I did the on/off bus Friday – it is a good deal. The red route is much more interesting than the blue. I didn’t get off at any of the stops, but when I do it again I want to go to the Joan Miro Museum which is one of the stops on the red. Other than that, it was a great way to get the lay of the land.
The blue route stops at the Sagrada Familia – I didn’t see anything of the place, but I saw MASSES of people. I certainly hope the crowd clears some in September and I think I would definitely hold off and book this late in the week. The entire area looked worse than a fair or a carnival.
I did the blue route in the afternoon. The morning bus was comfortable; the afternoon bus didn’t have the air-conditioning set at 42°. About three-fourth of the way I started looking around for the airplane barf bags. I hopped off at the next stop and took a taxi back to the apartment. Got back about 4:30p really wiped out. Took an hour siesta and I woke up refreshed in my air-conditioned apartment.
If you are into high fashion then Passeig de Gràcia is the street you want to walk. Every designer known to mankind – Gucci, Versace, Armani, Dior and Chanel has a store on this street.
I can assure you, none of these stores had any graffiti on the building or the doors.
Casa Milà, popularly known as La Pedrera, meaning the 'The Quarry', is a modernist building in Barcelona. It was the last civil work designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852 – 1926), built between the years 1906 and 1910.
It was commissioned in 1906 by businessman Pere Milà i Camps and his wife Roser Segimon i Artells. At the time, it was controversial because of the undulating stone facade and twisting wrought iron balconies and windows designed by Josep Maria Jujol.
Today, the building is Foundation headquarters Catalonia La Pedrera and houses an important cultural center in the city of Barcelona by all the different activities organized and museum spaces and public use includes.
There was a point of friction with Mrs. Milà, she complained that there was no straight wall to place a Steinway piano, which Roser Segimon played often and quite well. Gaudí's response was blunt: "So play the violin." Architecturally it is considered structurally innovative, with a self-supporting stone front and columns, and floors free of load bearing walls. Also innovative is the underground garage.
This was not the entrance to a Disneyland – it was a small amusement park that was closed at the time I went past it.
More great architecture – I like the reflections on the building on the right.
Down by the marina there was a street market in full swing.
The Montjuïc Communications Tower, popularly known as Torre Calatrava and Torre Telefónica, is a telecommunication tower in the Montjuïc neighborhood. Designed by Santiago Calatrava, construction on the tower began in 1989 and was completed in 1992. The white tower was built for Telefónica to transmit television coverage of the 1992 Summer Olympics Games in Barcelona. The 446 ft tower is located in the Olympic park, and represents an athlete holding the Olympic Flame.
The base is covered with trencadís, Gaudí's mosaic technique created from broken tile shards. Because of the tower's orientation, it works also as a giant sundial, which uses the Europa square to indicate the hour.
Nope, you aren’t going to get me on this: Montjuïc Cable Car Ride
Barcelona has recently become the main port of call in Europe, with over three million passengers every year. It is the world’s fourth largest cruise ship port surpassed only by three bigger ports in Florida. Cruise ships dock in Barcelona port at seven cruise ship terminals located on different piers in the port area.
Who wants a cruise ship? I want this humble yacht that is parked with the Barcelona World Trade Center in the background.
Hope you enjoyed the sights from the on/off bus.
Todo está bien en Barcelona.