The Wallen Street Journal

I do not have much time before my internet cuts off. I put today's photos on two separate posts because I did not have time to label them. We started out today at a park that Antoni Gaudi designed. It was full of interesting spaces and construction. We walked through it for a couple of hours. Our preconception of Guadi was that he was somewhat strange in his designs. However, after learning more about him and his reasons for design, we have come to appreciate him very much. Especially when we took the tour of his most famous work in Barcelona, the Temple Sagrada Familia, "Temple of the Holy Family." This church was begun in 1882 and is still under construction. Gaudi knew he would not be alive to complete it, so he left behind many drawings and plaster models of how he wanted it built. It is full of symbolism, I mean full. It is supposed to be completed in 2020. Gaudi died in 1926, I believe. I don't have time to write all about the photos I posted, but I will after I...

Tom and me on a mosaic serpentine bench at Park Guell

It is Sunday morning and I have a few minutes to write. Yesterday, I took Tom to the sea where I walked the day before. (We avoided the pick-pocket area.) We then walked uptown toward the Gothic district to see things I missed when I was alone. Tom noticed some old Roman section of wall and we investigated and found an historical museum that shows some underground Roman ruins that were excavated during constuction in the 1930's. It was pretty fascinating as they uncovered parts of the fortress wall, a Roman home, and streets. The stones were mostly the original stones. Some of the mosaic floors were intact. You could even see ruts in the Roman road. We were not allowed to take pictures, however, except on the outside. Built above the ruins were a medieval chapel and we saw the chamber where Christopher Colombus met with the King and Queen upon one return from the New World. After that, we walked through some Ramblas, narrow streets with shops that form labyrinths that se...

This was the first day for Tom and me to sightsee together and it was great. However, I am too tired to write about it, so I'll do so in the morning. Enjoy the photos.

Another typical street And another Tom likes this architecture. Same building And again And a final shot Roman arches in an old Roman section of the city Part of an old Roman wall Me in front of a section of Roman wall Actual Roman stonework More arches The Fountain at Montjuic Behind the fountain is the Museum of Catalan Art The fountain flows upward and downward along with classical music A view of the city beyond the fountain A view of the city which includes Gaudi's Temple of the Holy Family in the background. We will visit Gaudi's art tomorrow.

My feet hurt . I even wore tennis shoes today , but I became lost and walked way too much . I started out at 10 am taking the subway to the stop nearest the Mediteranean Sea. It was great to feel the cool breeze, though it is a very overcast day. I am afraid the photos are not very clear because of the haze. I walked across a little harbor, through a shopping mall, and on to Barceloneta (Little Barcelona), an old section of town where sailors and shore-workers used to live. Here is where an event happened that upset me mucho. A lady pick-pocketed me. Oh, how sweet she pretended to be! She took a 50 Euro bill from me ($70) but I saw her. I told her she took my money and I wanted it back. She said, "Nooo" as convincingly as she could. I asked her where I could find the police. She pointed somewhere and looked a little worried. Just then a girl on a bicycle rode up and told the lady that she saw her take my money and to give it back. I ask...

An old wooden submarine launched in Barcelona bay in the late 1800's Some sailboats in the harbor A view of Montjuic, where the Olympics were held A pedestrian walkway across the harbor A statue of Cristobal Colon pointing the way to America Waves on the Mediterranean A walk along the shore A narrow residential street The entrance to Saint Mary of the Sea Cathedral The Rose Window above the entrance View of the Cathedral through the narrow street Side view of the Cathedral with an eternal flame in memory of sailors The rose window from inside Another inside view A view of the front of the Palace of Catalan Music The modern section of the Palace of Music A residential street off a main road