but his buildings are truly amazing.
On Monday we went back to some of the attractions, we saw the Caxia Cataluna, a Guadi building and learnt all about his work and life etc very interesting. Then we went to the Sagrada Familia, which is a really impressive cathedral that Guadi began building, however he died before it was completed and it is still continuing to be built to this day according to his designs and is built totally on donations - and entrance fees i might add! 8 of the 12 bell towers of the facade, dedicated to the apostles and having a height exceeding 100m, are already built. The 4 belfries awaiting construction are those of the Facade of Glory and the 170m central dome in honour of Jesus, the tower of the virgin Mary and the tower of the 4 evangelist. Very impressive.
Everywhere we went there where these guys who had blankets with rope that was tied to the four corners and they where selling all sorts of fancy label handbags and wallets etc (definatley fake) and when the police came they would pick there blankets up with their goods and be gone in a matter of seconds - see them one minute turn around to pay and poof - gone! Terry (Teresa) wanted one and had been trying to catch one when we saw them in the park and she bargained them down, paying half of what they originally offered - not bad Terry - with a little help from her big sis!
