Cathedral

Catedral de Barcelona was absolutely breath taking. Inside, my photos wouldn't do it justice. You can see a couple of images here.
The building is huge, and I got images of the outside. I took several because every corner you go around, there is a completely different view of the building.

You can see better images of the entrance on the website link above. It, like so many other things here, seems to be under construction.

These are other pictures I took of the Cathedral, just walking around it.





I did get one photo of the garden within the Cathedral walls. There was a large crowd of people, so I couldn't capture the pool with ducks. They were noisy; the ducks, not the crowd!


All around the Cathedral are other points of architectural and cultural interest. The following two I just found interesting. This image shows one of several gargoyles a few stories up on a building.


This one is a magnificent archway. Walking underneath it revealed even more intricate work. You don't see may archways with consideration taken for the design underneath it in Canada.


Just outside the Cathedral is a park. Yes, this is typically what passes for a park around here. Grass doesn't seem to do well in Europe.


Back to the mention of cultural interest, there are quite a few museums and galleries surrounding the Cathedral. This first one is the Reial Cercle Artistic (Royal Artistic Circle). This museum is currently (and it looks like indefinitely, as far as I can figure out) exhibiting works by Salvador Dali. I will be venturing into this museum in October and if they allow it, I will take some more photos.


Right beside the Cathedral is the Museu Diocesa de Barcelona, exhibiting work by Gaudi. Like all the buildings in this area, this museum is in a structure built in medieval times.


Also in this area is the Museu D'Historia de la Ciutat (Museum of the History of the City). All over the front of it were photos like this.


I came across an interesting place called Viceroy's Palace. It holds archives of the Crown of Aragon. On display, they had many letters and legal documents, written in calligraphy hundreds of years ago. Their script is incredible. I'm going to go back another day and try to get a picture of it. In the mean time, I got a shot of the indoor garden.


I think Museu Frederic Mares is the last museum in the area. Mares was a sculptor who donated his house to the city as a museum. It not only has his sculptures, but his collection of sculptures and images dating as far back as the third century. This is the courtyard in front of the museum.


In other news, I'm taking my second trip! Now that it's official, I thought I'd share it with you. I leave August 29 for Geneva, Switzerland. I will then visit, in order, Lucerne, Paris, Rome and Madrid. I will return on September 6. I won't be taking my laptop with me, as it really just weighs me down. There are Internet cafes everywhere, and I will have my cell phone. I will have a looong post when I come back for you all to read!