We decided that today, we would go to Gaudi Park and La Sagrada Familia (the Sacred Family), a cathedral designed by Gaudi. I had a little orange juice and Dolly had some coffee and we left the apartment.
We walked to the metro and found the directions to get to La Sagrada Familia. It was a short ride with one transfer. We got there and there were people everywhere around the building. Dolly said she would like to go inside so we got in the line, which was wrapped around the entire edifice. She got in line and I walked around and took some pictures which will follow.
It is a truly magnificent building. It is not completed and according to lore regarding Gaudi, it will never be completed.
Dolly had not made much progress in the fifteen minutes or so that I was wandering around taking pictures. She said that she was not anxious to wait for a long time to go inside, so she got out of line and we wandered around admiring the building.
Dolly and I in front of La Sagrada Familia
We went to the McDonald's across the street from the site and had a bite to eat. We then boarded the metro to go to Gaudi Park.
It was a rather quick ride to the stop for El Parque Gaudi. We exited the metro and got to street level where I inquired of a vendor where the entrance to the park was. He gave us directions and we began our trek. We rounded a corner and followed the signs. The park was at the top of a steep hill. We started up. The first few levels had escalators. Whew!!! After that however, it was climbing steps. I had to stop a couple of times because it was hard work. We finally got to the entrance and we climbed a little bit more. At least it was a ramp type situation.
On the way up inside the park, I took a few photos of the Barcelona skyline from that vantage point. The blue you see in the background is the Mediterranean Sea.
La Sagrada Familia
A Barcelona landmark
We wandered the park around many trails. While walking, we encountered several vendors and some real characters. One man was dressed in a animal print jumpsuit and singing. He was not very good. Later we encountered two mimes who were quite good.
Dolly and the mimes
The mimes
We proceeded further up the trail toward what we thought was the top. Not so, but we were at a restaurant type area that was cut into the mountain.
The mountain in Gaudi Park
We used the facilities and ordered some food. If you notice, Gaudi designed the columns above the snack bar. It was quite impressive. We ate and wandered out onto a plaza that had more examples of Gaudi's genius.
Buildings in Gaudi Park
A bench on the plaza
Dolly on one of the benches
The art you see on the benches and the roof of the buildings is an example of the broken tile technique that Gaudi experimented with. The pieces were quite beautiful.
We decided to leave the park and headed down a steep hill past a number of souvenir shops and small restaurants. We were trying to find a bus stop so that we could get back into the center of town. We casually walked down the hill stopping several times to look in the shops. We finally got to the main street level and caught the right bus back toward Las Ramblas.
We walked down Las Ramblas toward the harbor area. We had decided to go for a sail on a 75 foot Fontaine Pagot catamaran around the harbor and into the Mediterranean Sea. We were a little early so we got a snack to eat and Dolly got the tickets for the cruise.
The boat left at approximately 6:30 with a two man crew and captain. We also had a saxophonist who was quite good. They had wine on the boat and we got a glass and sat down back near the helm and the captain. He was quite a likable guy.
The sky was clear and the moon was full and we had a great sail out of the harbor and in to the Mediterranean Sea. It was great.
Dolly and I on the catamaran
Barcelona from the sea
We went a few miles out into the Med and sailed around for a while and then started back. The moon was magnificent! We sailed our way back into the harbor and pulled into the slip. We thanked the captain and disembarked.
We were hungry and did not want to eat anywhere on Las Ramblas. We had seen a nice restaurant in the marina next to Mar Magnum called Maritime. That was where were going.
The restaurant was empty and we were seated rather quickly. The place was beautiful. We were out on a covered open air area that was quite lovely. The service was perfect! The servers were efficient and the food was delicious. We casually dined and relaxed. It was restful to just look at the marina.
We left and walked back up Las Ramblas to the metro. Of course, I had to stop and get a gelato. We sat on a bench and watched the people. We noticed a couple of hustlers working the people. We went on to the metro and traveled back to our apartment. A truly great day.
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