Our whirlwind cruise complete, we once again found ourselves in Barcelona.
Disembarking the ship at our normal early hour, we dropped our bags at the hostel, and made our way to Park Guell. The park was designed between 1900 - 1914 by Gaudi and anything associated with him is both fascinating and a bit surreal which makes it not only a must see but also a delight to wander through.
We spent a few hours enjoying this magical wonderland.
Gingerbread style houses sat near mosaic overloaded structures held a top massive columns.
My favorite part made me think of the Central American ruins one sees in movies.
I'm pretty sure the architect wasn't terribly fond of 90 degree angles.
I tried to look commanding while sitting on this throne of rocks but sadly I think I look more bored.
Eventually, however, we ran out of things to see in the park so we headed to Montjuïc Castle to check an old Spanish fortress. Montjuïc Castle was built in 1640 and like most of its kind, it's been a fortress, a prison, and now a museum.
We've been visiting forts in the US over the past couple of years and I have to say, forts have of this era have a very distinctive style to them no matter where they're located.
But this one had a beautiful memory area and much of the detailing was more decorative than what we've seen in the US.
Dave and I discovered our favorite place to visit that day was right down the street from where we were staying. The local market. The market in Nice was a great introduction for Dave into European markets but this one...oh la la. Colorful spices, meats hanging on hooks, a variety of fish displayed on ice, sweets and savories showcased in a dazzling array. One could move here just for the cooking possibilities.
We were so busy trying to figure out if we could take any of these delights home we failed to take many photos.
As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end, and so our whirlwind trip came to a delicious close.
Comments