Marti, Bacardi, Gaudi Tour 2007

We are where we began in beautiful, vibrant Barcelona, a city that never sleeps; a city of many, many beautiful buildings, a city with the languages of the world in the street, a city remade by Gaudi. We see many Martis here. When we checked in our desk clerk said, "Marti? Senor, yours is a Catalan name?" And, guess what, there are three streets in the city named Marti, and a metro stop at Sant Marti. We are trying to find out who this fellow was, but, after all, wouldn't we expect to be connected to a Saint if we thought about it a little. He is probably the patron saint of men with many daughters. He probably died of apoplexy when he came home one day from a bocci ball tournament that got rained out and discovered his teen aged daughter had taken the second mule into Barcelona to shop on LaRambla. (Hello, Alesha.).
We have visited Gaudi's most famous residential buildings and La Sagrada Familia and the Parc Guell (which I call---to Jane's consternation----Park Gooey). From the metro stop one must climb a hill to reach Park Gooey, if "climb a hill" is used in the same sense one would say climbing Mt. Everest is a nice hike. There are not so many stairs on the stairway to heaven. Park Gooey is a failed real estate development. Gaudi and a partner went onto the hillside above the city with the intent of building Gaudi homes for the wealthy. The homes would be surrounded by abundant open space and each would have a view across the city to the sea. He built elaborate infrastructure, including a charming hillside road supported by tree like columns, and a park with mosaic benches, a waterfall and a signature gecko, and, finally, two spec houses. Neither home sold. The development folded and was sliding into decay when, after Gaudi's death at the hands of the infamous trolley, the city stepped in, bought the entire development and made it into a park.
We had started the day in the great central market, about a square block of fruit, vegetables, meat, poultry, fish----the whole shooting match----which fronts on La Rambla not far from our hotel. Speaking of our hotel, we are in the Montecarlo. It is on La Rambla and our room is on La Rambla with a balcony. We stand on it and watch the parade pass below us. We figured we would be able to disembark the ship at our leisure since we didn't have a plane to catch but they threw us off at 6:45AM. We grabbed a cab and were at our hotel at 8:30. Our room, of course, would not be ready until 3. We wandered La Rambla and the Gothic Quarter, had breakfast, bought a Lladro Santa Claus for Jane and came back by the hotel around 10:30 to drop it off to store with our luggage. Voila! Our room was ready.
We have seen some of the world's most unique wonders on this trip. We have been to the Parthenon and walked where the Greeks gathered. We have been to Ephesus and walked where Paul and John walked and preached. We have wandered the ruins of Pompeii, and the Colosseum where Emperors and gladiators played and died. We have been in Vatican City and St. Peter's Basilica. We have wandered the streets of Florence and walked where Leonardo and Michaelangelo and Galileo lived and worked. Each of those great historical treasures is a testament to man's determination and his genius and his dedication. But La Sagrada Familia stands alone in its testament to the imagination and artistic inspiration of one man. Gaudi began it in 1882 and spent the last twelve years of his life devoted to its construction. He knew he would not live to see it completed and the plans he left contemplated others would continue the work. When we were here five years ago with the kids little was being done to forward the construction. It is funded completely by donations and the fees charged to enter it. Today construction is feverish. Four cranes sprout from the site. Scaffolding fills much of the interior and the unfinished east side. Activity is frenetic and there appears to be a great sense of purpose in the pursuit of the project. Perhaps it will be finished in your lifetimes. I would love to see it completed. We have been to St. Pauls in London and now to St. Peters, the two great cathedrals of Catholicism, but, I think, when this is done, it will stand alone in its magnificence.
We are on our afternoon break. Jane is bathing. In a while we will venture out onto La Rambla again, find a nice shady table on the boulevard, sip wine (perhaps Sangria tonight) and watch the human parade for an hour or so and then contemplate the evening.
We are in the home stretch. The long flight looms on Wednesday.
Oh, well. We look forward to seeing everyone. We will have a post trip dinner and show photos and stuff.
We were watching the Rockies yesterday morning when we had to leave the boat, but we stopped on the way to the gangway and saw them score the winning run. So, on to the Dbacks. I will call Wingie Thursday morning and get a bet going with him on the series for the NL pennant. That will get his blood up.
Big love. Mean it. See you soon.