Ladee's Travels

I just took the photos, many many photos, so that I would have them to look at when I returned home and could research this building.  The Passion Facade is quite a work of art so scroll through the photos and take it all in. I put a description at the end of the post so that you could experience my experience.  Look, look, look, read about it, then return to the photos to look with new eyes. Center statues are "Peter's Denial".  The three women on the left represent the three times of the denial. "The Rooster", to the left of the women, looks towards dawn.

As soon as you enter the basilica, your eyes are confused and don't know where to look. Wikipedia describes the internal columns, but this really doesn't help me.  There is still SO much to see. The columns of the interior are a unique Gaudí design. Besides branching to support their load, their ever-changing surfaces are the result of the intersection of various geometric forms. The simplest example is that of a square base evolving into an octagon as the column rises, then a sixteen-sided form, and eventually to a circle. This effect is the result of a three-dimensional intersection of helicoidal columns (for example a square cross-section column twisting clockwise and a similar one twisting counter-clockwise). The columns...the ceiling...eyes darting left to right, up and down.

It's hard to take it all in.  It's even harder to describe and explain to someone. All that I could do was to take a multitude of photographs and bring them home to show you.

Parc Guell was originally a housing site that was unsuccessful and was later converted into a municipal garden.   You can see the details of the project on wikipedia.

I found Barcelona to be a colorful and artsy city.  My first view was on the bus as we traveled through the city on our tour.  I took photographs of the things that were new and unusual to me, and had to research to find out what exactly I was seeing. This harbor scene shows a row of mopeds or scooters lined against the far wall.  My guess is that these are for rent.  The ads of one of the rental companies says "rent a scooter and see the city with the eyes of a local".  I'm not sure about that as a way for me to get around.  How would I be able to drive and take photos at the same time?

The ship followed a north easterly course along the Spanish coast during the night. At 0615 we began our approach to the Barcelona port, embarking the local pilot at 0625. At 0643 we entered the breakwater and shortly after by 0751 we were secured alongside our berth. Wind: NE3, Sky: 6/8 cloud cover. Temperature 64.4 degrees in the morning. It became warmer throughout the day. We all met for breakfast at 8:45 at the elevators by the buffet, then made our way to the Theater meeting spot by 9:30. We boarded the bus as our group number was called and we were off to explore Barcelona. Along the way to our first stop, the guide explained that the official language of Spain was Spanish, and that Catalan was also used and displayed on signs. The city was very clean, had a variety of architecture, which I'll show. I liked the street lamps. Guell Park: Our first stop was Antoni Gaudi's Guell Park. His idea for revolutionizing town planning was to constuct 60 homes aro...

Time to leave Alicante!  It has been a delightful time discovering the city and neighboring Elche .  The day goes so quickly and we saw so much. We departed the tour bus and entered the Port Authority.  I love to go to the top deck as we are departing a port to see the city as we leave. This gives me a chance to put my tours in perspective.  I see the city as we pull in to port, but there is no frame of reference to know what I am seeing.  This is the port, the area with the smaller boats, and the highrise buildings of the central city.  High on the hill sits Castillo de Santa Barbara . This is a view of the deck as we head out to sea. The departure from our dock stirs up the silt at the bottom. The mountains rise majestically behind the city. Several other ships have dropped anchor away from the dock. This one looks like it is waiting for cargo. I took out the zoom lens and got a nice hillside perspective of Castillo de Santa Bar...

This is a continuation of the visit to Castillo de Santa Barbara.  (Click here to see part 1) Inside the Castillo de Santa Barbara walls the steep walk continues.  Desert plants dot the interior landscape. This is either a building marker or early graffiti. There are water areas throughout the walk, although I continued to rely on my bottled water when I was thirsty. Inside the gates of the castle you can find the Ruins of the Hermitage of Santa Barbara (Ruinas de la Ermita de Santa Barbara).  A heavy duty post stands ready to block the entrance to the rest of the castle. Sculptures are along the walls of the ruins. Flowers accent the area and make for very pretty photos. The old window shields remain. The steep walkway led to the gift shop and another cafe. Returning to the bus, the views were remarkable.  The blue sky and sea made it easy to stand and gaze. The cobbled road had a gridded pattern filled with randoml...

High on a hill overlooking Alicante sits the Castillo de Santa Barbara.  This was a great location to view the city, beaches, and the sea.  Obviously a great place to perch to defend the city also. The road was narrow and the buses seemed to be very big.  The drivers are skilled negotiating the hairpin turns and passing each other. We pass the fortress walls as we try to work our way closer to the entrance. Too many buses in the top parking lot so our bus parks and we have to get out and walk the rest of the way up the hill. The views are fantastic as I turn and look back towards the city. This shows how tight the turns are on the road. A block guard shack stands empty. The sheer walls have held up very well.  Little plants have found a home in the walls. I'm excited as I climb higher and catch a glimpse of the Sea. I round what I think is the last bend, and find that there is just a bit more to go. Another street cover for Ni...