Today is our last day to be tourists before we depart for the Camino so we spend the day walking Barcelona beginning with the Segrada Familia, the Catholic basilica mastered by Gaudi The Segrada is an awesome surprise. I expected it to be inspired but was not expecting such a wonder. It is hard to imagine one man conceiving of the Segrada with every architectural and artistic detail from the 3 different facades to the gothic interior where the columns are evocative of trees in the forest. The light through the stained glass becomes brighter as you look higher and floods the interior with peaceful light. It is a complex structure that feels simple and peaceful. The passion facade was my favorite. It is hard to imagine that this basilica is still under construction after more than 100 years – targeted for completion in 2026 to mark the 100 year anniversary of Gaudi’s death. Maybe we will be back for that!!
From the Segrada, we make our way to the Arc de Triumf located in front of the Parc de la Ciutadella; home to the world’s fair of 1888. It is a beautiful area with green space and museums.
We move onto the Picasso Museum which is housed in 5 separate but adjacent palaces of the Calle Montcada Barcelona dating back to the 13th century. We did not get to see the works inside the museum as we needed advanced tickets – next time!!
We had late afternoon tapas at El Xampanyet on the same street as the museum based on a trip advisor recommendation. This small place was crowded with locals and did not disappoint. It is named after their homemade sparkling wine which was very nice as was our jamon, tomato bread and chorizo tortilla. I could eat jamon for every meal – we will see how I feel about that at the end of the month. The evening will be enjoyed on the hotel roof top with more Spanish wine. Hopefully I have not undone all my training . . .
9.8.2016
Today we leave Barcelona for Pamplona where we will hook up on Friday with our Camino group. We loved Barcelona and it is definitely on the list as one of my favorite cities. The Catalon pride is evident with many flags displayed over balconies. Maybe the next time we visit, they will have won their independence. Regardless, the city is vibrant and exciting yet maintains a casualness and timeless approach that is quite appealing. We take the high speed train to Pamplona – a trip of 4&1/2 hours on a clean well kept train. Oh if only we could figure this out in the United States.
Pamplona is the basque seat of the Navarre region. Our hotel is in the center of the old city which is beautiful and well preserved. As we have our dinner of Rioja and jamon in the city center, we watch families coming out to enjoy each other and commune. Children and strollers are everywhere. A parade of “Giants’ for some festival (we could not find which one) takes place and the old streets fill with multiple generations shopping eating and drinking. Such a life.
