Spain: A Dream Come True: 2020

Barcelona-Montserrat 7/4/19

We took a tour bus to Monserrat. Once there we took a tram up the mountain.

The history of Montserrat is fascinating and started in 880 when a small group of shepherd children saw a bright light descending from the sky in the Montserrat mountains. In the same moment the children heard angels singing and the music filled their hearts with a radiant joy.

the black Madonna in the basilica montserrat monastry

The black Madonna in the basilica Montserrat monastery

Overwhelmed by the experience the children ran home to frantically recall the experience to their parents. The parents were sceptical but knew their children were trustworthy and honest and so they went to where the children had experienced the visions to see if they could see what all the fuss was about.

For the whole month following the first visitation the parents were also witness to the same heavenly experiences and were left with only one conclusion. The visions were a sign from God.

A local vicar was brought to the scene and witnessed the same experiences as the children and parents. The visions occurred in the same location in a cave on Montserrat mountain. When this cave was explored by the religious elders of the community they found an image of the Virgin Mary. And from that moment on the cave became a holy sanctuary for religious pilgrims.

Today the site of the visions has been marked by a Holy Grotto on the mountain. You can walk to the Holy Grotto and see first hand where these events took place. The Holy Grotto has now been ordained a holy place and is visited by pilgrims and curious onlookers from all over the world.

Barcelona- Park Guell 7/5/19

When Park Güell began to be built in 1900, Barcelona was a modern and cosmopolitan metropolis whose economy was based on the strength of its industry and which had over half a million inhabitants. Its walls had been knocked down nearly half a century earlier and the new city, the Eixample planned by engineer Ildefons Cerdà, had grown spectacularly from 1860 onwards, in what was the largest 19th century city development project in Europe.

Notice the washer woman.

Barcelona-Picasso Museum 7/3/19

In the morning I visited the Picasso museum. Take a look at some of the pieces by the most influential artist from the 20th century.

Barcelona-La Sagrada Familia 7/4/19

The Sagrada Família is a truly exceptional temple, the result of the work of genius architect Antoni Gaudí. Today, more than 135 years after the laying of the cornerstone, construction continues on the Basilica and is expected to be completed in 2026.

Granada-La Alhambra 6/30/19

As I rode the train from Sevilla to Granada it was evident I was entering a new dimension. Up on the hill I noticed a castle and knew things were changing. The earth no longer looked reddish, white houses popped up as well as asparagus and many olive trees.
The reason I came to Granada was to see the Alhambra. This is the last and greatest Moorish palace in Europe. I began at 9 and left at 3. It was beautiful area of buildings, fountains and gardens.

La Alhambra

Courtyard of the lions

Sevilla-Alcazar and Cathedral 6/29/19

At 9:30 this morning, I visited the Real Alcazar. The Royal Alcazar is the oldest Royal Palace still in use in Europe. Raised over the first settlement foundations of Sevilla, it has its origin during the XI Century AD.

Then we went to the Sevilla Cathedral. It is the third largest church in Europe and the largest Gothic church anywhere.

Christopher Columbus' remains are in this cathedral.

Sevilla pictures 6/28-6/30/19

Torre de Oro is where booty from the new world was stored.

Guadalquevir River

Madrid- Palacio Real 6/27/19

Madrid- Prado Art Museum 6/27/19

The Prado Museum (Spanish: Museo del Prado [muˈseo ðel ˈpɾaðo]), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It is widely considered to have one of the world's finest collections of European art, dating from the 12th century to the early 20th century, based on the former Spanish Royal Collection, and the single best collection of Spanish art. Founded as a museum of paintings and sculpturein 1819, it also contains important collections of other types of works. El Prado is one of the most visited sites in the world, and it is considered one of the greatest art museums in the world. The numerous works by Francisco Goya, the single most extensively represented artist, as well as by Hieronymus Bosch, El Greco, Peter Paul Rubens, Titian, and Diego Velázquez, are some of the highlights of the collection.