Hey everyone, here are some pictures of our
recent trip to Spain. The first week of our trip
we spent in Alicante, which is on the South-
East coast of the country. The first place we
visited was the Castle of Santa Barbara. It was built
between the 9th and 12th centuries up on the highest
hill on the coast.
Sum and I at the castle.
Sum taking pictures of the Alicante coast after climbing
up the outer wall of the castle. Right beyond her is a
500 foot drop off, no problem.
The outer wall of the castle with the Harbor of Alicante
below. Our hotel was just North of the harbor.
After a day of hiking up the castle we found this little
fountain and courtyard to relax in.
This beautiful arbor was next to the above fountain. It
was a very relaxing and pretty place to rest.
The next day we went up the coast and found this little
town sitting up on the hillside. It has this little,
famous church on the hillside with the purple roof.
Sum and I up in the courtyard of the church,
overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Later that
night we would come back to this courtyard
to have dinner and enjoy the church at night.
The church at sunset.
This rock sits on the coast of the city of Calpe. It is 1,500
feet high and thanks to a new tunnel dug through it, we
were able to climb to the summit with Summer's parents.
The tunnel is way up the hill at the end of the
tree line.
Sum and I just outside the tunnel.
Me at the summit, 1,500 feet up.
The view from the top, the rock sits on an outcropping
of the city so there is the Mediterranean on both sides.
Jose Antonio, family of the bride Rebecca, is an avid
sailor. We went out on his boat and sailed
around the harbor and coast.
A few days later we drove South down to the city of
Torrevieja. We spent the after noon playing on the beach.
In Spain, the locals love to play paddle ball on the beach,
so Terry and I decided to give it a try.
We took a trip to Sella, which is famous for it's rock
climbing. This view through the flowers is of the
castle the royalty used to live in.
Terry and Jeannie climbing in Sella.
A view from the upper city of Sella looking
back on the valley.
I sadly do not have many pictures yet of the wedding itself,
but this is the Palace the wedding was in. It was built by
the man who brought the silk industry to Spain.
The alter carved into the chapel of the palace
where the wedding was.
Sum in her bridesmaid dress and myself
before the ceremony.
The bride Rebecca and groom Markus heading
to the reception. We threw rose peddles at them.
Summer doing a traditional Spanish dance with Jesus, the
Uncle of the bride.
After the wedding, Summer and I took the train
to Barcelona and spent a few days looking around the
city. Barcelona is home to my favorite architect
Antonio Gaudi. Below are some pictures from his
masterpiece The Sagrada Familia Cathedral. He spent
the last 36 years of his life working on it, and it's
still in progress. They hope to finish in 2026,
100 years after the year Gaudi died.
A closer look at the Passion facade on the
West side of the cathedral. After Gaudi died
there was a fire and his plans for the rest of
the cathedral were ruined. This, and the
rest of the project were designed by
another architect.
The inside is being made to the plans of Gaudi as he began
it before he died. He loved nature so all his work
is designed after it without straight lines. The pillars
that hold up the room are transformed into trees,
it's an amazing building.
This is the East facade of the cathedral, all designed
by Gaudi. It is called the Nativity Facade and it is
filled with intricate carvings from this famous story.
A close up of the Nativity, look at all the amazing detail.
The entire facade has the smallest detail which was all
designed by Gaudi. The scale is amazing.
Sum and I were able to go up one of the towers and cross
the upper bridge that leads over the Nativity Facade.
This is the view of Barcelona from the top.
A close up of birds on one of the towers. Here you can
see the amazing, precise detail carved into the stone, and
this is over 100 feet off the ground. No matter how
high or far, Gaudi still was a perfectionist in his work.
Sum is standing on the lower right corner above one of the
carvings on the facade.
We are looking at the huge rose window that is above
main alter of the church on the inside.
Gaudi also worked on many private homes. This home
is called the Pedrera and is one of his most famous homes.
The courtyard of the home.
This is the roof, and while it is hard to tell what you are
looking at it is actually chimneys. This
is a 270 degree panorama of the roof. Instead of just
making single smoke stacks, Gaudi used them as a piece of
art, carving what are now dubbed the "witch scarers".
Each Chimney is covered with a mosaic of tiles, Gaudi's
favorite means of adding color.
Sum and I also went into one of the floors which
is now a museum of Gaudi. It is furnished with
items designed and carved by the artist,
including this mirror.
This is the second famous house he designed, called
Casa Batllo, the second house on the right.
Not only was the outside transformed,
even the inside has the touches of Gaudi.
The knuckling pillars here were designed after bones
and while it is hard to see, the entire face is covered
with a rainbow of small tiles all the way up.
As you can see the entire house is a covered with unusual
carvings and designs.
Again the roof is full of chimneys shaped
and covered with tiles.
Gaudi's park, Park de Guell, is a two level open area.
The lower area is a maze of columns designed to be an
open air market and the upper level is lined with benches
cover with a tile mosaic.
Barcelona is also home to many other cathedrals,
this one below was built in the 13th century
using a Gothic style.
Sum and I were lucky enough to go on the roof of this
cathedral as well. It is such a different way to
appreciate these great masterpieces.
Looking up at the roof at stained glass windows.
The columns and rear view of the
alter. You can see the cross in the lower
middle of the picture.
This is the oldest church in spain,
Sant Pau del Camp. It has sections from the 9th
century and was expanded in the 12th century.
Sum and I found this wild Vegan restaurant hidden in the old
town. The inside had this crazy artwork which was a
mural of vegetables. Sum and I felt compelled to
pay them a visit and support the cause.
Sum and I found some great open markets and while they
mostly have meat and fish in them, each had some areas
of nice veggies. This is the most impressive
display and selection we found.
The cathedral Santa Maria del Mar.
One of the most beautiful old churches in Spain
built in 1329. It is famous for being consistent in
its style because it was completed during the
"short" time span of 50 years and all overseen by its
original architect. Most large cathedrals in Europe
take centuries to complete.
Sum and I walking by the coast. Behind us is the Arc de
Triomf, built as the entrance for the 1888
World Exposition.
The La Cascada, a monumental fountain that
tops all I have seen in Spain. It's size is
grand and design very neat. We learned also that
Gaudi worked on this project as a student
in Barcelona's Architecture School in 1875.
Sum and I found some great
Gelato stops along the boardwalks.
