Category Archives: Barcelona

Peñiscola, Spain

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Sunday, November 29th, 2015.

Our holiday is drawing to a close.  We will be in Barcelona tonight so that we can return our rental car tomorrow.  Our last nine days in Spain will be spent exploring Barcelona and visiting the sights.

As we left Valencia we were stopped by the police to allow this protest march to cross the road. We later discovered that police had evicted staff from a public broadcasting television station after it was closed by the government due to austerity measures. Check here for a short video and more information.

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On the drive to Peñiscola.FullSizeRender

There is a castle in Peñiscola, about three hours south of Barcelona, that we want to visit because the Game of Thrones Season Six had some scenes that were shot there. I found a good picture of the castle at www.spain  Somehow I missed getting a picture of the castle that shows where it is located on top of the hill in Peñiscola.r_castillo_peniscola_t1200389.jpg_369272544

We find a place to park, which isn’t always an easy task, and head towards the castle, which is near the port.FullSizeRender_2

Soon we are trudging up steep hills, past narrow streets, looking for the way to the castle, which doesn’t seem to be marked anywhere.FullSizeRender_5

We pass this interesting building which is covered with sea shells.FullSizeRender_3

Quite by luck we find the right road up to the castle and we soon are standing on one of the castle courtyards. The Peñiscola Castle was built between 1294 and 1307 by the Knights Templar. This last great fortress was to become their last refuge as they were evicted and arrested in 1307 by James II of Aragon. In 1411 Pope Benedict XIII converted the castle into his papal seat and lived there until his death in 1423.  Remember all this took place years before Colombus even set sail for North America in 1492! FullSizeRender_2

We explore this interesting castle, wondering what areas might have been used for the filming for the Game of Thrones.  The castle was never finely finished as the Knights Templar were never able to completely finish its construction.FullSizeRender FullSizeRender_5

Can you spot Bob?FullSizeRender_2

Looking down the same step narrow steps.FullSizeRender_4

We think this doorway must be a good candidate for the inclusion in the TV show.

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I love how the old stone steps are worn from all the feet that have climbed up and down them over the centuries.
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FullSizeRender_2 FullSizeRender_5These stairs lead to the dungeon. As we walk down them I imagine the terror so many people must have felt as they were dragged down these very steps.FullSizeRender_4

There was an exhibit in the dungeon about the Knights Templar that was interesting. In one of the photos below you can see a grate in the dungeon floor.  Beside it is a photo of the cell with restraints that was under that grate,  It was a weird feeling looking down into that cell, and at the table and other torture instruments in that room. I wonder if there are ghosts that linger here?Image-1After the dungeon we climb up to the top of the castle for some great views of the town and surrounding countryside. Looking down on the town shows just how close together the houses are, they really are one on top of the other as they climb the hill towards the castle. You can also see the high rise apartment buildings that are being built along the ocean front.FullSizeRender_4FullSizeRender_2 FullSizeRender_3 FullSizeRender_3

This doorway is on the outside of the castle walls.FullSizeRender_4

Around the corner and down the hill from the above photo, there is a garden area with a refuge for raptors that are wounded, sick, or born in captivity.  They are rehabilitated and once well enough they are returned to the wild.IMG_2589

Can you spot the two girls climbing the walls?FullSizeRender_2

On our way back to the car we pass what must be the biggest paella pan ever.  They were using what looked like a small shovel to mix and serve the food.FullSizeRenderWe need to reach Barcelona by 6:00 to meet our Airbnb host and we are still three hours away. About 150 km. from Barcelona the odometer on our rental car turns 6,000 kilometres!

It takes us a while to find our apartment.  It is located down a narrow side road that looked like an alley so we didn’t think we were in the right place. The only place we could find to park the car so I could go out and look for the apartment is in a handicap parking spot. There really are no parking spots anywhere around here.  Just as I was getting concerned that we wouldn’t find the apartment I hear someone call my name.  Our host has just arrived and she sees me looking rather lost and confused standing on the sidewalk.  Turns out that little alley is indeed where the apartment is located.

We put the car in the garage, which isn’t an easy job, the street is very narrow and the garage is barely big enough for the car, and we get settled in our last apartment of the trip. Later in the evening we go for a little walk and discover a fair only a few blocks from our apartment. This little girl was so intent on catching her ducks to win a prize.FullSizeRender_5

The Mercé Correfoc or “Fire Run”

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The highlight of our day Sunday was the Mercé Correfoc, or Fire Run that started at 8:30 with an explosion of fireworks right on the street between the buildings.  We heard people talking about tying up your hair and covering your head and face with a scarf.  We soon found out why.image

The ‘devils’ start to run down the street, accompanied by groups of very loud drummers, and the fire breathing beasts!  These devils carry sticks which have firworks on them that twirl around, spraying fireworks everywhere!   They actually aim them at the crowd on purpose and run by us, at times just beyond arm’s distance!  
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Now we know why we need to cover up.  I had my sarong with me so we used it to cover our heads when the devils run by.  It is total madness!!  There is no way anyone should be doing this and yet here we are, along with thousands of others, caught up in the excitement of it all.
image  It was hard to get pictures, I took a lot but most of them were too blurry and out of focus. When the devils run too close to us we just covered up, and hoped to not catch fire!  We did see one person start smouldering until someone noticed and put out the fire that was starting on their head covering!imageWe stayed until 10:30 and I reluctantly agreed to leave even though there was no sign of the fun ending.  We needed to get home and finish packing as we leave our little Barcelona apartment tomorrow and head for the Monastery at Montserrat. I am playing catch up on these posts as we have not had internet since Sunday, and it was too late to post anything Sunday night when we finished packing.

Dragons and Beasts!

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This building was a bullring, but bullfighting was banned in Catalonia in 2011 so now it is used for concerts and other events.  We walked by it on the way to a flea market this afternoon.image We found the flea market and it is huge, two stories and  probably hundreds of stalls.  We decide we will need to come back when we return to Barcelona and have more time to spend looking around.imageWe make our way to Parc de La Ciutadella, to check out the Mercé 2015 Festival activities. There are a lot more people here today than a couple of days ago.  I loved the balloons and the people watching.image

There were some antique rides that were very interesting. Notice the toilet seat…imageAnd the lady in white, she was pushing a lever that made the ride move. image

There were some very good dancers on stage, I think from the ballet company, not sure as all the announcements were in Spanish…there were crowds of people everywhere.image

Next stop was Placa Jaume where the Parade of the Fire Breathing Dragons and Beasts was supposed to start. We had to turn around and approach the square from a different street because the one we were on was completely jammed with people. I have never been in such a crowd before, and I didn’t like it at all. We could barely move, but managed to turn around and make our way to the other side of the square. We were very lucky as this was where the dragons and beasts came into the square. There were people eveywhere, even up all the side streets, but we were in a good spot up against the railing so we didn’t feel as squished as earlier. Here are a couple photos of the crowd.imageimageSoon the Dragons and Beasts emerged, with great fanfare and to the accompaniment of very loud very enthusiastic drumming. Each beast had it’s own group of supporters, who were making a great deal of noise.

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The pictures are a bit blurry because it was so dark and these dragons and beasts moved quite quickly and it was hard to find a spot that didn’t have a camera held up in it! The energy generated in this square was amazing, and very exciting. I loved it. After all the dragons and beasts left, we headed back to Barceloneta Beach to watch the fireworks by Buenos Aires. The show was a bit shorter than last night’s but it was much more spectacular. There were even Happy Face fireworks, but I never managed to get a picture of them. There were also a lot more people out and about watching the fireworks and on all the streets. We head back to our apartment, get home about 11:00, we are both tired as we did a lot of walking today,  but it was a good day.

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Giants and Dragons

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There are so many incredible buildings in Barcelona that I have to force myself not to take too many pictures of them, but I am warning you, there will be a few…  imageWe happened across an exhibition of motorbikes as we were walking, so stopped to have a look.image

I stop for a little rest on one of the many fantastical bench/street lights along our route.image

One more building…image

Bob checking out one of the many book stands that line over three city blocks.  Lots of very old books, magazines, and papers of all kinds.image

This reminded us of when our oldest daughter was four and chased the pigeons in Venice.image

We watched the parade of the city’s Giants.  It was so much fun and they looked so animated, twirling and dancing in the street.image

Of course I loved the dragon!image

More giants…image

After the parade we headed back to the Barcelona Cathedral to watch a competion of three choirs, from the Ukraine, Slovania and Lithuania.  Here is the Slovanian Choir.  It was lovely to sit in such a beautiful Cthedral listening to beautiful voices.image

After the choirs competition we catch the Metro for Barceloneta Beach to watch a fireworks competition.  Tonight it  was the Balearic Islands.  We sat on the beach and this is a bit of what we saw.  This is all part of the  Mercé 2015 Festival.
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Finally, a sneak peak at a life drawing class….image

Parc de la Ciutadella and Life Drawing

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This morning I was very tired so we had a much needed quiet morning, and then after lunch headed out to find the Parc de la Ciutadella.  A young Antoni Gaudi helped to design the very flamboyant Cascade Fountain which turns out to be the main attraction of the park.

image This Baroque fountain is very impressive and has winged golden horses with serpent tails rearing over the waterfall.imageMy camera is acting up, not always focusing, taking weird pictures on one of the settings.  I am wondering if I will need to buy a new camera before the trip is over?

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This is the Castell dels Tres Dragons, which is now a Natural Science Museum but it was roped off and not open.  Neither was the Hivernacle and Umbracle (a wooden slatted greenhouse) and the other Natural Science Museum.  That was a bit of a disappointment, but it was a nice walk around the park anyways.

image We head back towards the Old Town to check out the Merkat de La Boqueria near La Rambla.  We walked down La Rambla last night, this is the famous Barcelona street, comparable to The Champs-Élysées in Pars, with hordes of tourists, and the Merkat (don’t you love the spelling?) was just closing.  We came back to check it out today.  We look for somewhere to eat but it isn’t easy for me.  I have dietary restrictions so no gluten, dairy, egg or soy, which is in pretty much every Spanish dish!  Finally found a Wok While you Walk  which made a stir fry that I could have.  There would be lots to eat if I didn’t have these restrictions and it is a bit hard passing all the pastry shops, they look so very yummy.

image  These sausages looked very interesting, and the meats were very fresh and nice looking but also very expensive.  We saw one type of roast that wa 99€ a kg!  Of course there were some ‘different ‘meats available.image The fruits were spectacular and beautifully presented.image

There were hundreds of these little photographed tiles that were assembled together to make a mural representing Moments of Freedom.
image image  The sun lit up the steeple of the Barcelona Cathedral as we passed this street.  Remember what I said about something to see every which way we look?image  I asked these policia if i could take their photo and they said yes, but the one with the machine gun turned away so he wouldn’t be in the picture.  That wouldn’t stop me from getting the photo I wanted,  so I crossed the street, zoomed in, and took this photo instead.  It is still strange to me to see machine gun toting police.image  We head back to the Life Drawing Meet Up location and after entering a very ordinary outer door this is what we saw!  The Meet Up was up on the fifth floor, a beautiful big apartment turned into an art studio/office.imageI had a great time at a Life Drawing Meet Up last night.  It was a session with a Pin Up Girl theme, and Ana, our model, was excellent, a true pin up girl!  Here are a couple of my drawings.  I felt a bit rusty as I haven’t been drawing for the last month or so, but it was a lot of fun and a good kick start to holiday drawing.

These are three and five minute posesimage imageimage

Barcelona Cathedral and Giants!

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We went for a walk yesterday, and it didn’t seem to matter which street we wandered onto, there were beautiful buildings everywhere.imageWe were headed towards the Barcelona Cathedral and decided to walk there, it was about an hour stroll with so many stops to look at everything.The  narrow streets around the Cathedral were intersting and we found these entrancing gargoyles, a unicorn and an elephant!

We walked around the walled cathedral and founf these intriqing gargoyles, a unicorn and an

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We were able to visit the roof of the cathedral but there was something wrong with my camera and all the pictures taken up there look like this.  Interesting but certainly not what I wanted! It was very windy but there were great views of the city, and the bells rang when we were standing up there!image

This Cathedral might be one of the largest that I have ever visited, but of course pictures don’t do it justice.image

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One of my favourite places was the Cloister, which came complete with mossy fountains and geese!imageimageIt was difficult to get a photo of the front of the Cathedral as there were workers putting up some sort of stage, which we later discovered is for a Festival this weekend.image

Just around the corner beside the Cathedral there were some interesting sculptures. There is so much to see here that walking is slow.  One needs to remember to look left, right, up and down! A strange combination, this very modern sculpture and this very ancient Cathedral. We go looking for an address for a Life Drawing Meetup tonight and it is on the same street as the Palau de la Musica, a fanciful building covered in mosaics and interesting decoration.  We will do a tour of the inside, but not today.image

We head home for some food and a bit of a rest before my life drawing, then take the Metro back, just in time to find out that it is happening tomorrow night, not tonight!  So we went exploring for a while.image

These ‘Giants’ were in a nook off a side street. We later found out they will be part of the Festival Parade this weekend. We are forward to seeing that!

Sagrada Familia

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We both had a rather restless night so we had a very leisurely morning.  I had an early afternoon nap and Bob went exploring, then we went to check out the Sagrada Familia which is only a short walk from our apartment. This is our first view of this incredible cathedral, which is Gaudi’s greatest work. This is the Passion Facade, which was completed from 1986 to 2000, by the artist Josep Maria Subirachs. It is very different from the Nativity Facade which was completed in 1930, four years after Gaudi’s death at the age of 74. He was run over by a tram while crossing the street near the church to which he devoted forty years of his life.image

We walk around to the other side of the cathedral and stop to watch these little green parrots which nest in the palm trees in the park.  They make an incredible amount of noise! They were difficult to photograph, hiding in their nests and under the palm fronds.

imageThere was a group of young children in the park making wonderful paintings of the cathedral.  imageHere is the other side of the Sagrada Familia, the Passion Facade.  I am looking forward to spending more time here and visiting the inside of this amazing cathedral.  Too tired today for more than a brief visit.imageWe head back to our apartment for dinner and afterwards go for another walk, looking for an English bookstore to buy a guide book for Spain. On the way there I discover a fabulous looking art supply store just a couple of blocks from our apartment.  I definitely need to check it out.