Still in day 1, lunch is over and now we are heading to a church of special significance to me. Well, within the week prior to the trip gained significance to me because I read a book about it. It is called Cathedral of the Sea, and the church is Santa Maria del Mar. The book is amazing and takes place in Barcelona during the building of the church, and the main character is one of the common men who carried the stones from Montjuic, down the beach to the site of the future church. The story is fiction, but the sites are real, and the church really was built by the common people of Barcelona and there were these men who carried these stones on their backs miles to build this church. And it is closed when we arrive. :( But, I take a picture of the tribute to these men which is above the doors of the church, and James promises that we will try to return.
We walk back toward the Placa de Catalunya through La Ribera, a very neat neighborhood which is not quite as old as the Gothic Quarter, but is just as intriguing. I just loved how it looked.
On our way, we decide to look for the City Museum of Barcelona which is supposed to have an underground Roman city as well as a walk through the old palace. We found it and toured it. Even for newbies to old stuff like us, it was a little boring. We knew what we had coming at Pompeii had to be better. But, we got to step foot in the room where Ferdinand and Isabella received Columbus after he returned from discovering America. So that's cool.
After that detour, we decide to head to El Corte Ingles (the large department store) for some churros and xocolata because I had read some blog where these people ate them there, overlooking Barcelona, and had this idea that we had to go there. Now, let me tell you about this store. It is like a supermarket, Macy's, Home Depot, furniture story, fabric store, liquor store, Best Buy, and cafe all in one. And the cafe is on the top floor, which is like floor 11 or something. I could look it up, but I am too lazy. All I know is that it felt like we took a million escalators up to the top. Then, we couldn't find any trace of the churros. Too embarrassed to ask, we headed down and decided to forego the churros for the time being. Anyway, it is now time for us to head to the most stunning attraction in all of Barcelona- La Sagrada Familia.
This church absolutely defies what you normally think about churches. Instead of stained glass inside the church telling the story of Jesus, it is the architecture on the outside. It is still under construction, has been for over a hundred years, and probably will be for another at least 30. I hope I get to see it completed in my lifetime. So we took the subway up to it, pausing to look like stupid lost tourists at the subway map which attracted a shady character who claimed to need money to call home. Of course, we got outta there immediately and found our way just fine. Again, the subway here rocks. And remember, we are still traveling on our T10 card.
The church is breathtaking and entirely worth the money, even though it is pricey. And I spend the next 30 minutes or so pointing out to James things I am sure he could see for himself. "Look, there is Judas betraying Jesus with a kiss!" "Look, there is Peter denying Jesus by the fire!" "Look, there are the wise men!" and so it goes. As James took pictures, I gawked and so several picture from Sagrada Familia have my butt in the foreground. Fun. And no, I will not post one here. But, I will say "Look, there is Mary and Joseph on the donkey!"
After that detour, we decide to head to El Corte Ingles (the large department store) for some churros and xocolata because I had read some blog where these people ate them there, overlooking Barcelona, and had this idea that we had to go there. Now, let me tell you about this store. It is like a supermarket, Macy's, Home Depot, furniture story, fabric store, liquor store, Best Buy, and cafe all in one. And the cafe is on the top floor, which is like floor 11 or something. I could look it up, but I am too lazy. All I know is that it felt like we took a million escalators up to the top. Then, we couldn't find any trace of the churros. Too embarrassed to ask, we headed down and decided to forego the churros for the time being. Anyway, it is now time for us to head to the most stunning attraction in all of Barcelona- La Sagrada Familia.
This church absolutely defies what you normally think about churches. Instead of stained glass inside the church telling the story of Jesus, it is the architecture on the outside. It is still under construction, has been for over a hundred years, and probably will be for another at least 30. I hope I get to see it completed in my lifetime. So we took the subway up to it, pausing to look like stupid lost tourists at the subway map which attracted a shady character who claimed to need money to call home. Of course, we got outta there immediately and found our way just fine. Again, the subway here rocks. And remember, we are still traveling on our T10 card.
The church is breathtaking and entirely worth the money, even though it is pricey. And I spend the next 30 minutes or so pointing out to James things I am sure he could see for himself. "Look, there is Judas betraying Jesus with a kiss!" "Look, there is Peter denying Jesus by the fire!" "Look, there are the wise men!" and so it goes. As James took pictures, I gawked and so several picture from Sagrada Familia have my butt in the foreground. Fun. And no, I will not post one here. But, I will say "Look, there is Mary and Joseph on the donkey!"