Friday, April 29, 2016

Chickie Has Wings (Somewhat)

Chickie has big plans this summer - going to Montana once again for a family get-together and memorial for her grandmother, Billie, and a trip to Spain for an extended week later in the year. Aside from the fact that I'll be kitty sitting the twin tornadoes while she's out of town, she also is full of plans for the extra two days she'll have in Spain before returning to the US. So yesterday we were examining possibilities.


Chickie will be staying in Ronda while she visits Spain. It's
this great old city perched on the rocks. Very pretty. 


She's staying in Ronda - located in south Spain, it looks like a lovely area to explore. Since she's with a group of friends, I assume they will be doing a lot of things together. But they split up at the end while everyone returns to their airports and homes. She wondered where she should go from there. After a quick look at a map of the country, I suggested she first stop by Grenada and see the Alhambra.


The Alhambra is an amazing and stunningly beautiful building. The stone
carvings are so intricate it's difficult to believe they are actually stone. They
lighten the walls and make it almost surreal. 


Grenada was the last city relinquished by the Moors after 800 or so years of occupying the south of Spain. The keys to the city were given to Ferdinand and Isabella of Christopher Columbus and the Spanish Inquisition fame. The Moors left the continent, leaving behind exceptional achievements in knowledge, literature, and architecture. The Alhambra is widely considered to be one of the most beautiful buildings in the world and I'd love to see it.


La Sagrada Familia is an amazing, huge, and so very Gaudi, cathedral
in Barcelona. It's the modern-day equivalent of the medieval cathedrals
of old. Every side is embellished, every angle shows new meaning, and
each step has been achieved with care and thought as the builders
erect what had only been a 3-D model under the master's hands. 


After Granada, she might push on via bus or train to Barcelona. While in Barcelona I suggested she visit La Sagrada Familia - Gaudi's massive cathedral which has been in the building process since 1915 (speculated completion date of 2027). Of course there are many Gaudi buildings and installations throughout the city, but the cathedral is beyond belief and so huge!


Want to know other Gaudi buildings to see in Barcelona?
Here's a link to some suggestions. 

I hope to get to both of these places myself in a few years, but until then, I'll have to dream about how wonderful it would be to see them in person, and live vicariously through Chickie walking into the halls and chambers of extraordinary places - old and new. Have a great Friday and enjoy the day!


No comments: