Spain, 2024

End-August to Mid-September, 2024. 

The Vagabonds visit Spain on their way back to Portugal.

Barcelona

This is a city of neighborhoods, history, architecture, and strolling people along the Mediterranean Sea, in northeastern Spain. It is the capital of the Catalunya region and Spain’s second largest city with a distinct local culture that is much more liberal politically than most of the rest of the country.

Barcelona is ringed by mountains and fills the plain between them and the sea. There is little violent crime, few homeless, and not even much litter on the streets; but it has the distinction of being called the pickpocket capital of Europe. There are beautiful buildings constructed during the industrial age of the 1800’s or since the collapse of the fascist dictatorship in 1975 (those built between these periods are mostly boxy and non-descript).

Architect Antoni Gaudi (1852 – 1926) is the city’s favorite son. His masterpiece is the magnificent Sagrada Familia cathedral, dedicated to the Sacred Family; it is still under construction.

Gaudi envisioned the structure as a “temple” rather than a cathedral – to make it inclusive and inviting for all people. There is nothing else like it:

Outside there are 18 spires, including a 400-foot tower dedicated to Mary with a huge star on top, and a 560-foot center spire for Jesus that will be topped with a three-dimensional cross.

There are three exterior facades on different sides of the building representing the Nativity, Passion and Glory of Christ’s life. The Glory, which will be the main entrance with an enormous grand staircase, is still in process.

Inside, there are 56 columns of slightly different shapes and made of different colored stone. They branch out and look like trees reaching to the ceiling, giving an impression that you are standing in a forest rather than a church. The ceiling vault is 200-feet above.

Light filtering through the enormous walls of stained glass gives the dappled effect of a rainforest canopy. The morning light shines through cool-colored glass: blues and greens. The evening light glows through warm tones of red and orange.

Throughout the building, Gaudi followed a naturalistic approach, believing that nature is God’s perfect creation. He even used the faces of people living in Barcelona as models for the faces of the statues on the facades to make them look more realistic.

The construction is entirely funded by donations and ticket-sales. Gaudi distrusted organized government and the Church government, so would accept no money from them.

Park Guell on a northern hill overlooking the city is a 30 acre garden designed in 1900 by Gaudi for his benefactor Eusebi Guell. It was intended as a high-end residential community, but only a few houses were completed until WWI halted the project. Gaudi’s eccentric take on naturalism shines through in the elevated pathways, wavy 360-foot long bench decorated with vivid tile fragments, and an open terrace with a panoramic view of the city supported by eighty-six decorated columns.

Barcelona’s main boulevard, Las Ramblas, is in the Barri Gotic district leading to the harbor. It is lined with elegant buildings (several of which were designed by Gaudi) and luxury storefronts. At one end there is an elegant monument to Christopher Columbus celebrating his return here in 1493 from the first voyage to America to meet his sponsors, Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand.

Nearby is La Boqueria Market where dozens of stalls offer fresh oysters, grilled anchovies, olives of all types, spices, full legs of jamon (ham), and even chicken nuggets to shoppers along with local produce and meats.

Further along is Barcelona Cathedral built in the 1300’s at the site of an earlier Roman temple and subsequent Christian churches. It received a new façade and spire in the Gothic style in 1913 as part of the revival of the district.

The Picasso Museum opened in 1963 with over 500 pieces from the personal collection of Picasso’s long-time friend Jaume Sabartes. It was the first museum dedicated solely to Picasso’s work. Over time it added pieces donated by Picasso himself, as well as his family, friends and admirers. Today, the permanent collection includes over 4000 of Picasso’s painting, engravings, and ceramic pieces.

Picasso learned classical painting techniques from his father. The family moved to Barcelona when Pablo was age 14. By age 15, he was winning art competitions and creating full-size, technically complex, realistic style portraits. The museum displays several of these early works as well as pieces from the Blue Period (1901 – 1904) when Picasso began painting what he felt, rather than what he saw. Influenced by the suicide of his best friend and his own poverty, he painted misfits and street people often in subdued shades of blue and blue-green.

Also well-represented is the Rose Period (1904 – 1907) when Picasso began painting in soft pink and rose shades after meeting a new lady-friend, as well as works from the late 1950’s and 1960’s when Picasso lived in the south of France. These include ceramics and simple, brightly colored pictures displaying a child-like freedom to portray the world as he saw it.   

Another Barcelona delight is the Palace of Catalan Music. It is a concert hall seating 2,100 that was built in the modernista style in the early 1900’s by a popular local choir to provide them a performance place close to where they lived. The exterior is beautiful but hard to appreciate because it is hemmed in by narrow streets and other buildings. The interior, though, features stunning stained-glass windows, skylights, and carvings celebrating Catalan culture. These let-the-light-in features make it unusual; concert halls are typically built without windows and have heavy curtains or other sound-dampening materials to control echoes. Here, the modernista design, like Gaudi’s creations, follows nature-shapes which are flowing, irregular, and arched. The result is a space that naturally prevents echoes.

In the southwest part of the city is the Montjuic district which was the site of the 1929 World Expo Fairgrounds and the 1992 Olympic Stadium. Now it is the home of the Catalan Art Museum in the grand Palau National which has a sweeping panoramic view of the city from its rooftop terrace. The museum showcases Catalan art of the last 1,000 years. The centerpiece is a world-class collection of Romanesque frescos from Catalan village churches dating from the years 1,000 to 1,300. It also displays Catalan Gothic art from the 1300’s and 1400’s, as well as modern Catalan paintings. 

Valencia

Next is Valencia, the third largest city in Spain, further south along the eastern coast from Barcelona. We stay in the suburb of Pucol and do a pet-sit for two dogs. Like much of Spain, Valencia was founded as a Roman town and was occupied by the Moors for 500 years in the middle ages.

Now, the economy is services-based. The city is ringed with five-to-ten-story-tall apartment buildings. Most are tastefully designed and are painted in cheerful colors of peach, lemon yellow, light green, tan, or light red. Many maximize exposure of the apartments to light and breezes.

The central city is a study in art nouveau architecture (with its emphasis on nature and asymmetrical lines and shapes) with a hint of Moorish / Mediterranean influence. Art deco is also evident (with its emphasis on geometric, symmetry, and streamlined looks). The streets are modern and upscale with every variety of high-end shops, including many US brands (e.g. Apple, New Balance, Popeye, Burger King, KFC, and Five Guys).

On the main boulevards the sidewalks are often marble. There are many open squares, tree-lined boulevards, and green spaces. The entire experience speaks to a clean, prosperous and elegant working/living space.

There is a huge daily central market with literally hundreds of stalls. It is housed in a beautiful warehouse-type building from the late 1800’s with iron girders and stained-glass windows.

We have lunch while there; a traditional Valencian paella. Valencia claims to have invented the dish. This paella is made with local thick-shelled rice (that absorbs the broth), local calcium-rich water, green beans, white beans, chicken and duck or rabbit. Seafood is not used.

Sevilla

 Westward, on the way to Portugal, we visit Sevilla, Spain’s fourth largest city. It was the launch-point for many Spanish explorers in the 1500’s and by the 1600’s trade with the New World enriched the city to be Spain’s largest and most wealthy.

We stay in Triana, a section of the city west across the river Guadalquivir from the old center city. A large covered market with a dozen stands is just down the block, as is a nice sidewalk cafe. The market is on the site of Castillo de San Jorge which was the headquarters of Sevilla’s Inquisition in the 1400’s.

We arrive in the late afternoon and set out to explore. The walk across the Puente de Isabel II bridge to the city sights is an easy 20 minutes. There are large plazas connecting Sevilla’s signature sights, a maze of small, tangled lanes, and impressive narrow shopping streets.

The Giralda, the 330-foot tall bell tower of the great cathedral, reflects the city’s history. The large stone blocks that form its foundation are ancient Roman; the brick mid-section with Islamic patterns and keyhole arches are from the Moorish minaret that was built over it; and the top section with its bells and 4,000 pound bronze rotating weathervane, the Triumph of Faith, was built by the Christians to symbolize the conquest of Christianity over the Muslim religion when King Ferdinand III of Castile captured the city after a 16 month siege in 1248. It is said that when the Moors left they demanded that the minaret be dismantled and given to them to prevent the infidel Christians from using it. But the king declared that he would kill one Moor for each stone that was removed, and the Moors gave up their claim. Inside is a series of 35 ramps leading to the bells. It is said that the carillonneur (bell-ringer) rode his donkey up the ramp to reach the bells. Now, we walk up the ramps for the best view of the city.

The cathedral is the largest Gothic church in Europe (and the third largest church after St Peter’s in Rome and St Paul’s in London). It covers the footprint of the square brick mosque of the Moors, and retains the large Courtyard of the Orange Trees that served as the place for ritual ablutions before the Moors entered the mosque to pray. Inside, the cathedral has massive stone columns and has many side-chapels and sections that are largely hidden from each other rather than having an enormous central nave like most churches.

The high altar is backed by a dazzling 80-foot tall gold altarpiece, the largest ever made. It’s 44 scenes tell the story of the birth, miracles, passion and Pentecost of Christ.  

The 800-year old battle flag of Castille and Leon, King Ferdinand’s two kingdoms, hangs in a side chapel. Nearby the tomb of Christopher Columbus stands at an entrance for pilgrims. His coffin is held by four larger-than-life-size pallbearers that represent the traditional kingdoms of Spain. Columbus’s 1492 voyage port of departure is just 50 miles away.

The Altar de Plata in another side chapel is a 5,000 pound silver altarpiece forming a huge monstrance.

The Sacristy of the Chalices is a large separate room with paintings by Goya. And in the Main Sacristy is another large separate room with a 1,000 pound silver monstrance at the center.

The Chapter House is yet another separate room with a large painting of the Immaculate Conception by Murillo. The Treasury hold hundreds of reliquaries and the Corona de la Virgen de los Reyes, a crown with 12,000 gems including the world’s largest pearl.

The whole experience speaks to the grandeur of Spain’s glory times, several centuries ago.   

The Plaza de la Virgen do los Reyes borders the magnificent cathedral. It is a large square with a fountain. The ornate red Archbishop’s Palace is also along the plaza.

Night is when Sevilla really shines. By 7pm the streets are full of people, including families, out for the evening paseo (stroll); this continues until 11pm or even later. They stroll along the river, sidewalk tapas bars, and plazas. The trendy restaurants start to fill up around 8pm. The chatter and buzz are upbeat and lively.

We find our way to La Carboneria Bar which features flamenco performances. Tonight there is a traditional Spanish guitarist, a lady who sings and dances flamenco, and the featured performer – a man who dances with gusto! We stay for two shows. Sevilla is the national home for flamenco. Like jazz, flamenco is all about improvisation and duende (or soul).

The next day we take a walking tour through the sights of the city which gives us more background on the history and color of Sevilla. In the afternoon we visit the Royal Alcazar, the palace of the Spanish rulers for a thousand years. It was built in the 900’s for the governors of the Moorish state, and still functions as one of the royal homes making it the oldest in Europe still in use.

The palace was extensively remodeled in the mid-1300’s by Moorish workmen brought in by King Pedro I. It is in a style that mixes Islamic and Christian elements, called Mudejar. In their turn, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabela and later their grandson, Charles V who was the Holy Roman Emperor lived here too.

There is a huge Courtyard of the Hunt at the main entrance to the Alcazar from which one proceeds to the Palace of King Pedro I with its classic Mudejar architecture.

At the center of the palace is the Courtyard of the Maidens with a long reflecting pool creating a microclimate of coolness. The walls are stucco with intricate arches atop slender columns and decorated by ceramic tiles. There are several adjoining rooms.

The Banquet Hall is where Charles V and Isabella of Portugal held their wedding reception in 1526, uniting the Iberian Peninsula. It is an immense room with colorful tiles and the King’s coat of arms painted on one end and the Queen’s on the other.

The Hall of Tapestries depicts events from Spanish history in dramatic fashion on Belgian tapestries from the 1500’s.

The cube-shaped Hall of Ambassadors is topped with a half-dome that served as the throne room. The stucco walls are molded with plant and geometric shapes, as well as Arabic writing. The cube represents the earth; the dome is the heavens proclaiming that the king ruled heaven and earth.    

At the rear of the palace is a far-flung garden with abundant palm trees, myrtle hedges, roses and fountains.

That evening we search out a tiny tapas restaurant on a small side street

for which we read exciting reviews. It is named La Cata and is run by a couple; one cooks, one serves. The menu is limited and the wine is selected based on your description of your preferences; there is no wine list. Our meal is the best we have had in Spain.

We want to return to Sevilla – its only 3 hours away from our home in Portugal. The food, color, and atmosphere are enticing. And in November we do this with our guests Jayne and Jocelyn! It is their first time in Sevilla, and we all walk around the central sites (e.g. the Cathedral and Palace) then walk southeast to the Plaza de Espana. It was built for the 1929 Ibero-American Exhibition to celebrate the relationship between Spain and its former colonies. The plaza is huge with a sprawling semi-circular building in a Spanish Renaissance style. It features tile frescos of all 52 Spanish provinces, a creek (where people can rent row boats), several bridges, a large fountain, and two tall towers. The scale of the plaza is an impressive sight. Near the plaza is a photographer who takes our picture in the guise of flamingo dancers and matador.

As evening draws near we take an evening paseo (stroll) along the river, then return to the La Carboneria Bar to view the flamingo dancer and Spanish guitarist who accompanies her. Then we return to La Cato restaurant for delicious tapas.

The next day J & J take a guided walking tour of the city while the vagabonds do some shopping at the local farmers market, tea shop, leather goods store, and jewelry shop. When we meet up again and have a leisurely lunch at another tapas café with outdoor seating. Finally, at the end of the afternoon, we say adios to Sevilla and drive back to Salema.