Santa Maria del Pi was begun in 1322 and completed in the 15th century. This is a fine example
of Catalan Gothic architecture - fortress like on the exterior but open and warm on the inside.
The magnificent rose window of Santa Maria del Pi.
One of the several chapels in the church.
This pretty building is in the Placa Sant Josep Oriol just outside the Santa Maria del Pi. This
plaza also has many shops several of which Virginia Ann visited. Up one of the streets Cal purchased
a leather suede jacket - very Euro.
The Castle of Montjuic is perched on the high bluff overlooking the port city so there are great
views. The fort is not a positive reminder for the Barcelona people. It was here that the president
of the Generalitat, Lluis Companys, was executed in 1940 by Franco.
The castle was built in the 17th century by the central government to keep an eye on
Barcelona and stifle citizen revolt. The conflict was between Catalonia and Spain's Felipe IV
know as the "War of the Reapers". When Franco was in power hundreds were executed within
the walls for political reasons.
Here you can see the commanding view the castle has of the Barcelona port and it's strategic
value.
The castle houses a small museum which has a good collection of small arms but not much in the
way of military history. There is a small room with two wars - but not much. I was hoping for
a Spanish view of the Spanish - American war. This is a display of Spanish and Catalan flags.
The Catalan flag is the yellow and red of the Spanish standard but with many more horizontal
stripes.
The museum had no English descriptions for the displays - there is a military art section that
would have benefited from some explanation of each of the paintings. This was a good sample
of the artwork.
Battle of Arlaban - 1888.
This is a statue in the front of the Castle.
Estadi Olimpic (Olympic Stadium) was built originally for the 1929 Universal Exposition. Extensive
work for the 1992 Olympics involved lowering the arena by almost 40 feet creating extra seating
for 55,000 spectators.
This is a view inside the Olympic Stadium looking toward the torch which held the flame.
The opening and closing ceremonies were held here.
The Olympic Torch - pretty symbolic photo by Cal. At least I think so.
Outside the Olympic Stadium is the Olympic Terrace lined with pillars - you can see the
white Torre de Calatrava communication tower at 616 feet. The tower was designed by
Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and was not appreciated by the rest of the
Olympic architects - it is now widely seen as a good design and very elegant.
Since 1934 the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya has housed the most important Romanesque
art collection in the world, including murals peeled off the walls of tiny churches in the
Pyrenees and brought down by donkey. There is also a good Gothic section and some Renaissance art.
Poble Espanyol (Spanish Village) is the worst 12 euros I spent the whole trip. Built for the
1929 Exposition it is just a tourist trap. Full of cafes and gift shops it is a good place
for lunch and a couple of the stores have quality merchandise. Overall , however, it is a
big gift shop.
This was interesting - a glassblowing shop. It was very fun to watch glass
being made and then sold in a shop in front. There were other artisans in various
shops.
These are Sardana dancers - traditional Catalan dance. The statue is in a park below the castle
and overlooks the port. Across the street from this park is a botanical garden - Jardi Botanic.
There is a cable car from Montjuic to the beaches - it travels far over the port. Virginia Ann
decided to opt out on the cable car ride.
A great shot looking down on Las Ramblas, in the foreground is the statue of Columbus. Behind it
the green ribbon is the Ramblas winding up toward the Plaza Catulyna.
From the cable car the Tampas Maremagnum (with the yellow railing) looks very
small - this is the restaurant where Cal and
Virginia Ann had lunch on the second day.
The Barcelona beach looking toward the Olympic port. Cal and Virginia Ann had dinner the first
night to the right of the two tall buildings in the distance.
After exiting the cable car you are on the beach. There were surfers riding surfboards with
kites as power sources. One kite is very visible and several others are visible in
the distance.
At the Olympic Port there is a large fish sculpture. The fish sits over several restaurants and a casino.
Next stop is Parc de la Ciutadella - a park made where the old citadel was built.
After the fall of Barcelona in 1714, Felipe V ordered the destruction of 1262 buildings to
create a fortress for 8000 troops. In 1869 the land was ceded to the city and a park was
created. A young Antoni Gaudi helped design this fountain.
Also in the Citidel Park is the Zoo - Barcelona is known for the only albino
gorilla in captivity. After an
exhaustive search for the white gorilla, Cal asked a zoo employee where the
gorilla was.
Unfortunately the albino gorilla died in November 2003.
This is one of the remaining gorillas.
Dinner was at a restaurant very close to the hotel. We were the first in the place
at a very early 9:00 pm. By 11:00 the place was full. The food was very good - as
was the wine. A great way to end the trip.
