Barcelona

So on to Barcelona. Yes it looks a nice city Lynda – I would like to come back too – didn’t even get to walk up Las Ramblas. We took the trip through the city and all its sights then on to La Sagrada Familia, Antonio Gaudi’s unfinished church which tells the story of Jesus and depicts his life down to what he ate. It’s a very polarising project but I loved it; the fact that such a scramble of images had found acceptance in the mid-1800s; and the vastness of the plan; and the all-encompassing ideal it was. We didn’t join the two hour queue to go in but maybe next time! We took the interesting drive through industrial and agricultural areas to the Mountain of Montserrat. What fascinating geography and every smooth phallic peak rising up named! Some were beyond the perpendicular. The vegetation boasts more than 1500 species so apart from the religious and geographic significance there is huge botanic interest as well. In the 1400s three boys played regularly in the mountains and noticed on three consecutive Saturdays, a light shining on a certain spot. They consulted the local priest and he too witnessed the light. Eventually they discovered a cave with a statue of the Virgin Mary in it and she was black. Controversy surrounds the reason for this but many miracles have been attributed to her. They tried to bring the statue down the mountain but each time they came to an incline the Virgin became impossibly heavy, so here She stayed. There was a Benedictine Monastery established on the site. Many other Saints had rudimentary dwellings on the mountain as time went by. The monks also recruited young boys from the villages around to study with them, but  primarily to sing. So the choir of young voices has also become very popular. Three years ago girls were also allowed to join the choir. We missed some visiting choirs singing. The basilica is extraordinarily beautiful. I always feel uneasy with some many people posing before the altar for photos and the like so we just sat in the back for a while, said some prayers for you all. Hop tried to take some shots but found a movie was the best option. There was a queue filing in to touch the Virgin, placed high above the altar, mostly Russians apparently. I wondered if this was on the pilgrims trail from France to Rome. You can stay here – in luxury or as a monk. Our lunch was described by the blurb as delicious – my description – horrible. Kind of a cannelloni with white sauce burned on top and stuffed with a meat mixture of, I suspect, offal. A piece of roasted chicken with quite acidic ratatouille and potato chips arriving much later, a bread roll which I imagined had been sitting there since yesterday – no butter or olive oil. Dessert was a reasonable slice of what could described as a variation on tiramisu. By now I was hallucinating about fruit and vegetables! The wine was included – Hoppy enjoyed it with the people opposite – the white was tolerable but not worth the fog – but then I’m a sweet wine peasant! I’ll save my ration for my Muscat back on board. On the way “home” we went around the area used for the Olympics in 1992. Very interesting. And as we sailed away, lounging at the stern and inhaling the view of the dissappearin city, I finally heard the song Barcelona, sung by Freddie Mercury and a lady soprano,( yeah!)followed by three other very appropriate tunes from Placido Domingo and Enya.

Sea day and catch up tomorrow – sleep in, washing, ironing – gardening clothes!!!!!! The temperatures are dropping.  It was 22 or so in Barcelona. The guide said the first warm day at last! We’ll be praying for summer to arrive in the UK in the next week. Hope you have some nice clear days – even if they are cool. Love and hugs to you from us.