Scherer Family ~ European RV Tour: Barceonla, Spain

Note: Blog post published Feb. 3 but back-dated to be in correct chronological order.

Somewhat reluctantly, we left L'Estartit, headed to Barcelona. Did I mention how much we enjoyed just relaxing and taking in the gorgeous surroundings and weather? Our last night there, we met a couple from Great Britain, who are headed to America! They are currently in a large motorhome and have toured Europe in a 35-ft vehicle as well. We stayed an extra night to continue sharing information. Good stuff and a huge thanks to Mike and Ali for all the info. Hope to see you when you reach the Seattle area.

The weather was great - warm, but not too hot during the day (60's F). Evenings cool off quickly as soon as the sun sets. Lots of road noise at the parking lot, but hey, where else can you stay in Barcelona for 22 Euro/night?

Day 1 - We used public transport to get around. Seemed like a lot of hassle for the 9km we needed to travel to get to the downtown district. Kids over 4 must have a valid ticket. Sadly, unlike Germany, there is no "family" or "partner" pass that allows us all to economically travel together. Still, it is cheaper than renting a car and paying for in-city parking.

Destination for the day was the Mercat de la Bogueria and Las Ramblas. Time permitting, we hoped to also visit the Cathedral. Wander we did, and we were overwhelmed by the beautiful city, the splendid colors of Mercat de la Boqueria and the wonders to be found on Las Ramblas. We were caught up at some point in a street production of live music and oversized puppets at the Cercle de Artistis. Later, Dan was chased down by street clowns yelling "Papa" as he pushed Sophia along in the stroller. We encountered seemingly spontaneous dancing on the sidewalk as we wandered. At the end of the day, I walked away feeling like this city is ever-changing. I don't know that anyone can capture the spirit of Barcelona in words - our experience was one small section of a very large, very diverse city. And, no, we didn't make it to the Cathedral on this day.

Picture of Mercat de la Bogueria - it was early in the day so we only purchased a fresh fruit plate to share. I have been craving the huge shrimp ever since. The colors and the energy of the market are fantastic - a welcome change to the supermarket duldrums.

Picture from Las Ramblas - a 1.2-km pedestrian zone that has everything from street performers to live animals for sale. I couldn't help but think of my mom as we passed dozens of small flower shops, all with bright flowers and floral arrangements. We avoided the "seedy" area of the strip - mostly due to our keeping to daylight hours with the kids. It was nice to see so many people out and about - most of our stops lately have been in tourist towns that are fairly well closed for the "winter."

Finally, as we were looking for lunch, we came across this attractive offer. Too bad we're not Australian and so glad we American's aren't the only ones known for our excessive behaviour.

Day 2 - We decided to use pedal power to visit the Sagrada Familia, considered to be Antoni Gaudi's masterpiece, though it's been under construction since 1888 (that's 176 years, folks!). There is a very nice pedestrian/bike path (Ave de Diagonals) that made the going really easy for the most part. We arrived without too much trouble (the city streets are a little deceptive and we wound up needing to backtrack a bit).

We found our way to Sagrada Familia and were instantly in awe of the size and detail of the temple. The ornate exterior begs for a pair of binoculars and about a week of quiet contemplation. Parking the bikes, we started to wander in, only to notice that the fencing was separating two areas and it looked like we were going in the exit. Then we noticed the Disney-style entry booths ... and, making our way around the corner, finally found the tourist entrance (our original attempt would have put us in the small chaple, which was actively in use). Inside, one is greeted with a construction site! Scaffolding, materials and workshops fill the center area. A display of the types of stone and regions of the world they were imported from gives the tourist something to do. Other than that, it's stare, in awe, at the interior with the huge columns which branch out at the top. Parts of the building are still open to the environment; other parts have gorgeous stained glass, which reflects spots of colors around the building. It's both magnificant and gaudy at the same time (no pun intended). We got in line for the elevator as it was a 45-minute wait, learning only later that there is a second elevator with a much shorter wait period. We were well rewarded for the wait and the additional 2Euro per person. The narrow, winding staircases, views of the steeples with their mosaic colors and fantastic views of the city were breath-taking.

Exterior views from ground level:

Interior view with light reflectin off the stained glass:

Spiral Staircase:

It's difficult to imagine working on a project of this magnitude. Gaudi worked on the temple for 40-years. When I think of the construction continuing for 176 years, and it's projected to be completed in 2020, I realize that there are several generations of laborers who will have dedicated significant time to a project that is ongoing, even after their time on the temple. I get impatient enough with my short-term projects... I can only imagine that one of this magnitude can be disheartening some days. On the one hand, contributing to this great masterpiece; on the other, knowing you may not ever see it completed.

Thoroughly lost in thought and honestly, I was questioning the steep price of entry (8 Euro pp + 2 Euro pp for the elevator though they didn't charge for the kids to enter the church), we out looking for lunch. Let's just say we got very lost - which was fun in it's own right until we also got very hungry... then very irritated. It's impossible to know where to eat in this town. So much seems "cafeteria" style and uninspired; other places have only the "Menu of the day" avaialble - which though a great price, is too much food for us in the middle of the day. Finally, only cafes in the tourist centers were open, get off on a side-street and everything was closed up (it was Sunday, after all). So much of the afternoon is comprised of memories - I'm unsteady enough on the bike with Sophia, you don't really want me taking pictures along the way too. We saw a lot of mosaic work, inspired by Gaudi; we saw a live orchestra, performing in the middle of the pedestrian walkway on the Ave d' Joan with the audience dancing to the music. Finally, we ate a rather uninspired lunch at a corner cafe.

Enroute to the motorhome, we wandered off to the convention center grounds (which are across the street from the Parking Forum). There's a whole "Forum" built up here that is simply fantastic. We had avoided the area, thinking it was only for conventions and exhibitions. But, there are playgrounds, beach access and plenty of sights to see. Very cool to see a city establish an waterfront area such as this. Though it does seem geared toward summer concerts and fairs, it's open to the public year-round to enjoy.

View from the "Forum:"