5C's Que Pasa

Does anyone want some extra kale or Swiss chard?  Hmmm no photos of the boards here.  Note the tomatoes on the right.

We will have a lot of tomatoes. I actually pollinate them by hand everyday by running my finger under the new yellow flowers.

I love fresh peas out of the shell.

This was a few days ago and last night we each got another 8 pods to snack on.  We also had fresh beets as well as their tops steamed with our meal last night.  Between the beets, kale and Swiss chard I no longer have to purchase veggies.  Our carrots  are still tiny, I think the soil is too hard for them.

Loved this sky a few nights ago with the layered dark clouds, especially the sun filtering through to the hills on the East.

Looks like we will be watering the garden a few times per day for the next week.

I took this photo to show you how narrow the apartment was.  It had everything we needed but it was long and narrow.

This was where Colin hung out to relax.  Here he is editing photos for me.  Those white cups along the floor were to remind me that there was a slight lip to step up into the kitchen.  Mi amore 🙂

Bags packed, hair washed, photos edited and a few glasses of vino consumed, we were ready for dinner.  Colin had spied a small Mexican restaurant just a block and a bit away.  I really did not want to walk any more than I needed to at this point.  Nice and bright.

They had a huge and very thorough menu.  We noticed that many locals stopped here to either eat in or do a take out order and we even saw a few Uber pick ups.

I had a vegetarian burrito with the works and it was excellent.

Colin’s vegetarian enchiladas came a few minutes later than my meal and he said they were delicious.  I just realized that I was never offered a bite.  We also shared a bottle of Mexican wine as it was much cheaper to buy the bottle than order by the glass.  It was actually very good.  This final dinner in Europe turned out to be one of our favorites.  Our host has added it to her recommended places to eat on her list for her guests.  Can you believe it, a Mexican dinner in Barcelona?  Yes we spoke Spanish with the staff who were all from Mexican.  Great final evening.

Saturday, June 9th, we were up early as we had to walk about five blocks to catch the airport bus. We certainly were perfectly situated to all that we needed here.  Adios Barcelona, we sure hope to be able to return one day and adios to our very special apartment.

We flew back to Canada on TAP Air Portugal in business class.   This is the first leg, from Barcelona to Lisbon.  I wore a scarf around my neck to protect my throat and chest.

After a lovely lunch, we flew into Lisbon.

The most uncomfortable business class lounge ever.  I have my blow up neck pillow at the small of my back and with my feet on the chair I was reasonably comfortable.  Colin sat on the same green chair at a small table just to the right of the photo.  The food was good here and the wine passable.   As you can see, I have my notes spread around me on both sides.  I was writing a post or two.  It might have been the post about Santa Croce in Florence with the tombs of Galileo, Da Vinci, Michelangelo, etc.

Airports in Europe are old and small which means that buses are used to take passengers out to the larger planes that are parked far out at the edges of the airport.  However that means that one must climb up to the plane.  After all Presidents, Royalty and the rich and famous must also ascend to their aircraft.

Adios Portugal, we will be sure to come back and visit.  We are flying to Toronto.

Tap Air is nowhere near Turkish Airlines, but we did have a lovely flight with seats that stretched flat out and all the amenities including a lovely duvet.  The food was very good as you can see by this menu.  The first course was Lobster Canape with Sunflower Seeds ( I cut off the top of the menu ).  Each course was delicious and the service excellent.  The wine was top notch, from Portugal.  The staff were a tad snobbish and would not reply to our Spanish and insisted that we learn Portuguese.  By the way we said no to the pre landing meal, water only was all we needed.

I can personally attest to the best porto ever, well at least that I have ever had.  I might have indulged in three wee ( and yes they only serve in small glasses ) glasses 🙂  Purely for medicinal purposes as it did calm my cough for a bit.

Sunset all the way to Toronto.  We arrived about 10PM and spent the night at an airport hotel.  Rather then head out first thing on June 10th we had decided on a noonish flight so that we could sleep in a bit and help the jet lag.  Of course we got back to the airport with enough time to enjoy the Maple Leaf Lounge before our lovely flight to Calgary.

After 90 minutes or so in the business class lounge in Calgary we were demoted to regular economy class back home to Kelowna.   As I did in Lisbon I walked out to the plane which was somewhat smaller 🙂

Home Sweet Home.  We live in what might be described as the tail of an arrow ( the outline of the lake  in the middle of the screen ) .  We are about mid tail, at the top of the length of the lake.

After our free Gaudi walking tour Colin also wanted to see the inside of Sagrada Familia as well as take exterior photos on a sunnier day.  I was able to get a pair of senior tickets for our last full day ( June 8th ) in Barcelona for an 11AM entrance for only 22 euro or $34.35CAD, a good price I thought.

So much for packing and hair washing bit it was worth the effort.

Gaudi dedicated 43 years, almost his entire career, to this, his most prestigious and complex project.

So much detail.

There are twelve bell towers, four on each facade.  They symbolize the apostles.  Note the different letters on the front of each of these.

I believe that this is the Pinnacle of Saint Judas Thaddaeus tower.

The pelican had been put below the Tree of Life.  It is the ancient Christian symbol of the Eucharist.

Veronica holds the veil with Jesus’ face on it.

In the sculpture above Gaudi put his own face on the statue on the left. I can see the resemblance.

There is a lot going on in this photo and it all means something.  Amazing mind that created these plans.

This had been taken on our first visit here with the waking tour.

This final facade is very modern looking compared to the other three facades.  It is called the Glory facade and behind where we are standing is an entire block of apartments that will be destroyed so that the entrance to the Basilica can be built.  It will be very grand indeed but not so much for those who will be put our of their homes.

We were told what the fruit represents but I can’t remember what.  My mind was boggled.  As you can see this entire project is such a mix of styles and construction that it is difficult to see how it is supposed to come together.

So much to take in.

Once inside we just kept looking up.  We were in awe.  It looks so different inside.  Once large room.

Stained glass was everywhere. One large section top to bottom would all be in greens and blues. Another section in oranges and reds.

Very difficult to photograph as it was so very very large and one really needed professional equipment to do justice to this wonderful Basilica.  We mostly just walked around looking up and taking it all in.  Under the main alter are crypts and Gaudi is in one of them.

I was so glad of our timing in that I was there for this.  They have put in a few pews in front of the alter and I just sat and listened to the Angelus followed by an Ave Maria solo.  As I listened I looked around me at the light streaming through the stained glass windows with goosebumps up my arms.  A rather moving moment.

I suggest that you Google Sagrada Famila for more photos of the interior. We were just happy to be in the moment while there.

Casa Mila is best described as a huge wave set in motion.

Casa Mila is widely known as la Pedrera because of its rough outer appearance that resembles a stone quarry.  The building is made up of two blocks of apartments interconnected by interior courtyards and a shared facade.  Gaudi designed the building when he was 54 and at the height of his powers.  The building was declared a Cultural World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1984.

Once inside, the tour starts on the roof.  Included in the price of our ticket was a regular headset with explanations of what we were looking at.

They are huge.

Are you thinking Star Wars?

We actually thought that the roof was the best part of the tour.

The dark and stormy clouds were approaching.  Shortly after this photo we went inside and the skies opened.  Sadly when it rains the roof is closed so all those who came behind us missed seeing this amazing roof.

This is Barcelona from the rooftop.  I love all the greenery in this city.  The blue on the horizon is the ocean.

The rest of the tour had us descending the levels.  Amazing architecture.

It took a few blocks to find a place that we could relax and enjoy a menu of the day.  We were rather late in the afternoon ( 4 PM ) and our choice of tuna was sold out so we settled for a fish dish ( ? cod ) with roasted veggies and potatoes and more veggies on the side.  I only recall that the wine was very good.

The day was far from over.  Back home to put our feet up and relax.  The pink thongs on the right have great arch support and feel like you are walking on air.  The other four pair are my walking shoes that I switched out day after day.  Some days I wore two pair.  Of those four pair I had to have the heels redone on three of them!  That is how much I walked over the last four weeks.

Nest stop of this very long day was to see the Magic Fountains located at the Museu Nacional D’art de Cataluny.  We would have loved to check this place out but we only had three full days and four nights in Barcelona.  I really hope that there will be a next time.  The entire area you see in this photo was shoulder to shoulder people.  There were dozens of tour buses dropping people off.  We were happy to have come early enough that we got a spot mid overpass along the edge.  However it was still unusually cool for that time of year.  I was tired of being cold not to mention tired of walking so much each day considering I was healing from my head wound and still was coughing non stop.

Wow, okay it was worth the effort to get here.

We took so very many photos.

But these few photos give you the idea of what we saw.  We did stay until the end.  I think I kept hoping for just a bit more.  We enjoyed the fountains but would not go back.  A great end to the day.

Needless to say that Colin took all these photos hand held without his professional equipment.  This is the main room or living room where the family would receive their guests.

You enter and walk up this curved staircase, note the handrails.  Perhaps like a serpent and then the skin effect on the wall.  Remember Gaudi got his ideas from nature.

An alcove where perhaps a young lady met a beau and enjoyed the fireplace.  Of course there was a chaperone seated across from them.  This was all designed by Gaudi as well as the furniture which he built himself.

The inside of the salon.  With the video guide we saw furniture in the room as well as how the windows opened ( very very clever ) and more.  I loved the view over the main street of Barcelona at the time and now.

Now that is a ceiling.

Note the swirls in the ceiling perhaps like a seashell and the light fixture like a flower.

The four glass panels on the right rotated for air circulation.

I signed the guest book ” Contessa & Colin Jewall /June 7, 2018 / Kelowna, BC Canada / Amazing home, beyond words !! “

Pure Gaudi genius, all about perspective.  I believe that this was at least five stories high ( here we only see two stories ) and yet depending on where you looked at it, from the bottom or middle, it all appeared to be the same.  At the bottom the windows were larger as were the tiles which were spaced further apart.  Part of the reason was to give more light on the different levels.  Gaudi had taken everything into consideration which was why the tiles at the top were a darker blue that those lower down.  I truly wish I could repeat all that I had learned that day but it is just not possible.

So much detail. The family had the main part of the house but there were a few apartments rented out. This is the door to one of them.  Each one was different with a letter used as the address.  Gaudi had even made a mold of his hand to make the door knobs perfectly fit a hand thus making the door easy to open.

A hallway in the servants area.

The roof above the servants area. These are some of the  chimneys for the house.  Everything had to be extraordinary in Gaudi’s world.

It looked like inlaid precious stones but it was smooth.

The spine of what some call the dragon along the front of the roof.

An example of how the video worked, there is no one on the screen even though the room was full of people in reality.

Do you think we enjoyed our time inside?

I love that flower effect on the building.  Those balconies look like skulls.

From Wikipedia…..”The roof is arched and was likened to the back of a dragon or dinosaur. A common theory about the building is that the rounded feature to the left of centre, terminating at the top in a turret and cross, represents the lance of Saint George (patron saint of Catalonia, Gaudí’s home), which has been plunged into the back of the dragon.”

The building to the left of Casa Battlo is referred at the Chocolate House.  A family who had owned a chocolate business resided there and there are tours of the home.  Alas we had no time but the house is very nice on the outside.