2018
A historic day for me. We were up super early to be one of the first twenty allowed in Casa Battlo. It was raining, but it didn't dampen my excitement! I wantéd to go in, head up to the roof and get my photos of the dragon's back, without a lot of tourists. I wanted to EXPERIENCE it alone. We got in, and took a few pictures, heading up the stairs. WE would come back to this later!
We made it upstairs, to the terrace, just Dutchboy and I, and a security guard. I eagerly stepped out on the glazed tiles of the upper balcony. Before I knew what was really happening, my feet flew out from under me. The crack of my head hitting the tile resounded in the space. I couldn't move. The security guard came out, speaking Spanish, and trying to pull me up right. It was raining. I was soaked. Ton came running because he heard "the bang". They called an ambulance and I had my first ever ambulance ride. See? HISTORIC. At least I got to do down in the original elevator that the public doesn't get to use. And the Paramedics were super nice. Two hours at the hospital, one deeply bruised elbow, a huge lump on my head and a concussion diagnosis later, and all I got was this bracelet and an ibuprofen. No bill, though. They took my insurance info but refused money. They never filed the paperwork.
I was told to take it easy, not to sleep for more than an hour at a time without someone checking me, and not to drink alcohol for 24 to 48 hours. Dutchboy treated me like I was made of glass., and asked me to solve math problems in my head every hour.
By the time we left the hospital, the rain had stopped, and the hospital was a short walk from the Sagrada Familia. I may have missed my Gaudi tour that morning, but I would be able to see Sagrada while I had a coffee. And that evening we could take the guided tour of this Gaudi masterpiece, that's still a work in progress.
I am not a religious person. But there is sacredness about this place that transcends religion. It's completely personal, spiritual. You can feel it in the stone.
The sunset at Sagrada Familia. Antoni Gaudi devoted a large part of his life to this cathedral. He lived in a house at Park Guell, and walked to the cathedral most days, if he didn't stay at his workshop onsite. Along the way, he would collect funds for the building project. It was on this 3 kilometer walk that he was struck by a tram. He was so poorly dressed that he was mistaken for a beggar and left to die, until a policeman took him to a nearby hospital for the poor. The next day the chaplin of Sagrada was there, and recognized Gaudi. The story goes that the chaplin begged him to go to a better hospital, but he refused, saying he would die among his people. And he did, two days later.
The building of Gaudi's masterpiece was started almost 150 years ago, and is slated for completion in 2026, for the 100th anniversary of the death of Antoni Gaudi. I think we need to take this opportunity ti make a pilgrimage to Barcelona. Who's with me?!
I was told it hardly ever rains in Barcelona. We had rain and thunderstorms every single day!
Rain on the Ramblas.
2019
We spent the day in Utrecht with our good friends, Lucien and Wendy. Wandered through parts of Utrecht we hadn't wandered through before! And some we had. If you're in Utrecht, you have to have wandered around the Dom Toren, and DomKerk. But we also went UNDER ! Into the tunnels that have been excavated underneath, learning the history of the church, and the area. Fascinating. And dark. So I didn't take photos. Well, I thought I did? But once again, missing!! But have some random images of our ramble.
Cafe Lebowski. Weird, quirky. The giraffe ties the whole room together, man. We have walked by this place a hundred times, but thought it looked too gimicky. Nah. It's just gimicky enough.
Inside St. Martin's Cathedral, Domkerk
The Pandhof Garden and Cloisters of DomKerk.
Dinner was at a fantastic restaurant, 't Oude Pothuys, recommended by Lucien. Tucked under the street, at canal level, you're in an old warehouse space. It's cozy!
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