Barcelona - September 2010

Have you ever been to Barcelona. What a city, full of fascinating architecture and this all down to one man, Antoni Gaudi, who had a really strange view of architecture. I cannot describe the style and I cannot profess to like the style but it does capture the eye and for that I commend him to you. His great achievement is the Sagrada Familia, a colossal cathedral started in his lifetime and still being constructed today. We flew to Spain on Sunday September 26th 2010 and drove about 100 miles south to our hotel in Barcelona. In order to see the city we took a bus tour and were able to alight at whatever point we wanted. The first stop was Park Güell which is a park dedicated to the art of Gaudi and created by him. It contains the Gaudi House and also an amazing viewing platform from where the whole city is layed out in front of you. We also stopped at the Sagrada Familia and had lunch in a local cafe. I say 'in' actually it was out of the sidewalk but with the Sagrada as a backdrop it was fine. Our final stop was at the Olympic Stadium that dates to the 1992 Olympic games. The following day we visited 'old Barca' and toured the ancient medieval Barcelona Cathedral. We then headed down the coast to stay at a holiday resort in Cambrils. The following day was destined to be a tour of the countryside. We had the car so we wanted to make use of it so we headed inland to see the real Catalonia. We found a village,Mont Roig, in the classic hilltop style where I spotted a field of butterflies and spent some time photographing swallowtails. The village with its stone walls was cool even in the hot sun and we made our way through the old streets. We headed on up the valley to the hilltop monastery of Vilanova D'Escornalbou. The next day was spent in Taragona, much of the town is medieval but there is also a large Roman amphitheatre and roman ruins litter the landscape. The final day was a drive up through the country to arrive back at the airport in time to fly home. Spain is cool, very cool. I loved it and would love to go back. I have been spoiled by Catalonia but I am sure the whole country is wonderful and waiting for me to explore it further one day.