Barcelona--A Marvelous, Modern Introduction to Europe

Early Tuesday morning, we all lined up to receive our passports so we could meet with the Spanish immigration officers for our entrance to Europe. Along with Ginger and Joe, who had visited Barcelona previously, we planned to take the Hop-On, Hop-Off Bus to tour as many attractions as we could in one day. Ginger should be credited with the best quote of the day--"Isn't this city wonderful? The weather is great and its clean!" What she was stating for all of us was that we had finally escaped the sweltering heat and blatant filth of our ports in Africa. In response, it is fair to say that the main reason most of us had come on this incredible world cruise was because we had the opportunity to visit so many places in Africa, which we were glad we did. Probably no would give their major reason for taking the cruise was to tour the four ports in Europe but we all seemed very happy to be there finally.

Once on the bus, we quickly learned that our choice of date to visit Barcelona was not the best because the quarter finals of a soccer match resulted in visitors crowding the streets and most major attractions. However, the temperatures that ranged between comfortably cool and pleasantly warm, the beautiful lime green color of spring having sprung on the city, and the gracious hospitality of the residents who were always charming in answering any questions that we had, all added up to an outstanding day.

British Ben, a student of Sara in 2007 whose hippy-inspired parents traveled all over Europe with their son in tow, informed her that Gaudi made a tour of Barcelona worth it. Anton Gaudi, who was born in Barcelona in 1852 and lived and worked in the city throughout his life, designed some of Barcelona's most Modernist buildings with the curved lines, pinnacles, towers and natural and organic stone as his trademarks--no angular or mechanical lines for his masterpieces. The four of us agreed that the first stop on our tour should be the Temple Expiatori de las Sagrada Familia (Holy Family Temple) for which Gauti was hired as an architecture in 1866, a calling that he answered for 40 years. His plan was to construct a vast cathedral that showed the birth, death and resurrection of Christ with 18 towers to represent the 12 Apostles, the authors of the first four books of the New Testament, the Virgin Mary and Christ. Unfortunately, when he left work in 1926, he was run over by a tram and died, without any identification, in a hospital. When his body was recognized, the people of Barcelona lined the streets for his funeral.

At his death, only the nativity facade, the crypt and one of the towers were completed. The fact that his masterpiece was not finished would not have concerned Gaudi. When he was alive and had been asked when the church would be completed, Gaudi answered, "Don't you worry. My client is not in a hurry. God has all the time in the world." Unfortunately Gaudi left no plans or notes to help his successors. The optimistic plan for the future was to complete the temple by 2026, the 100th anniversary of Gaudi's unfortunate demise. Now that deadline has been extended to 2040. Many people that it is very unlikely the project will ever be completed. Las Sagrada Familia was, is and may always be a masterpiece in progress. Pope Benit XVI traveled to Barcelona to dedicate the Temple Expiatori as a Basilica on November 7, 2010. Construction changes the complexion of the church continually but if one aims the camera skillfully, the many scaffolds can be edited out of most photographs.

The best experience that Ginger and Joe had on their first visit to the church was taking the elevator to the top of the tower to view the city from the small narrow windows. Unfortunately on our visit, we needed to pay an extra fee for this incredible view that could only be paid at the front entrance. Because we had waited almost 45 minutes in line to enter Las Sagrada Familia and had watched the group on a escorted tour from the Pacific Princess enter immediately through a side door (one of the benefits of a ship-sponsored tour), we agreed that we did not have the time to enjoy that magnificent experience. A visitor could spend all day admiring the beautiful details of the sculptures adorning the outside of the church searching for a gargoyle or a fanciful bird. The facades on the east depict the Nativity while those on the west demonstrate passion and death. Gaudi promised that Barcelona would be known for his church, and he was absolutely correct.

When we decided it was time to continue our tour of the city, we waited for four buses to obtain a seat on the upper deck of a hop-on, hop-off bus. We asked the attendant at the stop if the bus was always this busy. He used the hand motion for more or less and told us that Saturdays and Sundays were the most crowded. But the soccer finals had caused this Tuesday to be unusual. When we arrived at the stop for the Futbol Club, more than half of the passengers departed. The Communications Tower in the Olympic Stadium, which was inspired by the Olympic flame, was built in 1929 and refitted for the 1992 Olympics. The stadium accommodates up to 50,000 spectators.

We passed by Guell Park, where Gaudi had build a mansion for textile baron Count Eusebi de Guell, his patron. Nature was always Gaudi's greatest source of inspiration. Tourists often spent several hours at this visually stimulating place watching the light playing on the flora, fauna, mosaics and sculptures. Because of the limitations imposed by the clock and the crowds, we stayed on the bus until it returned to its starting point at the statue of Christopher Columbus. We had hoped to tour the Picasso Museum in the Gothic Quarter that boasted more than 3,000 works by the great artist who spent his formative years in Barcelona. However, fellow passengers who did find the museum related that the long lines to enter discouraged them from their attempts to visit this 14th-century Agular Palace that housed Picasso's progress from school sketches and anatomy diagrams through his painstaking studies of the great Spanish masters. Oh well, maybe next time.

Along with the constant and colorful flood of humanity, we strolled Las Ramblas, probably the greatest and best-known promenade in all of Europe. We delighted in stopping at the flower stalls, candy stores, art displays, bird vendors, souvenir shops, newspaper kiosks and outdoor cafes while we enjoyed the mimes and musicians. We stopped to partake of Ken's favorite pastime, sitting at a sidewalk table while enjoying a pint of beer. After our first delicious taste of delectable Spain, we agreed that we wanted to spend more time in the cultural, cosmopolitan hub of Barcelona and visit all the other fascinating places that the country has to offer, including but not limited to Madrid, Seville and Santiago. Another destination to add to our Travel Wish List.