Come away with the raggle taggle gypsy-o
Tomorrow is the last day of September and of Becky’s pink Square challenge.
Lots of you will know that my photo was taken in Barcelona, at Gaudi’s wonderful Park Guell.
Everything about Barcelona makes me feel in the pink and makes me smile. Becky made me laugh out loud when I sae her pink square just now!
For day four of Becky’s pink September challenge, I’ve decided to take you to Barcelona.
The colour of these pipes changed with the light through the magnificent windows, as did everything inside. I’m sure you’ll know where this photo was taken!
Becky would love to see you if you’d like to join in for a day or everyday of September.
Tucked away in a back street , behind the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia, in Barcelona, I found this striking sculpture. I don’t remember there being any information, so I have no idea who created it, I just like it!
A sort of sparkly, circular spiral in my square for Becky.
Castelling is an ancient Catalan tradition, first documented in the early 1800’s, it began in Tarragona, but has since spread throughout Catalonia. I first saw it courtesy of the pink trousered one, Michael Portillo, in one of his tv programmes, to which I am addicted. As I was in Barcelona for ‘The Dia’ last September, I knew there was a fair chance of seeing it.
The Centre for Cultura i Memoria in El Born was one of the places it could be seen, the one that was easy to find, and close to a favourite little café!
After a croissant filled with coffee flavoured mascarpone, it was time to go out into the Placa Comercial,
Where preparations were underway.
And then it began.
In the background, you can see the first layer climb on the shoulders of the base level, or Pinya as it’s known. The Pinya is wide and formed by the strongest of the group, to make a base that can support the weight of the rest and be a safety net should anyone fall.
Several more layers are added, the Tronc, and finally, the littlest one scrambles atop, zoom in to see her nearly there, but I didn’t capture her with the camera, I was too entranced!
Once there, she gives a very quick wave, the crowd cheer and she’s back down the six layers beneath her, in just a few moments. Three troups performed that day, in competition, and each time I saw the wave, but my camera didn’t.
Paula has given us a list of five words to choose from for her Thursday special this week. I’ve chosen two, ascending and luminosity, in one photo.
Taken with my i phone 6, I think the graininess adds atmosphere – that’s my excuse anyway – from the 6th floor of Hotel Casanova on the Gran Via in Barcelona.
The other words on Paula’s list are idleness, jaunty and whiff in case you’d like to join in, you have until Thursday.
Happy Sunday!
Paula asks for a nightscape in black and white and says ‘the absence of colour lets us focus on shapes more’. I agree, clear definition and form seems to work best.
My photo was taken from the Arenas rooftop in Barcelona, which is a circle of restaurants with views over the city.
The Arenas was once the city’s bullring, and is now a smart shopping mall, a much better use, don’t you agree?
Barcelona’s Cathedral of the sea, isn’t actually a Cathedral at all, but a beautiful 14th century Gothic church. It was on my list of places to see in Barcelona this time, but on no particular day. In the event, we stumbled upon it by accident while wandering around El Born and La Ribera areas. In case you want to find it, it’s at the end of the street where you’ll find the Picasso museum, heading towards the sea.
The exterior of the church is a little dull, squeezed as it is in the narrow streets of the Ribera, and once you climb to the rooftop, you’ll see just how densely built the area is. You can enter the church without any cost at certain times of the day, but we were happy to pay our 8 euros for a tour of the rooftops. A tour was about to begin, so we had little time to consider the impact on our knees of climbing 140 steps!
There’s another chance to draw breathe after 60 more steps, then just 10 and you’re on the roof.
The church of Our Lady of the Sea was well worth the visit, I’m so glad we stumbled upon it. I believe that if your timing is good, you may get to hear musical rehearsals. It’s known as the people’s church, and because of it’s beauty, it’s also one of the most popular for weddings. I hope you enjoyed sharing my visit.
