Filling in some gaps in Spain, a Greenland cruise and I'm getting a tattoo!

[SYD]

Ah, there’s a local thing in Spain (especially BCN) that requires you to wait 15mins for your first Rideshare…. As we discovered leaving last year.

We took the metro from/to airport in Jan! A bit of a circuitous route but not far from Passieg de Gracia metro to the hotel.

 

[RooFlyer]

Ah, there’s a local thing in Spain (especially BCN) that requires you to wait 15mins for your first Rideshare…. As we discovered leaving last year.

How is that supposed to work? No one accepts for 15 minutes or your request is invisible to them for 15 minutes?

My guy accepted within a few minutes and it was well over 20 minutes of me messaging him and waiting and after 10 mins of that his car symbol appeared right in front of me with clear vision for about 50 m all around.. The car simply wasn’t there and he never replied to my messages.

 

[SYD]

How is that supposed to work? No one accepts for 15 minutes or your request is invisible to them for 15 minutes?

My guy accepted within a few minutes and it was well over 20 minutes of me messaging him and waiting and after 10 mins of that his car symbol appeared right in front of me with clear vision for about 50 m all around.. The car simply wasn’t there and he never replied to my messages.

IME, if you’re already in town and trying to request an Uber for the first time, from memory they want ID (Passport) and then the 15min wait starts before a ride is confirmed.

So not sure how you got a ride immediately but maybe there’s an exemption at the airport?

 

[RooFlyer]

IME, if you’re already in town and trying to request an Uber for the first time, from memory they want ID (Passport) and then the 15min wait starts before a ride is confirmed.

That’s pretty bizarre. Sounds though the Taxi lobby got in there and made it hard as possible for Uber. Certainly at the airport you would’ve seen the overwhelming dominance of taxis and only saw a couple of Ubers arrive during the time I was waiting for my guy..

Oh, I just read that Uber actually isn’t available for locals hence the need to enter your passport to get a ride. Don’t know why it didn’t ask me but I’ll see what happens even if I try to use it again.

 

[SYD]

That’s pretty bizarre. Sounds though the Taxi lobby got in there and made it hard as possible for Uber. Certainly at the airport you would’ve seen the overwhelming dominance of taxis and only saw a couple of Ubers arrive during the time I was waiting for my guy..

Oh, I just read that Uber actually isn’t available for locals hence the need to enter your passport to get a ride. Don’t know why it didn’t ask me but I’ll see what happens even if I try to use it again.

Uber works going back to the airport. Just allow for that 15min wait!

But regular Taxis are reasonably affordable in Spain anyway. There is a Taxi app also.

 

[RooFlyer]

The title of this TR is 'Filling in some gaps' and one of those is Barcelona. I had originally intended 5 days here and region, but I realised that another gap was within reach - Cordoba and its mosque-cathedral. That had escaped me before so I had to make time for it; which left only 2 days for Barcelona and Tarragona. Silly, I know, but

The #1 sight to see in Barcelona is the Sagrada Familia . I hope everyone's heard of it, but if not...

Sagrada Família - Official ticket vendors - Sagrada Familia

Official website of the Sagrada Família. Official ticket vendors. Your tickets at the best price. No commissions or processing fees.

sagradafamilia.org

Sagrada Família - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Its astonishing; gothic meets Art Nouveau and there's going to be a million pictures. Its been under construction for over 140 years and there is a fair way to go.

A couple of km walk to get there; I found Barcelona to be criss-crossed by very wide boulevards, many now tree lined walk and cycleways.



First, outside. The towers just appear over the skyline. The four towers with white figures atop are for the evangelists; the four on the left and four on the right are eight of the 12 for the Apostles - see below.



The nativity facade.

There will be 18 spires; in order of rising height - 12 for the apostles, four for the evangelists, one for the Virgin Mary and the tallest for Jesus Christ.
Thirteen spires had been completed as of 2023, corresponding to four apostles at the Nativity façade, four apostles at the Passion façade, the four Evangelists and the Virgin Mary. The central tower is for Jesus Christ; when completed it will be 172 high, making it the tallest church building in the world.








The Passion façade. The round towers with holes in them (Apostles spires) will eventually be bell towers, and the holes are so the sound will project to the ground.

 

[RooFlyer]

Taking a look at those towers.

The Apostles spires with the colurful motifs are crowned with geometric shapes representing attributes of a bishop - mitre, ring, cross and staff.









The white figures on the Evangelists' spires are sculptures of their traditional symbols: a winged bull (Saint Luke), a winged man (Saint Matthew), an eagle (Saint John), and a winged lion (Saint Mark).







And the 12 pointed crystal star atop the Virgin Mary spire.

 

[Pushka]

Is it really bad that we've been to Barcelona multiple times and never once wanted to visit Sagrada? Did enjoy the Gaudi gardens, but that was enough.

 

[Scash]

A trip to Montserrat is definitely worth it if you have time.

Montserrat Monastery and Nature Park

Near Barcelona, the Montserrat Nature Park and Monastery offer magnificent views of Catalonia's hinterland, extending to the Pyrenees. Here, you can find plenty of information and book tickets for transportation or excursions to Montserrat.

www.barcelona.de

 

[VPS]

Is it really bad that we've been to Barcelona multiple times and never once wanted to visit Sagrada? Did enjoy the Gaudi gardens, but that was enough.

Err yes

 

[RooFlyer]

Now, taking a walk around the cathedral starting at the Nativity façade







That's Jesus on the right, working in his father's carpentry shop.



















We'll see more of the guy sitting on the bridge. later.

 

[RooFlyer]

Now, lets go inside. The colums are set out like trees in a forest. Symbolism everywhere, much of which I didn't twig to. Some great mathematical constructions - widths of aisles multiples of 7.5m etc.






The winged animal symbols of the Evangelists here again.



Ceiling shots







Spiral staircase coming down from one of the towers



Light from the stained glass windows





And columns of different types of stone, systematically set out. Including a nice granite with recrystallised xenoliths!

 

[bPeteb]

Is it really bad that we've been to Barcelona multiple times and never once wanted to visit Sagrada? Did enjoy the Gaudi gardens, but that was enough.

Nope, not at all Pushka. We did, but just for the architecture. We're pretty much a church free zone, catholic churches especially.

 

[jastel]

While it is an impressive building to look at and be inside, it was not remotely like a church to me with the crowds pushing and shoving and the yelling tour guides and photos/selfies etc.

 

[RooFlyer]

Nope, not at all Pushka. We did, but just for the architecture. We're pretty much a church free zone, catholic churches especially.

I hear what you’re saying, and I’m similarly not the least bit interested in the spiritual part, but the churches in Spain, Italy and the like (which are all going to be catholic) are so beautiful I am always attracted to them.

While it is an impressive building to look at and be inside, it was not remotely like a church to me with the crowds pushing and shoving and the yelling tour guides and photos/selfies etc.

Not at all like that on my visit. Sure there are a lot of people but absolutely no crowding or shoving or the like. They have timed entry control so maybe they didn’t have that when you were there?

Hellava lot better than Notre Dame!

 

[jastel]

Nice to hear they have some rules now...was about 15 years ago when I went.

What is the expected finish date now?

 

[RooFlyer]

What is the expected finish date now?

 

[RooFlyer]

You can pay extra to go up either of two towers. I went up the passion tower. Fortunately there’s an elevator to take you up and then it’s 500 stairs to come down mostly downwards with a few up along the way.



Call one of the outside viewing areas. You can see how the colourful finishing are done – they’re not ceramics but Murano glass.



These weird things you can get a better appreciation of what they are up close. On the left a bunch of grapes with a chalice. On the right ears of wheat with the wafer of bread.





The Glorias tower on the left close to where I’m staying







The first part of the climb down you go around the outside of the towers. These were later contain bells.



The hand on the right in this shot



belongs to the guy on the bridge here:



Looking up to top of the apostle tower



And the final part of the journey down. I don’t know how many spirals there were, but they were very many.



Guy with your hand out taking a similar shot to me

 

[jkbaus]

Love your pics of Sagrada.
I was there in 2014 so great memories.
I went because it was one of the things to do in Barcelona and couldn’t believe how incredible the interior was.
Wow!

Loved the coloured light through the windows so went back a second time at different time of day to see how it changed.
Loved it so much that I went to the shop and bought a couple of silk scarves inspired by the colours of the light.

 

[RooFlyer]

I’m on pretty flaky Wi-Fi at the moment so just reposting a couple of pics above that I didn’t embed properly.

Exit from the cathedral under the passion facade.



The very elaborate nativity façade shown earlier



Has this block of flats facing it. Washing and all