Barcelona -- a bit of Gaudi and a little Gothic

February 23 Wednesday

Today we explored Barcelona's Gothic quarter: the cathedral and the narrow winding streets.







We walked from the hotel along a route that included two of the famous Gaudi buildings.

As we passed this building, we saw this beautifully carved wooden door, and it was slightly open, so of course we had to step inside. The interior did not disappoint. The foyer was replete with stained glass and tiles on the ceiling.

 

No, we did not venture up the stairs, tempting though the prospect may have been. And when we went back out, we ensured that the door was securely closed behind us.

Also along the way we saw some other interesting apartment buildings

The Catedral de Barcelona was built around 1300 AD and is, of course, amazing. Big, elaborate, perfectly constructed.

We went up on the roof, which to my surprise, meant walking on a scaffolding. It was a little scary because it is quite high and sort of wobbly. But the view is fantastic.

We had a close-up look at the main spire, and could also see over the city and this cluster of bells:

After visiting the Gothic quarter of the city, we walked along the shore to the Columbus statue. It is big, and you can actually go up inside it, but we didn't. 

We continued walking until we came to the foot of Montjuic. Climbing this mountain was not an easy task, but well worth the effort. Dave wanted to ride the cable car. I wasn't so sure, as I am not exactly fond of heights, but I thought I'd give it a try. So we decided to walk as far as the cable car station and take it the rest of the way to the top of the mountain, where there is an old castle. These are some views of the city and the sea as we made our way up... and up...

This is the cable car station -- you can see how high above the city it is.

It turned out you are not supposed to get on the cable car up here -- you are supposed to board at the bottom of the mountain. So if we wanted to reach the top, we'd have to hoof it. It was a steep climb, but we stuck it out

and were rewarded at last with a visit to the castle and a stupendous view of the city.