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La Sagrada Família – Gaudí’s Wondrous Masterpiece – Part 2
Having completed my tour of the Nativity façade and interior la Sagrada Família, as you can explore in Part 1, I exited this holy structure via the Passion façade. And before even stepping foot outside, it was obvious that I was in for yet another shift in design aesthetic. The Passion Façade For, where the bronze doors of the Nativity façade were covered in leafy vines of ivy and rose, these were filled with hard, blocked letters telling the story of the death of Christ. And a glimpse outside revealed a much more contemporary style of statuary. For there in front of me, stood a stylized carving of the whip-scarred…
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La Sagrada Família – Gaudí’s Wondrous Masterpiece – Part 1
Towering over the skyline of Barcelona, stands the wondrous la Sagrada Família. This singular, yet unfinished, edifice is the crowning achievement of Modernista architect, Antoni Gaudí. And I was fortunate enough to visit it after finishing an amazing rowing tour down Spain’s Ebro river. I approached from the east, having made my way down the street from exploring Hopital de Sant Pau: The Other Modernista Wonder of Barcelona. Upon arriving, I was met by the elaborately decorated Nativity Façade. The Nativity Façade Gaudí’s dream for the Basilica de la Sagrada Família was to recreate the Bible story of the life of Christ in stone. Thus, he began with the Nativity.…
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A Cathedral of Wine: El Pinell de Brai
My rowing tour of Spain’s Ebro river had just arrived in the picturesque village of Miravet. And the cohort I was with had taken a few minutes to settle into the fantastical Palau de Miravet, the guest house that would be our amazing abode for the next two nights. But we had no time to waste. For we were expected for a winery tour in nearby El Pinell de Brai. So we quickly hopped in our vehicles and made our way there. Little did I realize that we would be visiting a veritable Cathedral of Wine. A Modernista Wonder But that became abundantly clear upon arriving at our destination. So…
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Gandesa and The Pilgrimage to Fontcalda
In May last year, I was on an amazing rowing tour down Spain’s incredible Ebro river. My tour group had just spent our first night at the lovely Port Massaluca Campground. High winds prevented us from heading back out on the water that sunny morning so we made alternate plans for the day. We decided to do some local exploring by car instead. And that’s how we ended up on a visit to the town of Gandesa and the Pilgrimage to Fontcalda. Cathedrals of Wine We decided to begin with a visit to the Centre d’Estudis de la Batalla de l’Ebre – Battle of the Ebro Study Centre. This museum…
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Adventure Rowing Down the Ebro: Mequinenza – Massaluca
Our second day on the water of this amazing rowing tour through Spain dawned overcast and drizzly. This was quite a contrast from the heat and sun of the previous day. Despite this, we bundled up and headed out. We were determined to keep to our schedule. We were also looking forward to a visit to the sunken village of Fayón the following day. The weather continued to worsen as we traversed the Caspe-Mequinenza Reservoir. However, the sight of an abandoned monastery majestically mounted on the cliffs of the Ebro brought us a ray of sunshine that chilly morning. Battling the Mighty Ebro Shortly after though, our greatest challenge of…
