We have decided that today we will tour Barcelona on one of their Hop-On-Hop-Off buses. It is a beautiful day, the temperature in the low 20C. Great for sightseeing.
We begin in Plaça de Catalunya. The plaza is one of Spain’s largest, with a surface area of 30,000 square metres.
Our first hop off is the World Trade Center. Accoring to our tour opperator, Barcelona is now the number one port for Mediterranean cruise ships thank to the construction of new moorings at the renowned World Trade Center atthe end of the Barcelona Docks. It will be here where we board the Sun Princess on the 11th.
The city is hosting the America’s Cup sailing race begining in August. This is a pretty big deal here. The appear to have been preparing for quite some time.
We see a couple of interesting sculptures that appear to be floating the harbour. They are looking skyward. This one looks like it and the seagull are having a staring contest. I discovered that these are polyester and fibreglass sculptures, their gaze turned up to the heavens, were designed by Robert Llimós and built by local shipbuilder, they are called the Stargazers.
Alex is getting a tad to close for comfort!! 😉
We hop back on and our next stop is The Miramar Gardens. This the spot where the cable car from the 1929 Worlds Fair ends. The views of Barcelona and Mediterranean Sea are stunning. We find a beautiful spot and enjoy lunch looking over the city.
We wander around the beautful gardens and are thankful for the shade of the large trees. Adam takes the opportunity for a “Rocky” moment with this large stair case. The rest of us were happy just to watch!
We hopped off at another Gaudi creation, Casa Mila. t was the last private residence designed by him. In 1984, it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Since 2013 it has been the headquarters of the Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera, which manages visits to the building,[1] exhibitions and other cultural and educational activities at Casa Milà.
The final Hop Off is the Sagrada Família. This is what most people think of as the iconic image of Barcelona. It was designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí and has been underconstruction since 1882. It is still under construction and isn’t scheduled to be completed until 2026. That is 100 years since the death of Gaudi. I am sure most people have seen images of this cathedral. None of those images can convey how magnificent it truly is!! The only other sight I have seen that is also this way is the Grand Canyon. To truly appreciate the splendor is to see it in person. I have very happy to have the opportunity to see this with my family!!
We found a nice restuarnt very near to Sagrada Familia as it was time for food!! Nicole and I both had Paella. I had the traditional fish and seafood and Nicole had the vegi version. Alex had onion soup augratin to start and finished with a pasta dish. Adam enjoyed chicken scallops and Mike had a beef dish. I didn’t get photos of everyones, just this.
