So tonight I can relax and post a few more photos from Barcelona.
We saw a few of these people on Las Ramblas, who looked like statues, and posed for photos with passers-by. Pretty cool, isn't she?
I took this funky photo near the top of the Montjuic castle. I liked the purple-blue grape hyacinths, in contrast with the red-yellow Catalan flag. According to my quick google-research, the flag is named "La Senyera", and "La Senyera is the official flag of the Spanish Autonomous Communities of Catalonia, Aragón, the Balearic Islands, Valencia and the historically Catalan-speaking city of Alghero in Sardinia. It is also included on the flags or coats of arms of Pyrénées-Orientales, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, the flag of Roussillon, Capcir, Vallespir and Provence in France and is a quarter of the coat of arms of Andorra."
There is also another Catalan flag, called "L'Estelada", which looks similar but has a white star on a blue triangle added to it. "The full name of the Estelada is La Senyera Estelada, which means starred flag, and is normally a Senyera with a white star superimposed on a blue triangle at the top although a red star on a yellow background is also common. It is an unofficial flag and is generally waved by supporters of Catalonia's independence from Spain, which is why you see so many of them hanging from balconies in Barcelona and the rest of Catalonia at the moment. Inspired by the stars on the Puerto Rican and Cuban flags, who gained independence from Spain in 1898 and 1902 respectively, Catalan independentists began including stars on their symbols from the early 20th century onwards."
If I had known any of this earlier, I would have paid more attention to which flags I saw hanging in Barcelona.
I was drawn to this statue of a beautiful lady at Montjuic Castle....
... while the boys were attracted to the big guns.
This was a fun and joyful grouping of statues on the way down the hill from Montjuic Castle.
The Gaudi-designed Sagrada Familia (sacred family) cathedral, which is still under construction after more than 100 years, was so grand and awe-inspiring, that photos really don't do it any justice. But here is a shot anyhow of the interior.
I was fascinated to read a little note in a kids' book about Antoni Gaudi, the famous Spanish Catalan architect whose works are all around the city of Barcelona. At the age of 73, he was out for a walk and was hit by a tram, and died in hospital three days later. Apparently, he used to dress so shabbily that he was initially mistaken for a beggar, and given only rudimentary care. By the time he was recognized, his condition had deteriorated so much that he was unable to recover from his injuries. A sad ending to his life. Although by 1926, he would have had the satisfaction of seeing a fair amount of the Sagrada Familia taking shape.
Here's a closeup of the sacred family, on the exterior of the building. I love the detail, it is so intricate. Such beautiful stone work.
One final photo from Sagrada Familia, this one of the light streaming in through some of the many stained glass windows, and casting glowing shadows on the ceilings and walls inside.
Finally for tonight, on a totally different topic, I was amused by this floral fashion for Spring/Summer. (The pattern is not only on the clothes, but also on the storefront window, which is why the photo is so funky to look at.) This one was in Barcelona, but I saw some similar floral prints in one of the other cities (in Italy, I believe) which we visited also, so maybe this is a fashion trend to be noticed.
I took photos of both window displays, and even stepped into the store to look at the clothing. But even if I could have been tempted, they were all in too small of sizes for me.
