We left this morning at 8:00 after a good breakfast. The
weather was cold and rainy.It
was about a two and a half hour ride before we got to Saragossa (Zaragoza).There was going to be some type of military parade and concert in the
square so there was a lot of activity going on and streets were being blocked.
BASILLICA OF OUR LADY OF THE PILLAR
Our
first stop was atBasilica
of Our Lady of the Pillar (El Pilar), where, according to legends, the Virgin
appeared to St. James on a pillar and asked him to build the church. See my model. This
16th- and 17th-century basilica has an almost eastern style with its domes and
towers. Thousands of pilgrims travel here annually to pay homage to the tiny
statue of the Virgen del Pilar in the Holy Chapel.
The interior is rather Baroque.A mass was going on in one of the chapels.There were chapels all around the inside with the choir in the middle of
the nave.We learned that the Spain
name “Pilar” honors the Virgin of the Pilar.
We
went to a coffee shop for coffee and the bathroom.The shop was filled with soldiers who very going to take part in the
parade. Then we walked down the square to the “new cathedral”, La Seo del
Salvador . It w
Mudéjar
is the name given to individual Moors or Muslims who remained in Christian
territory after the Reconquista but were not converted to Christianity .
It also denotes a style of Iberian architecture and decoration, particularly of
Aragon and Castile, of the 12th to 16th centuries.It
has a rich baroque and Plateresque facade and is a particularly fine
example of Aragonese Gothic architecture.
All too soon we were back on the bus.After a rest stop, about an hour and a half after Saragossa, we arrived
in Barcelona.There were a lot
of different mountains along the way.We arrived at our hotel – Rivoli Ramblas.It was right on the Ramblas – two blocks from Plaza Catalunya .
After we checked in our hotel, we went on a tour.First, we drove to the Olympic Village on the sea.The beach was quite beautiful as was the day.The Olympic Village is a complete restoration of poor section of
Barcelona for the 1992 Olympics.There
are a lot of modern buildings - two high rises plus a large fish sculpture by
Frank Gehry.This was his first
experiment building with computers. The sculpture is about 180 feet long and 115
feet tall.Our visit was much too
short.
We drove through various parts of Barcelona on our way to
Guell Park which was designed by
Antoni Gaudi and built from 1900 to
1914. The assignment of this project was made by the count of Güell as an
aristocratic city-garden with single-family residences. The project finally
wasn't a success and consequently it became a municipality property and since
1923 being transformed in
a public park.
It is located on a high point of
Barcelona and has a tremendous view of the city and the Mediterranean Sea .
All of the architecture is “modern” with a walkway resembling a large
wave.There is a large area with
built in benches made of various fragments of tiles and ceramic.
Of interest was what was planned to be a market.It is like a pavilion with a hundred columns.We enjoyed being there very much.It was a “must see” on our list.
We
went back to the hotel at 7:00. We
stopped in the bar for a drink before dinner.The dinner in the hotel was very good- a large salad, salmon and potatoes
and a cream brulee for dessert.
We
took a short walk on the Ramblas before going to bed.
Our
first stop was at Basilica
of Our Lady of the Pillar (El Pilar), where, according to legends, the Virgin
appeared to St. James on a pillar and asked him to build the church.
See my model. This
16th- and 17th-century basilica has an almost eastern style with its domes and
towers. Thousands of pilgrims travel here annually to pay homage to the tiny
statue of the Virgen del Pilar in the Holy Chapel.
We
went to a coffee shop for coffee and the bathroom.
The shop was filled with soldiers who very going to take part in the
parade. Then we walked down the square to the “new cathedral”, La Seo del
Salvador . It w
ristianity .
It also denotes a style of Iberian architecture and decoration, particularly of
Aragon and Castile, of the 12th to 16th centuries.
It
has a rich baroque and Plateresque facade and is a particularly fine
example of Aragonese Gothic architecture. 
e back on the bus.
After a rest stop, about an hour and a half after Saragossa, we arrived
in Barcelona. There were a lot
of different mountains along the way.
We arrived at our hotel – Rivoli Ramblas.
It was right on the Ramblas – two blocks from Plaza Catalunya .
After we checked in our hotel, we went on a tour.
First, we drove to the Olympic Village on the sea.
The beach was quite beautiful as was the day.
The Olympic Village is a complete restoration of poor section of
Barcelona for the 1992 Olympics. There
are a lot of modern buildings - two high rises plus a large fish sculpture by
Frank Gehry. This was his first
experiment building with computers. The sculpture is about 180 feet long and 115
feet tall. Our visit was much too
short.
a public park.
