Barcelona & the Art of Religion

RyanAir's cheap flights take you to small out of the way airports. My flight to Barcelona actually landed me 88 kilometers away in Girona. Worries that Sunday's schedule would delay my getting to the actual city were unnecessary. Several buses were waiting and ready to take us on the 75 minute journey. A twenty minute walk brought me to my hostel, Soul Backpackers, filled with very friendly 20 somethings. (It was also an easy place to remember as a Desigual Outlet store was right next door, although I resisted the urge to even look!) After settling in, I headed out, starving after nearly ten hours since my last meal and only a gelato between. Lots of little restaurants filled the streets, most of them Chinese or Indian, but I really wanted Spanish. Finding one with outdoor seating, I asked a family who looked like they were enjoying their dinner if they recommended it. Getting a very enthusiastic "Yes!", I went inside. It turned out to be an Argentinean Restaurant, Alfonsina. I so enjoyed the fresh mozzarella salad, empanadas and atmosphere. It was family run and they loved their business. 

After indulging in their homemade tiramisu I took a long walk back to my hostel. The next morning, I enjoyed my Starbucks instant (Thank you Charlotte!) and took care of laundry, before heading over to La Sagrada Familia. This basilica was designed by Antonio Gaudí and is still under construction. Since it is still receiving funding for building, visitors like me who pay to tour the church are said to have a place in heaven. Good to know, just in case my two Compostellas are not enough. At first, this building seems too modern and eccentric, but once I understand Gaudi's geometrical mind and natures influence, it became much more beautiful and symbolic. 

There are two facades completed and a third to be built. East is the Nativity, with nature and angels and the holy family celebrating new life. The stained glass windows here are blue and green to reflect new life and the rising sun. 

West is the Passion, death and suffering, there is only hard stone and sorrow. The windows are red to symbolize blood and the sunset of life.  

The use of geometrical shapes brings lots of natural light into the church and the columns designed as trees provide incredible support and a natural beauty to the incredibly high domed ceilings. 

Although Gaudi died just after the first tower was finished, he left extensive 3D models for new generations of architects and builders to follow. The interior of the church is done, but there is still major work left for the exterior. To date eight towers are finished and ten more are under construction. The church is expected to be completed in 2026, 100 years after his death. 

 

I had booked a tower tour as well and took in my first real sights of Barcelona from the top of its most famous architect's beloved project. 

Since my time in Barcelona was so limited, I did the bus tour of all its famous sights. Gaudí designed quite a few buildings, homes and even a park that are must sees in this city. Unfortunately, the bus is never quite close enough to see them and the weather and time factor has left me wanting to see more of this incredible city. 

Hopefully I'll have that opportunity on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning before I return to Germany. For now, it is time to eat my take home empanadas and share a bottle of Tempranillo, then pack and ready for the adventure to Montserrat.

Forty km west of Barcelona lies Montserrat, a saw-toothed outcrop left exposed to erosion when the inland sea that covered the area around 25 million years ago retreated. 

The Black Virgin or La Moreneta, was supposedly hidden by St. Peter (the statue is actually a 12th century Byzantine carving) in a cave here. This holy treasure is responsible for the monastery's existence. Miracles have abounded and it became a pilgrimage center second only to Santiago de Compostella. It enjoyed great prosperity until Napolean devastated it in 1811. After being suppressed in1835 it has now become a national symbol for Catalans. The basilica is from 1560 and La Moreneta stands behind the altar.  

There are several hiking trails on the mountain exploring various caves and hermitages as well as to the peak of St. Jerome at 1236 meters. 

Goethe wrote: "nowhere but in his own Montserrat will man find happiness and peace."  It is a peaceful mountain, at least it became so when the youth tour group left. The mountain was covered in light fog and it was very moist on the trails. As it was a bit late in the afternoon, only a few other people were out wandering. The Spanish use length of time for trails and this one was listed for 1:05 hrs to the peak. They must have used one of the mountain goats to measure that! 

After spending my few hours out on the trails, I cleaned up at the hotel and made my way to the church to hear the Boy's Choir, it is one of the oldest in Europe. At first, it's only the priests and monks who sing, and I wondered if the "boys" had been there a bit too long as well. But then the true boys came to the altar and joined in, some looked as young as 6 or 7 and the eldest 12. After the elders left, the boys sang "Salve Regina" with the organ music. It was beautiful to both see and hear. Dinner in the 16th stone hall topped the tranquil day away from the big city. 

Late breakfast and another hike in the morning before departure. Off to Santa Cova or the Holy Cave, where the original La Moreneta was found.The skies are mostly clear and sunny. Perfect weather for wandering! 

Along the path are many works of art depicting the Mystery of the Rosary. This one depicting Christ's rising is by Gaudí. 

Enough time to climb midway up my trail from yesterday and check out another hermitage/refuge, Sant Bernt. The place looked lived in and I heard a dog behind the door. A quick picnic looking towards those Pyrenees that I crossed over in June.  

Time to descend the mountain via cable car and return to the bustling, sprawling city of Barcelona. 

Arriving in Plaza España, I took the opportunity to walk the sights on my way to my hostel. I saw quite a bit along the route I had taken before with the tour bus. 

After lugging my suitcase along for the hours stroll, I was happy to give it a home for the night. I ventured out again this time towards the Olympic Park by the Mediterranean Sea and the port. 

I liked seeing the Olympic related sports complexes as they were held in 1992. A very special year! 

Oh no! There was a Desiqual store right in my way! 

Luckily my size is hard to find! 

My feet were beginning to complain about all the time spent walking (including the few hours of hiking in Montserrat!), so I found a nice port side restaurant to relax in and enjoy some Barcelona Seafood Rice and a glass of Tempranillo wine. Had the added bonus of watching a magnificent sunset behind some mega luxury yachts. Getting a delicious gelato to go for dessert, I finished my mega wandering day by getting lost. My battery had died and without google maps, I had no idea which way to go. Flagging a taxi, I was delivered to my doorstep, costing me just 4 Euros. Yay! Thank you Guardian Angel! Another great adventure comes towards its end. 

Mediterranean Adventures

It took three buses and nearly five hours of driving to reach the east coast of Sardinia. The drive through relatively flat western Sassari into hilly Nuoro and mountainous Dorgali was fantastically varied. From sheep grazing fields and vineyards to manzanita, prickly pear cactus and low growth coastal trees. From big city apartment buildings, factories, Decathlon stores and car lots to nuraghe ruins and farm houses. The two lane road cut through it all and then ascended into mountains carved from limestone through the narrowest streets of old villages. Hairpin turns and a tunnel finally brought us to the eastern edge of Sardinia and Cala Gonone. There were several times I wish I could have asked the bus driver to stop for picture taking!

After picnicking on Sardininan bread, cheese and grapes and watching the sunset behind the mountains at the beach, I made my way to the rooftop at my hotel. The views over the harbor and south to the beaches is spectacular! This also seems to be the only place that receives WIFI. Looking up at the billions of stars, I was able to FaceTime home. Connecting and sharing is what keeps me going. Unfortunately, iPhones don't make good cameras for the stars, but the clear and brilliant view is forever in my memories. 

Early morning sunrise sent me back to the rooftop! Wow!!

Cloudy and windy, I readied myself for my days hike to Cala Luna, packing leftover picnic goodies and my handy shawl. It wasn't long before the wind died down and the sun began to blaze. Part of the walk is on a quiet road that dead ends at Cala Fuili. It was between the residential end and a doggy beach that I acquired a companion. The cute puppy looked part Great Dane, and had her own mind to wander. We ventured down to the doggy beach to see if anyone might know her, but the beach was deserted. Climbing through a closed off area we really bonded as we tried to find our way back to main road fighting our way through the shrubbery. I used hand signals to caution for the dog when cars came down the road, stopped a few more curious folks to see if they'd take her back to town, but she stayed nearby until we arrived at Cala Fuili. Many people stop here and hang out on the beach and I suppose it was my puppy friend's idea of a great time so we parted ways at the trail head. I continúed the next six miles through rocky terrain until I reached Cala Luna. 

The trail had lots of scrambling elements and would probably have been easier to do in hiking shoes rather than my gym sneakers, but I loved being on a real trail. And most of the time, I could hear the crashing of the waves below and behind the thick shrubs. When the view finally opened up, it was incredible. The sand so white and the water aquamarine and dark blue. I loved the high cliffs, and so do many climbers as evidenced by the loads of people carrying their gear in (by boat). Boat charters ferry people in and out of these beaches along the Orosel Gulf as many are unreachable otherwise. Many grottos and caves are also found here and diving is another popular sport. I was just happy to walk and then rest on the beautiful beach. Enjoying the waves and relative peace of the sea for just a while. My return hike was just as pretty and just as hot. Funny because those clouds sure hung around while I tried to nap on the cold beach! I checked in with the pup at Cala Fuili and she was still lying on some attentive persons blanket. I left her to it and wished her a good life. Back in Cala Galone and all cleaned up, I made my way to buy bus tickets and dinner. Tomorrow it's back on the buses to return west. Just a little while longer to enjoy Sardinia, I'm going to make the best of it!

One quick capture of the rising sun east side before my first bus. 

The return trip was relatively painless as each bus was on time and so was I. Arriving in Alghero at 3:00, I quickly changed and headed out to see if I could arrange a trip to Neptune Grotto before my departure tomorrow. Quite by chance (after a stop for gelato) I came to a boat, filled with Germans, readying for the grotto tour. As I interestingly read the information stand, one of the crew encouraged me to come aboard as they had a place left. Wearing my dress and flip flops, I was a bit concerned that I was inappropriately dressed for this adventure. He assured me it'd be fine and aboard I went. The sun was very warm, but once the wind kicked up, I was cold. Braving the elements, we reached the cave in about 30 minutes. The tour was very similar to the one I had in Slovenia, but this location was quite different having arrived by sea. In the 1950's they finally put in stairs, 654 of them, to make the cave accessible to more people. The stalactites also grow in all different directions here, making the ceiling look like coral. I had no trouble maneuvering the cave walkways, but I was surprised some of the Germans stayed behind on the boat fearing slippery conditions. The ride back was beautiful, watching the other boats head out for sunset cruises and approaching the walled city from the sea. 

Some nuraghe ruins at the top here. 

My balcony (at a different & more central B&B here in Alghero) overlooks the beach. The sunset was stunning and I took lots of pictures, but capturing this heart was my favorite!

A full day from east to west. One last night to enjoy Sardinia. Changed again for the cooler weather, I'm back at my favorite Sardinian restaurant from Day 1. This time for the seafood menu. Yum!!