Barcelona

A warm summer evening is the time for Barcelonans to greet their neighbors and walk their dogs along the tree-lined Ramblas boulevards. We wandered through the Poblenou neighborhood, getting a feel for urban life in a very livable European city.

View from our front row seats to the concert in the Basilica of our Lady of Mercy. She had a beautiful voice that echoed throughout the baroque interior.

Where better to enjoy the greatest hits of the 18th century than in a baroque church in the old town of Barcelona. We ordered tickets in advance for the string ensemble and solo soprano who put on a great concert.

The courtyard next to the Barcelona Cathedral features a flock of geese, always 13 of them for over 500 years, whose honking acted as an alarm before modern security systems. Rich merchants paid to be buried in the floor of the Cloister walkway, their headstones showing shoes or baking bread to identify their trades.

These ornately carved stalls in the Cathedral’s choir display the coats of arms of the Knights of the Golden Fleece. They gathered here in 1518 to plan how to defend Europe from the Turks. (They ignored the activities of a German monk named Luther, who turned out to be a bigger challenge.)

St. George (Jordi in Catalan) is the patron saint of Catalonia, so it’s no surprise to see him in the Barcelona Cathedral standing over his defeated foe. Jordi is also the most popular boy’s name in the region.

Centuries away from the Sagrada Familia, in both time and style, is the other major church in Barcelona, the Cathedral. Begun in 1298 and built over 150 years on the site of previous cathedrals, the towering arches enclose a “choir” of wooden seats for a more intimate worship experience.

Exiting the Sagrada Familia, you pass under the Passion Facade where stern, block-like sculptures portray Christ’s torture and execution. Following Gaudi’s instructions, they were created by Josep Maria Subirachs and finished in 2005. The Roman soldiers kind of look like stormtroopers.

The main doors to the basilica, although no one can enter through them yet, have the Lord’s Prayer engraved on them in Catalan and 50 other languages.

On a more human scale is the altar with a contemporary-looking crucifix below a canopy that has stalks of wheat growing up and clusters of grapes hanging down – representing the bread and wine of the Last Supper. The effect seems to defy gravity, a moment suspended in space and time.

Looking up 200 feet, the branching columns in Sagrada Familia weave up into the canopy of concrete “leaves”, medallions and windows. It looks random, but every part is perfectly fitted and beautifully proportioned.

Stepping through the side doors, you gaze across the 200-foot long transept to the opposite doors through a forest of enormous columns that rise up and branch out to gracefully hold the incredible weight of the roof. Gaudi wrote, “Nothing is invented; it’s written in nature.”

This grouping on the Nativity facade shows the prophet Simeon blessing the baby Jesus in the Jerusalem temple. All of the work on this fascade was completed before Gaudi’s death in 1926.

Our tour of Sagrada Familia (Holy Family) began on the right side entrance that celebrates the birth of Christ with a whirl of statues of angels, wise men and shepherds around Joseph, Mary and Jesus.

In 1883, Barcelona architect Antoni Gaudi began creating a new basilica combining nature and religion on a massive scale. Over 150 years later, work continues as the central “Jesus” tower (of 18 total spires) rises toward its eventual 560-foot height as the tallest church on earth!

This remarkable building was created by Art Nouveau architect Antoni Gaudi, which means we are in Spain in the Catalunya capital of Barcelona. Was Gaudi making a reference to St. George’s dragon with the scaly roof and scull-like balconies of its victims? It’s open to interpretation.

immediately outside our hotel window was a 38-story skyscraper that was a nondescript gray-green during the day and then turned bright red the second night of our stay. Made it easy to tell the taxi drivers where to drop us off!

Time to share our latest adventure – two weeks exploring the western Mediterranean Sea! We began with three days in an ancient city that also has a modern look and feel. This “garage” door into a building’s atrium has a smaller door for individual entry. (Look for the door knob.)