Natassia's Journey to the Unknown

BARCELONA continued..

Here are a couple more days worth of Barcelona for you to enjoy.

Firstly here are a couple of photos of the fomous tourist street Las Ramblas. It was really interesting I wish I had more time to take photos there and a better camera but here is a couple of examples of the street performers. There were heaps of them.

Bicilettos

Las Ramblas Prince

The Angel of Las Ramblas

~~~

Dali's Bike

I think you need to know Dali's work to appreciate this photo. If you like check out this link to Gaudi on WikiPedia

These next two photos I really like.

Barcelona Graffiti

Tourist Season?

This Tourist Season house I found on my way up through Park Guell. But I was walking up the wrong side of Park Guell but Im glad I did cause this was a pretty striking sight. On the sign you can't really see very well it says
"They call it Tourist Season so why can't we shoot them?"

~~~

But once I found the touristy part of Park Guell...

Park Guell Lizard

Guell Bench

The Mosaics here are amazing. And this bench stretched right round a huge area about 50-70 meters squared.

~~~

FAT TIRE BIKE TOUR

18th October, Day 12 of my travels.
I did a bike tour round Barcelona today.

The weather was a little iffy looking in the morning but only one or twice did I have to take out my rain coat.

FAT TIRE bike tours is a company run by a group of Americans.
The Tour guide, Ivan, was really cool. Very friendly, informative etc.
A neat free living sort of guy. The real traveling sort. Down to earth.

It was a neat tour we got to hear all sorts of strange information about certain buildings such as the executions etc that occurred in or around the churches etc. This church behind is Saint Agatha, and she was executed, believe it or not by being tied to a post in the centre of this square I am standing in and then having her breasts cut off.
Apparently there's a portrait in the church which is of her holding a platter of a pair of jelly type deserts. You guessed it they are not actually jelly but really symbolizing her breasts.

And other such gruesome stories.

Church named after my Mum... Although my mum didnt have her breasts cut off, like this Saint Agatha did.

We headed through the park to a fountain that Gaudi designed in University which saved his career, as he was failing in his grades and was on the brink of being expelled. And rode past the Arc Du Triomph of Barcelona. (see photo)

[/i]Fat Tire Group infront of Bareclona's Arc Du Triomph

And also....

The mighty tower of Agbar, hehehehe

This is one of the best buildings of my trip. Can you imagine the meeting of the town planners when they proposed to build this building and then how they actually got away with building it?

It looks super pretty at night when its all lit up. Hehehehe.

And of course...

[i]The Sagrada Familia

This is actually one of the most famous of Gaudi's works. It was the last building he was working on before his death.
And its totally not finished and will not be finished for ages.
I didn't find it as exciting as Cassa Batllo, but it is pretty impressive. I guess.
What I found most interesting is that the back side of it is architected in a completely different style. Have a look at the next photos, And look at the very distinct cubist style to the sculptures.

Our last stop was a little cafe on the boulevard of the Barcelona Beach. Which is actually man made.

Man Made Beach of Barcelona

~~~

On the evening after the bike tour I wondered around the streets a little and found this amazing musician in the street. (see photo below)
He was playing something which looked like a round, metal stone but had a beautiful sound.

Barri Gothic

The Incredible musician of Barri Gothic

The Dutch singers in Barcelona

There's a bit of a story behind this photo. I did a tour of the Barcelona Opera House, which is absolutly stunning, amazing, beautiful and very cleaverly designed.
Amazingly I was with a big group of dutchies. They were a musical group and as we were about to move onto the next stage of the tour they broke out in song. It was nice. They secretely recorded it too, which is totally something the dutchies would do. You know going against the rules. :-) It was awesome. This photo is of them singing outside after the tour also.

~~~

This next photo is the details on the side of a building I walked past. There are so many beautiful buildings here in Barcelona and Europa.

And The tribute to Gaudi. Because Gaudi is so famous here there are many tributes to him and his work, I wish I had my camera with me when I was in Mc Donald's because there was a great advertisement with his mosaic style used. And this photo below is another example.

Gauidi styled Ice Block Stand

Coming Next...

19th October
DALI MUSEUM AND GETTING LOST..