Prowling my world, camera in hand

The third week of the year began in Barcelona, where Lars and I spent Sunday looking at some fantastic places and enjoying Barceloneta before driving home to Alicante in the evening. Most of the pictures are from that day. At the end there are a few images from the end of my daughter’s holiday visit–she went back to the UK on Thursday morning.

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We started Sunday morning with a visit to Sagrada Familia, Gaudi’s magnificent church which has been under construction, on and off, for close to 100 years and is now projected for completion in 2026. My own view is that it will never be fully finished; it is part of its “personality” that it is a work in progress. But the interior is now completed, and the effect is fantastic. This is the overall view of the main nave:

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A closer view of the altar:

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The skylight:

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A modern take on the stained-glass window:

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Mark in Catalan:

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The use of light and shadows is one of the defining charactaristics of Sagrada Familia:

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The Lord’s Prayer in Catalan and about 50 other languages:

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The outside of the church is ornate but modern. Here, the killing of baby boys ordered by Herod:

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The holy family:

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Door detail:

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And the final picture from Sagrada Familia, the stereotypical Asian tourist with a selfie stick. They were everywhere:

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Our next cultural agenda item was the Joan Miró Foundation. On the way there, we stopped for coffee at a real neighbourhood place:

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Four-legged guests are welcome too:

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The Miró Foundation is a wonderful place to visit, and there are nice views of Barcelona as a bonus:

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Another take on baby Jesus:

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Lars is an artist and a teacher, and he always carries a notebook with him to write down ideas that come to him, especially when looking at great art such as was the case here:

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After our cultural morning, we took the metro back to the centre, and met up with Lluis for a walk and lunch in Barceloneta.

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Typical street life in Barceloneta–the children play, the adults chat:

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Doggie in a crowd, inside:

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Doggie in a crowd, outside:

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We went for lunch at a hectic, crowded and very real place, not a tourist in sight:

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There is no menu. You simply get what there is that day, but it is plenty good:

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Our server in action. He was intense and funny. When I told him that I did not want vermouth (the traditional lunch drink in this place) he thought I was sick until I explained that we had more than 500 km to drive later that day. Even then, he said that since we were two, one could get drunk while the other drove:

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Calculating the bill:

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Afterwards, we walked back to the metro to make our way to Plaza Catalunya where we had left the car. On the way, we took in the sights and sounds of Barceloneta. A curbside conversation:

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Young man on trotinette:

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Texting on the beach:

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An eyecatching decoration in another Barceloneta bar:

The last few pictures are from back in Alicante.

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A shop near the Mercado Central:

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We went for lunch at a vegetarian restaurant, L’Indret. Monica was in heaven, since with one exception, all dishes were vegan, and the food was plentiful and tasty:

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Wednesday evening, the eve of Monica’s departure for the UK. Lars is making dinner:

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Serving:

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One of the little dishes Lars prepared:

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Homemade bread rolls with Guinness and black olives–yummy!:

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Finally, Thursday morning has arrived, and once again, I am saying goodbye to one of the my children at an airport: