Barcelona: Archive of Courtesy

Congratulations on your lovely new passport, Susi! I have my application filled out, the check is written, I just need a picture of myself that isn't fugly. My current passport photo is no bueno. I took it on campus at BYU-H, just after I'd dashed over from Hale 3 in the pouring rain. It's not pretty!

In response to your post about Gaudi and Barcelona - I LOVED the lighting of the torch at the Barcelona Olympics. Even though I was just ten at the time, I've always remembered what a thrill that was.

As I type this, I'm watching "Barcelona: Archive of Courtesy," a travel DVD I checked out from Netflix, and taking notes. It doesn't start out auspiciously - stating that Barcelona is a city with a spirit that muses the bohemian and the modern. I don't have much interest in either of those. :)

Gothic Quarter
I think that we should definitely see the Gothic Quarter, which is the historical center of the city. The old cathedral there is surrounded by a street market with stalls selling art, fruit, jams, cheese and trinkets. It looks like a fun place, people performing the Sardona (ring dance and national symbol of Catalonia), and singing amongst beautiful buildings. As I'm watching this program, I'm rather surprised that there aren't more historical buildings seeing as the city was founded some 2000 years ago. I think one of the most interesting parts of our trip will be seeing how the ancient is mused with the present.

Guell Park
Guell Park is very interesting as well. It's a "Garden City," designed by Gaudi (how often do you think he was under the influence of something when he worked?) and is definitely worth a look. It reminds me of the "Alice in Wonderland" version of New York's Central Park.

Casa Mila - "The Puff Pastry"
One of Gaudi's works - it's very odd looking, but you gotta give the guy credit for his imagination and flair.

Golden Square - an area that reflects the work of modernist renaissance architecture and is described as an "outdoor museum." The photo here is an example of the buildings that make up Golden Square, or Quadrat d'Or, in Espanol.

Paseo de la Exposition - large, impressive looking building that houses large conventions and such. I thought it was a government building, but I think I'm wrong. :)

I think we'll be able to find plenty to see during our few days in Barcelona.

Opening Up A Whole New World

After making a deposit on our cruise back in June, I realized that I needed to get the ball rolling and get my passport! Couldn't get to Spain or Italy without a passport. Going on this cruise actually forced me to get a passport. I've had the paperwork for quite some time--filled it out on numerous occasions, but could never force myself to go down to the county building to turn it in. I actually took my passport picture at the local FedEx Kinko's (now FedEx Office) back in mid-April when I took a concealed weapons permit class. Never expected that of me, huh? Anyways...I filled out the passport application, and being super prepared, even went to the bank to take cash out in case I couldn't pay with a check or debit card. I had to scrounge around the house for a copy of my birth certificate (thanks mom for being on top of things). My arrival at the county administration building was filled excitement as I realize that obtaining a passport will open my eyes to a whole new world. Literally. I produce the necessary documentation, only to be told that a copy of my birth certificate is not acceptable. Well, I couldn't find the original! Luckily, because I was born in Utah, I quickly drove the five blocks to the public health department, paid $18 for another one, and returned to the county building. The cash came in handy--I had to pay $25 to the county and they didn't accept cash or debit cards. Wrote a check out for $75 to the federal government and away the application went! I was even given a compliment by the lady that both my passport photo and drivers license picture were nice! :)

Today, I received an email letting me know that my passport application has finished processing and is in the mail even as I type! Because it is being shipped priority, it should arrive by next Tuesday! The email was even kind enough to give me a tracking number! WOO HOO! I am one step closer! Spain, France and Italy here I come!

Incidentally, everyone has asked if I was allowed to smile in my passport photo. They didn't tell me I couldn't, so I did. I'm also assuming that since my application was processed and in the mail, it's not that big of a deal.

Gaudi in Spain? Gaudi in Vegas?

Besides the 1992 Summer Olympics taking place in Barcelona, what else is there? Maybe we're judging the city of Barcelona too harshly and rashly, but besides Antoni Gaudi architecture, what else is there? Yes, the Sagrada Familia is definitely something to see. Despite it's grandeur, it's still not complete. I did more research (thanks to wikipedia--who I know, is not a credible source) on Gaudi and he seemed like a troubled young man, too entrenched in religion to think outside the box. As he signed his award for the title of architect someone said "Who knows if we have given this diploma to a nut or to a genius. Time will tell." And given the look of many of his structures, that may be up for debate.

According to wikipedia (which you've linked to in your previous post), Gaudí was a devout Catholic, to the point that in his later years he abandoned secular work and devoted his life to Catholicism and his Sagrada Familia. He designed it to have 18 towers, 12 for the 12 apostles, 4 for the 4 evangelists, one for Mary and one for Jesus. He spent the last few years of his life living in the crypt of the "Sagrada Familia". Who lives in a crypt? I'm definitely thinking spiders and cobwebs now! And the coup de grace is that Gaudi was run over by a tram! Wikipedia says that "because of his ragged attire and empty pockets, many cab drivers refused to pick him up for fear that he would be unable to pay the fare. He was eventually taken to a paupers' hospital in Barcelona. Nobody recognized the injured artist until his friends found him the next day. When they tried to move him into a nicer hospital, Gaudí refused, reportedly saying "I belong here among the poor." He died three days later at age 73, half of Barcelona mourning his death. He was buried in the midst of La Sagrada Familia." Sad huh?

Based on the extensiveness (and craziness) of his architecture is that where we get the saying "That's gaudi looking?" Is that why things that are "over the top" are considered "gaudi?"

Considering we have three full days in Barcelona (Friday when we land, Sunday after we disembark from the boat, and Monday), we can definitely fill our time with all the Gaudi-like places! I like your idea of ranking them in order of weirdness! Or maybe we can visit the Olympic Stadium where they had one of the coolest torch lighting ceremonies ever!

Barcelona, What Were You Thinking?

I'm not going to lie, a big part of me wishes our cruise began and ended in a different place. I've never had much desire to be in Spain, but it's still Europe. There are still things to explore and experience, right?

This evening I spent a bit of time Googling things to see and do in Barcelona. Time and again the Sagrada Familia pops up as the number one thing to see in the city. I can see why it's such a popular location - it's a building straight out of a nightmare. I can't quite understand what the architect, Antoni Gaudí, was thinking. Or, for that matter, the entire city. They seem to have embraced his architecture on a wide scale. As far as the Sagrada Familia goes, I personally believe it looks more like something out of a Tim Burton world, or Oz, than a Roman Catholic Cathedral. Seriously, I look at it and I think spiders. Big, gigantic spiders. I think it's because the design looks to be made of cobwebs.

Gaudi's work is peppered throughout the city, and I think that might be what is turning me off of Barcelona as a whole. We might have to give our B-Town sightseeing a purpose and look for architecture that's not cob-webby. This tunnel is pretty cool, though, don't you think? It's in Park Guell, which contains more Gaudi weirdness.

It's too bad Paris isn't closer to Barcelona. There's a two-country Spain'n France rail pass. I'm thinking that Barcelona is going to end up being the European equivalent of our quick trip to Bear Lake....once is enough. Surely there are things to see apart from the Aquarium, the Picasso and Dali museums, and the beach. I'm just not finding them tonight. Maybe we should visit as many of Gaudi's works as possible and rank them in order of weirdness. That would be kind of cool.

Thoughts on Portofino

Pretty vs pretty sums it up nicely! It's a tough decision. Luckily we have time to think it over.

I did see the Taste of Ligurian Riviera excursion and its castle. In fact, that was the first excursion I poured over for our first day in Italy. The castle drew my eye! Isn't it funny that something that small was used as a defense against the Saracens?

In spite of the need to walk 2 hours, the Cinque Terre excursion would take to us to see so much of the park and the area. Rio Maggiore, Vernazza, Manarola. The walking probably wouldn't be too bad - it sounds like the 2 hours would be spread out over the day in places like the "Street of Love" along the sea and in the villages. It's such a unique region. I wonder what led Medieval Italians to settle in these coves.

Do you ever watch Rick Steve's travel show? I love him. His special about the Cinque Terre region airs on PBS Sept. 25th. Maybe that will give us some insight!

Hannibal Raids Italy

Why wouldn't you have such a picturesque landscape as your desktop wallpaper! The colors are so vivid and yes, it does make one wonder how captains didn't plunge their boats into the coast!

If Florence is the "hole" of Italy, then Portofino must be its jewel. All the pictures I have seen of this place are absolutely stunning! Pictures of Cinque Terre also remind me of Santorini (I'd like to give my thanks to the movie Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants!). I love that wikipedia calls this the "rugged portion." How can anything be described as rugged when used in the same sentence as a "Italian Riviera"? I must say, as an introduction and first stop in Italy, Portofino definitely makes an impression! Did you read that Cinque Terre is a national park and that it has a Street of Love?! How does a street receive such a designation? :) Something to think about.

I'm torn. This excursion sounds absolutely wonderful--except the part where it says visitors will need to walk 2 miles. You know how I feel about walking/hiking long distances! But aside from my apparent physical laziness, did you check out "The Taste of Ligurian Riviera" excursion? For someone who loves castles as much as you, I thought that this one would be awesome! Just like the Cinque Terre excursion, you take a little motorboat to St. Margherita and Rapallo. The description says that as we stroll the ancient streets, we will "view a 16th-century castle that was built as a defense against the Saracen raids. Originally, this complex was connected to the land by a single span Roman bridge. According to legend, Hannibal crossed over this bridge during his invasion of Italy." Hannibal? Raids? Invasion? Sounds like a good time! We'll also visit Sestri Levante, a place praised by Dante and Petrarch.
How pretty is this? And this excursion includes lunch! ARG! What why the tough decision? Why can't it just be like ugly vs. pretty? Instead of pretty vs. pretty?

Second Vote for a Day in Tuscany

We already know that we can't do anything in depth with this trip - it's a great introduction to Italy, but really just skims the surface. I talked with my boss again yesterday and, in spite of all her trips to Italy (she takes groups of students over to Rome), she's never seen Pisa . She's never gone to Florence. That got me thinking again about the parts of Italy I've always dreamed of seeing. As I mentioned in a previous post, they were the Cinque Terre, Venice, and Tuscany. I think I'd forgotten that, thinking that we needed to see the big cities and such. How could I overlook a full day in Tuscany in lieu of a mad dash through Florence and a trek to see an architectural disaster?

Your post made me look closer at the Tuscan Countryside excursion and it was like a light bulb finally lit up in my head (you'd think it wouldn't have taken so long, but let's overlook that, shall we?). Dirty Florence and crowded Pisa or rolling hills and quaint Etruscan villages? Of course I'd rather spend a day in medieval towns in the Tuscan countryside! I can't even begin to count how many times I've watched "Under the Tuscan Sun" or "The English Patient," and wished I were in Tuscany.

Your photo of the "Town of Fine Towers" sealed it for me, although I needed little convincing! Let's skip Florence and it's dirt (we'll have plenty of that in Rome) and enjoy as much of the Italian countryside as we can. The view from Volterra (pictured above) is breathtaking. We should take advantage of the chance to see that in person.

Tuscan Countryside vs. Pisa...

Who needs to see a leaning tower? I surely don't. It doesn't look that interesting in a picture, why would up close be any different? If everything you're finding about Pisa talks of cheap stalls and pushy salespeople, don't you think we'll get some of that at every port? Why be overrun with it in Pisa?Looking closely at the excursions, including the "Florence and Pisa On Your Own, and given my need to not really see Pisa, how about the "Tuscan Countryside--San Gimignano & Volterra" excursion? It must be my fascination with medieval towns, cathedrals, and country. But on this trip, you'll go through the "Town of Fine Towers," (picture above) which could be considered castles. :) We'll have time to explore or shop or have a "taste of Tuscany's legendary cuisine, a local farmhouse will serve a generous lunch with typical local specialties." This also includes seeing one of the most beautiful squares in Italy (and given all the pictures I've seen of Florence, it looks super dirty). There's also a Roman theatre that dates back to the 1st Century! All the artwork or craftsmanship in Florence all read copies. Who wants to see a copy of Michaelangelo's David? This tour is $155 for 9 hours, but may be more conducive to how we roll! It may be the perfect relaxation day before we hit Rome hard!

Thoughts?

Wherefore art thou Pig Hamlet?

Hehehe....I completely forgot about Bro. Ward and his pig Hamlet! That's awesome. Remember what a struggle his classes could be? Remember the girl who thought she was assigned to present ruins, but she was supposed to discuss runes??? I really did like the "Canterbury Tales" and "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight."Ah, good times!

I didn't even consider the smell of a perfume factory, odd as that sounds. But, now that you mention it, it might be slightly overwhelming! Let's visit Fayence and Seillans after we enjoy a morning in Cannes. You'll never hear me say no to a stroll through a medieval town!

Brother Ward Would Be So Proud...

Oh, Cannes. The first stop on our grand excursion. And what a stop it will be!

Although I wouldn't mind visiting a perfume factory, I think the smells may be to noxious for me! Let's just visit the perfume counter at the local Dillards or other major department store and call it good! Besides the perfume thing, the Grasse & St. Paul-de-Vence excursion does sound fun. Especially that awesome stairway and the fact that it's in the countryside. Who cares if it's considered touristy? Are we not tourists? The downside to this tour (that I found), is that considering it's a 5 hour excursion, 2 hours of that is eaten up by travel.

I love the idea of exploring Cannes on our own in the morning, leaving us the afternoon to do an excursion. I agree that the Fayence and Seillans tour would be tres bien. A scenic drive, a castle, a village, a cobblestone street, a renowned Love Fountain--what more could we ask for? Maybe some of that stuff we learned in our Medieval class will rub off! Although all I can remember from that heinous class is Brother Ward talking about his pig Hamlet!

Thoughts?

The Cinque Terre

For quite some time, this photo of Manarola was my desktop wallpaper. The colors! The rugged cliff side! The froth of turbulent waves! I'd look at those little boats pulled up onto the stone steps and wonder how the humans who captain those small vessels avoid being slammed into the rocks. It's all so dramatic and characteristic of the villages that line the Cinque Terre.

When I realized that we'd be docking in Portofino - just a short distance from Manarola - I was thrilled. Next to Tuscany and Venice, the Cinque Terre has long captured my attention when it comes to Italy. In many ways, photos of the area remind me of Santorini (or, at least, photos I've seen of the place, lol). Here's a bit of info about the area (thank you Wikipedia):

"The Cinque Terre is a rugged portion of coast on the Italian Riviera. It is in the Liguria region of Italy, to the west of the city of La Spezia. "The Five Lands" comprises five villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore.

The coastline, the five villages, and the surrounding hillsides are all part of the Cinque Terre National Park and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Cinque Terre is noted for its beauty. Over centuries, people have carefully built terraces on the rugged, steep landscape right up to the cliffs that overlook the sea. Part of its charm is the lack of visible "modern" development. Paths, trains and boats connect the villages, and cars cannot reach it from the outside."

I'd love the chance to see these places in person. It's amazing to think of the different cultures and towns Italy has to offer. From the isolation of the Cinque Terre to the Eternal City to the Tuscan countryside and fashion capitols like Milan, it's somewhat mindboggling. And all this from a country that the CIA World Factbook describes as "slightly larger than Arizona!"

Is Pisa Worth It?

As I've been researching our trip (thoroughly enjoying myself in the process), I've come across several blogs and chatboards proclaiming that Pisa is not worth the trip. There isn't much to see there and the area is overrun by cheap stalls and pushy salespeople. Apart from the tower, there's the cathedral and not much else. I'd personally rather spend more time in Florence. There is SO much to see there, one day will never be enough. If we were to slice it even further to accommodate Pisa, we really wouldn't see much. Which led me to the question...is Pisa worth the effort?

The "Florence & Pisa On Your Own" excursion would only give us 3.5 hours to wander around Florence and then would take us to Pisa. It does not include entrance fees to the Field of Miracles or lunch. I believe it's 15 Euros for a 30 minute visit inside the tower, not sure about the Field of Miracles. When you add the loss of time in Florence to the extra cost for the sites in Pisa and Florence, the $99.00 excursion fee doesn't seem so great. At first, I simply thought, "Skip Pisa! Who cares about some crooked tower?"

However.....how could we go to Italy for the first time and NOT see the tower while in the area? Also, one could ask how much we'll be seeing of Florence in one day anyhow. At least we'd see even more of Tuscany traveling to Pisa.

While significantly more expensive ($188), the "Florence & Pisa" excursion would take us to Pisa for just 45 minutes first thing in the morning (and we could see Tuscany bright and early) and then would take us to the major sites of Florence with a guide, and with lunch included. It might be worth the extra cost. We'd spend a minimal amount of time in Pisa, and the majority of the day enjoying Florence.



If we were drinkers, I'd suggest just going to a Tuscan wine tasting. But we're not and watching others get sloshed is no fun. :) We'll get to drive through Tuscany on the way out and back to ship. That'll have to be enough for this first trip.

Parfum de France

Now that we've decided on the excursion we'd like to take for our last port, I decided to turn my attention back to the first port. I must admit, I quite like the sound of the excursions that venture into Provencal villages.

The first is the Grasse & St. Paul-de-Vence excursion. How interesting would it be to visit a perfume factory? I think it would be fascinating.

I also looked up St. Paul-de-Vence (I'd never heard of it before) and found that it's a fortified medieval town about an hour inland from Cannes, right in the Provencal countryside. It's quite an impressive looking place. I fell in love with this stairway (lame, I know), don't you want to know what it's heading off towards? Many of the travel sites describe St P-de-V as "touristy." Seeing as we're first time tourists to Europe, I don't know that that would be such a bad thing.


The other excursion that I think would be tres bien is the tour of Fayence and Seillans. These are villages nestled into the Alps (so we could say we'd been to not only the French Riviera, but the French Alps as well!). I read that Seillans has often been called the "prettiest village in France," and I've got admit, I'm curious. PLUS....Seillans has a CASTLE at its summit. You know how I love castles. Seeing one in real life may bring me to tears.

As these are both afternoon excursions, and relatively inexpensive. We could explore Cannes on our own in the morning, and at our leisure.