Barcelona - Gaudi Number 1 and Nautical Delights

Sunday 13 November 2022

We decided to have an Autumn break in Barcelona as it's always been on my 'to do' list and JC was keen to revisit after a childhood trip.  JC is a consummate travel planner - the guide books come out and a huge list created, which we whittled down to two main sites a day.  Schedule in hand we landed in Barcelona Saturday night, made our way to our superb apartment 5 floors up (no lift so, yes, that was good exercise!), then found a wonderful local tapas bar and on Sunday we were ready to roll.

We orientated ourselves by finding the cathedral.  It will not surprise anyone that this was one of the many items on JC's list to photograph, preferably at night.  But he got a few day shots in too (you can see him up the alley way here).

In Barcelona on Sunday many palaus and museums are free so we stuck our head into Palau de Lloctinent quickly to see the lovely architecture.

Our first site for today was Casa Battló, the first commission Gaudi received from Güell.  It's a magnificent array of wood, glass stone, iron and mosaics.  As this was the late 19th Century, horses were the main mode of transport - we started in the basement, where the horses were stabled, and worked up.

There are reflections of gothic architecture here which I find a bit heavy/dark, but it's still an awesome place.  You can see a very Gaudi feature here, the parabolic arches: this is the first time he used them.  And the window design is truly magnificent!

The rooms are amazing although the best was definitely the roof top.  How whacky is this?

Our first Gaudi ticked off, we headed to the waterfront for the Maritime Museum.  This is a model of  Ictíneo, the first submarine designed by Monturiol and launched in 1859.

Inside there is a life sized replica of the Royal Galley inside. With 59 oars it required 236 rowers, a mix of prisoners and conscripts (they were chained to their positions so I doubt it was a very voluntary occupation).

We then ambled down to the waterfront (Port Vell) for sun-downers - which tends to involve me having a glass of wine and a doing a crossword whilst JC has a coke and hops up and down for photos!

Then it was tapas time again.  Tonight we headed for Barconletta where we munched on padron peppers, machego cheese and a daily dose of ham/salami for JC.

London - Battersea

I popped up to see Caitlin last weekend.  A long old trog up the Waterloo line - over 4 hours due to speed restrictions - but easy enough.  The train was very busy when I joined so I plonked myself in First Class and was never turfed out.  Happy days.

On Saturday, at my request, we headed to Covent Garden.  I needed to reacquaint myself with Stanfords, as I haven't been there for years and hadn't realised it had moved!  The new shop is smaller and less shabby/comfortable than the last one but still oozing geographical goodness aplenty.

Then a stroll through the jammed Covent Garden market, a swing by the London Transport Museum shop and lunch in Fatt Pundit - full of Asian yumminess.

We then headed west to the Design Museum.  This too had moved since I'd last visited and it wasn't as fun as I'd remembered.  Perhaps, because it has spread out into an enormous space, it's lost its cosiness and I felt a bit lost in the large open areas full of pretty much nothing to be honest.  But it wasn't bad bad, and I enjoyed a trip down memory lane with the wall of old PCs and cameras etc.  There were few parents trying to explain these things to their kids saying things like "we'd type in here and the paper would come out there," received by their offspring with looks of disbelief.

On Sunday we headed for the very newly opened Battersea Power Station which is just around the corner from her. 

I get easily distracted on walks like this.  A benchmark all nicely marked up to make it even easier to spot!  And the house boat community of Tideway Village. 

At last - the iconic towers appeared.  The restoration of this Grade II listed building took decades, involving numerous designs (amusement park, football ground etc) that were variously applauded then binned.  This restoration keeps the original skyline with no embellishments and is nicely done.

Inside it was pretty busy, as expected, even though at least a third of the shops are yet to open.  We considered looking at one of the old Control Rooms but the queue was long and, as she lives so close, it'll be easy to come back when it's a lot quieter.  

We tired quickly of the crowds so peeped over into the Thames.

We then found a coffee and wandered back.  I loved the lined up cranes and also the mini bridges on the pavement (there are large parts of me that have never grown up thank goodness).

Dorset Trip: An 8 Trig Weekend

Due to the Queen's death and extra bank holiday we booked a short notice trip to Dorset.  Fuelled by a book of walks I'd received I was keen to try a few.

We stayed at Crossways and pretty much as soon as we'd arrived on the Saturday afternoon we were off out again down to Corfe Castle for sunset.

Whilst JC took photos, I popped up onto the Purbeck Ridge to bag the first trig of the holiday.

On Sunday we headed to Bulbarrow Hill for a walk down through Milton Abbas and the Abbey.  On our way up I realised we could nab a quick trig (what I call 'drive-by trigs').  So here is TP0294.

We parked at Bulbarrow but, before we could set off, there was a job to do.  A bit of a tricky find but the fun is always in the chase ;-)  I give you TP1758.

The walk was lovely - through woodlands, glades and meadows.  I suspect it would be even more attractive in the spring when the hedgerow flowers are out.  

Milton Abbas is an interesting village.  In the 18th Century, a man called Joseph Damer built a mansion next to the abbey and the nearby village spoiled his view.  So he basically got it flattened and moved it around the corner so it wouldn't irk him.  It's sometimes quite breathtaking how audacious and self-righteous landowners were then.  The new village was neatly planned and postcard pretty, and we enjoyed a pub lunch in the sun.  Loved the horse sculptures.  

On the way to the Abbey I spotted some a cigarette butt bin which looked just like a face!

The abbey was open so we stuck our heads in.

Next to the abbey, on the left in this photo, you can see the house that Joseph built, which is now a private school.

Onwards and upwards through a plantation for a ridge walk back to the car.

Before supper that evening we popped down to Ringstead Bay to watch the sun set across the bay.

On Monday we headed for Cerne Abbas. I'm sure we weren't the only people not to be interested in watching the funeral and I was glad to be away from media for the day.   Once again, armed with my trusty Ordnance Survey Landranger, I bagged a few trigs on the way.  Ridgeway, TP5677, and Charlton Higher Down, TP2123.

We parked at Cerne Abbas and popped into the church before heading off.

Lots of lovely old buildings and the remains of the Benedictine Abbey.

The walk saw us climbing up through pastures, below the giant's feet, onto a ridge.  It then meandered across woods and fields, passing through Minterne Magna before climbing back towards Cerne Abbas, when we at last rewarded with a view of the giant in all his glory.

We stopped for a drink in a local pub (they had opened post-funeral) and we headed home, but not without a few brief stops for fresh air at Sydling, TP6293, Greenford Lane, TP3490, and Eggardon Hill, TP3028, which had the most amazing views.

We then popped down to Seaton for supper by the sea.  A perfect way to end a fun short trip.