Smith's Journeys

We flew from Santiago de Compostela to Barcelona for four days after completing the Camino. This was a great time to rest after the previous three weeks in Portugal and Spain.

The first thing we did to orientate ourselves to Barcelona was to go on a city tour. On Bikes……..!!

Barcelona’s Arc de Triomf.

Christopher Columbus 

1992 Olympic sculpture by Roy Lichtenstein (Barcelona’s Head)

La Sagrada Familia

What an amazing structure started in 1886 planned finish date 2026.

We had been told we should visit this Basilica and we should prebook tickets. We did both. While we had visited lots of churches and cathedrals over the last six months, I was not prepared for what I would see as we entered this church. The outside of the building recounts the gospels in sculpture, while the inside was a euphony of sound and a kaleidoscopic of colours the like of which neither Ann or I had experienced before.

The sculptures on the outside of the building were awe-inspiring.

Here is a little look at the inside of La Sagrada Familia

Link to the History of La Sagrada Familia

Madrid to Manchester

From Barcelona, we took the fast train to Madrid where we had booked to fly back to Manchester to pick up our bags.

We stayed in a very nice boutique hotel called “Only You” where we found it too hot to do much sightseeing (38 at 9.15pm).

We were surprised when at 10.30pm there was a knock on the door and the reception staff wheeled in a tray with the most luxurious dessert and a certificate acknowledging our journey from Santiago to Paris. This really made us feel special and we just had to celebrate the occasion.

From Madrid to Manchester for a catchup with Ross and his extended family

Dropped at the Station to catch the train to Paris

Cheers