Casa Grande, AZ
One of the highlights of the trip was a tour of the Alhambra. In AD 711 the Moors crossed the Strait of Gibraltar and claimed Granada as the site to build their citadel.
Our guide showed us the perfect spot to take a picture so the reflection from the water would be perfect.
The citadel construction began in the 13th century and lasted over many centuries.
Our tour also included the gardens. We had to show our passports many times on this tour. One thing we found traveling throughout Europe is a lot of companies buy up all the tickets for major sites. Say you wanted to visit the Eiffel Tower, there are few tickets left for those who buy them at the venue because all these companies are buying advance tickets and then reselling them. Hopefully, showing ID to match your ticket will stop those companies from doing that.
The group enjoyed a demonstration of how this man inlaid wood into some beautiful pieces.
I was surprised how inexpensive his prices were for a shop located in the Alhambra. I think I paid 5 Euro for this box.
After the Alhambra we decided to relax on the top floor terrace of the hotel. Of course, we also needed beer and wine. Here's Estefi and Bill laughing about the topless lady in the swimming pool. The lady was no spring chicken!
The views of Alhambra from the terrace were spectacular and showed how enormous the place was.
Estefi wanted to show us around Granda so the whole group joined her for another walking tour.
Estefi would lead us down narrow streets to some surprise place which only a local person could find.
Estefi stopped by a local pastry shop and bought some specialty pastry from the area for everyone.
When Estefi told us we were walking to our dinner spot tonight all I could think of was going back to the hotel and tipping my feet into the bidet.
Lucky for us the Tapas bar was right around the corner from the hotel.
This wasn't just any Tapas bar, that we had all to ourselves, the owner was personal friends of the famous bull fighters. The walls were filled with interesting memorabilia.
Here's Bill, Hal, Sue, Ken, Betty and me. You couldn't ask for a better group. There was a lot of wine and laughter. The Tapas were wonderful. We were told that we would sample three. I thought the three on the "small" plate were our three. It turns out we had three plates of different ones. Every time you took a sip of wine, they topped off your glass.
Then we were treated to music and I'm sorry I somehow cut off the rest of the band in this photo. Estefi was dancing along and showing us how to use a fan. It's a good thing we didn't have far to walk back to the hotel.
This is a brief part of a typical day on this tour. I've been with other companies that wouldn't do as much as we did in a week. It's hard to explain how busy we were but it was so much fun, you just never slowed down until you collapsed in bed at night.
Turtle Safely.........
Casa Grande, AZ
Breakfast began at 7 am and I was surprised to see so many of our group up and at 'em. Our walking discovery of la Rambla started at 10 am.
Jaume guided the group the short walk over to the la Rambla. It's a tree lined walking area that is perhaps 5 or 6 lanes wide. Jaume showed us where the terrorist attack began by driving down the la Rambla and running over people on the la Rambla.
The light poles have water fountains where everyone stops for a drink. The legend says "if you drink water from this fountain, you'll return to Barcelona. I was thirsty, so I had a nice cool drink. Do you think I'll be able to return?
I don't know if the designs for the tiles in the la Rambla will show up but every corner of the tile has a different detail so they have to be laid perfectly. Artist Gandhi had so much influence in Barcelona. Closer down by the sea the tiles get wild and wavy.
Jaume took us down to show us where the Roman gates to the city were. Here's another ancient water fountain. Walking down the la Rambla if a light fixture has 5 lights, it was where the city gates were in Roman times.
Here, he discussed the fact that early residents could not read, so pictures were used to communicate and learn.
He also took us in the city market and showed us how the local people shop. The open market had breads, fruits, vegetables, fish and meat. He showed us a ham that costs $200 per pound.
Everyone went their own ways to visit places. The Erotic museum seemed different but we decided to walk down to the sea and take a photo of Christopher Columbus. We had lunch with Ken, Betty, Sue and Hal. By the time we walked back to the hotel we'd walked a few miles. It was just about time to leave for our afternoon adventure.
While we still had Jaume for our program director we had another local guide to tell us about Barcelona. Our first stop was the wooded slopes of Montjuic. We saw the sites of the World's Fair and also the 1992 Olympic games.
Santiago Calatrava designed the Olympic Needle.
We then rode down to the sea and saw how the beaches were added for the Olympics. It's amazing how much a city can change when they know they are in the spotlight.
The best was saved for last. The group had to walk a few blocks as buses were not allowed near the Sagrada Familia. I knew it was going to be spectacular but this was so much more than we could capture in photos.
I thought our tour company did a great job of the timing for our visit. The evening sun was shining through the stain glass. The only problem was the battery died on one camera, the Nikon newer camera quit and I left the phone on the charger in the room. One of the few places where you could take photos anywhere.
Our local guide told us so much about the basilica. Every nook and cranny had some meaning.
Here's what our itinerary had to say: "The massive UNESCO World Heritage Site is the unfinished masterpiece of Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi. While construction of the church began in 1882, the colossal structure isn't scheduled for completion until 2026. Originally started by architect Francisco de Paula del Villa, Gaudi took over in 1883 and then devoted his entire life to its construction. When he died in 1926, after nearly 43 years of work on the basilica, the project was only 15 percent completed.
At first blush, the breathtaking mixture of Gothic and geometric Art Nouveau forms appear to be dripping in melted wax, but closer inspection reveals a meticulous stone tapestry depicting the life and acts of Jesus Christ. Once completed, the church will accommodate some 13,000 worshippers."
I didn't even mention the bull fight arena or the Catalonians but it will have to wait another day.
Turtle Safely........
