Saturday and Sunday we spent within the confines of the cosy Vilanova Park bubble. We swam in the pool, relaxed on deck chairs, played ping pong, ate all our meals outside, sipped Sangria on the restaurant deck, read books and more or less lazed about. I was so relaxed I didn't even need a massage from the wellness centre. The whole place itself is a wellness centre.
It's amazing how cheap this place is for what you get. The grounds are beautifully kept, the pool area is equipped with a lifeguard and would rival that of a 5 star resort and there are heaps of things to keep you busy. I tried out the salsa class on Sunday morning and had a ball. There were quite a few people there and an impressive number of guys ranging from boys with their families, young guys with their girlfriends and older men with their wives. Although in Spanish, I could easily understand universal words such as samba, rumba, mambo and cha cha, and eventually worked out key phrases such as double time, turn and freeze. Soon enough I had worked up quite a sweat, despite standing in the shade of a tree, and had a much needed swim to cool off.
On Monday we headed into Barcelona to see the sights. As we planned to have only this one day in the city we wanted to make the most of it. After a noisy bus ride to Vilanova train station (the ticket machine was broken and continuously made a high pitched beeping sound) and a pleasant train trip alarmingly close to the coast we were in the centre.
For the first time yet, we purchased tickets for a sightseeing tour on one of the double decker buses with the open roof. We sat at the top with sunnies, hats and long sleeved shirts with the collars up. Oh so cool. It was a great to get around town and see the city as opposed to traveling to each destination underground via the metro. Plus it had audio commentary in English to point out the sites.
Barcelona, geographically speaking, is a very interesting city. It is bound on one side by the Mediterranean and is completely enclosed by a rim of mountains on the other. This has limited its ability to spread out but the wider metropolitan area still houses over 5 million people.
Barcelona has undergone a monumental transformation in recent decades and is now a vibrant place to work and live. We wound our way along gorgeous tree lined avenues, past very interestingly designed buildings and through some very popular shopping districts. The 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games really aided the city's development and the old industrial area south of city was completely redesigned to accommodate the games, including several new man made beaches. We drove right past the modest Olympic Stadium which is set on the side of a mountain and surrounded by lush parkland.
We hopped off near here and had a lunch of Paella and Sangria with a spectacular view of the city, beaches and port. Being quite high up, we caught a cable car down to the beach and walked along Baceloneta Beach, voted the worlds best urban beach and the third best beach in the world by National Geographic. Although it didn't seem like anything special to us. We then popped back on the bus and headed back through the city.
Our next stop off was the Sagrada Familia, the city's newest Basilica and the international symbol of Barcelona. We had seen it dominating the landscape from where we ate lunch and couldn't wait to inspect it close up. Designed by innovative Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi, the church is unlike any other place of worship and cannot fail to inspire and amaze you. What you're about to read is quite an epic description, but I can't help myself. It was such a special place.
Construction started in 1882 and today, after 129 years of work, the church is roughly 60% complete. It has taken this long for two reasons- firstly, construction is funded entirely by donations (not by the Catholic Church or the city of Barcelona) and so the speed of construction is dictated by the amount of money available. Secondly, the church is so complex in design that it is very time consuming to construct. If the same methods used in the 1800s were used to build the church, it would take several centuries years to complete. Luckily, with the use of computer technologies, the process has been dramatically sped up and the aim is to complete the Basilica by 2026, the centenary of Gaudi's death.
The finished product will have 18 towers - 12 dedicated to the apostles, 4 for the evangelists, 1 for Mary and, at the centre and rising to a height of 170 meters, one for Jesus. There are presently only 8 towers and this in itself is an amazing sight. The roof was recently finished and the church only officially became a church in November last year after a consecration by the Pope. 6500 people were present inside the church for the occasion (although it can actually fit 9000 people including a 1000 strong choir) and there were 50,000 people who celebrated in the streets. Those outside were served communion by 100 bishops and 300 priests!
There are so many things about this church that make it truly unique and unlike anything we saw in the UK or Paris. It certainly takes the concept of a church to a new level.
There are three very different facades. The first, called The Nativity, represents the birth and childhood of Christ. It is the only facade Gaudi lived to see. The second, The Passion, tells the story of the last days of Christ. It is starkly contrasted to The Nativity, and the current architect has interpreted Gaudi's instructions accurately but has left his own distinct artistic impression. Both of these are so detailed and so brilliant that it is impossible to describe them. The audio guide (which was the best so far and highly recommended) did a magnificent job of explaining each section of the facade and left no symbol, sculptor or shape unexplained. The third facade, The Glory, has barely begun to take shape. As yet only the bronze door exists with the Lord's Prayer written in Catalan and the phrase "give us this day our daily bread" written in 50 languages.
The inside of the church takes your breath away. Gaudi was inspired by nature and has used features of the natural world in his design. The columns throughout the church resemble trunks, the structures supporting the roof branches and the ceiling is decorated with patterns of leaves. It feels like you are standing in a great forest under a tall canopy. You'd have to stand there to understand the true effect.
Gaudi has also paid great attention to the light. He aimed to achieve 'harmonious light' which was neither too dark nor too light for a place of worship. The effect is amazing. Several of the stained glass windows have already been installed and the light passes through them in such a way that it casts all the colours onto the walls and columns inside. It is light and fresh and full of colour.
You may balk at how little time we spent in Spain, but the trip down was worth it just to see this place. Matt and I have vowed to come back when it's finished, and to see Spain properly of course.
Anyway, that was our four days in Spain. On Tuesday we lazed about some more at the pool, went for a short bike ride and took our time checking out, leaving Vilanova at 3pm. A few hours driving saw us back in France and staying at an Aire on the Mediterranean in Palavas-les-Flots near Montpellier. Our plan for the next few days is to travel along the coast to Monaco and then head up the France/Italy border and into Switzerland. And somewhere in the next few days I will turn 24 :)
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