Susie sets sail

Barcelona, Gaudi, Queen........

Those were the words that came to mind when I first thought of Barcelona. This part of my blog is dedicated to one of the most magnificent cities I’ve visited.

This  will hopefully be a virgin’s guide to what to see if you’re a fan of Gaudi, architecture, food, modern, Gothic and avant-garde architecture, Opera, flamenco music and dance in fact, art of any kind. Oh and not to forget churches and cathedrals, poking about in little streets that wind around historical buildings, interesting people and weird and I musn’t forget Pauline a friend from YBW. If any of this tickles your fancy (not including Pauline) then Barcelona is the place for you.  The city is an overdose of culture and I felt intoxicated and overawed by what it had to offer.

 I don’t know how many times I’ve dreamt of visiting Barcelona and Casa Batló,Parc GÜell, and Sagrada Familia, to name but a few of the  outstanding buildings designed by Gaudi. Having only ever seen these in books  I now find myself seeing them with my own eyes.

We arrived at Port Vell marina after a 20 hour sail from Mallorca and the place is full of super, super yachts that make us look like a bath toy. One was so big it had scaffolding erected on deck, presumably for cleaning or some re-firbishment.

As we made our way along the fairway to our birth we were greeted by a monument to Columbus. This structure is over 50 meters high with four lions flanking each corner it's much like our own Nelsons column in Trafalgar Square.

 This monument to Columbus marks the beginning of the famous street, La Rambla a promenade and busy with people strolling along to the sound of musicians  live entertainment, living statues, stalls, bars, theatres and shops selling everything you could possibly want or not as the case maybe.

With your back to Columbus you face the start of the Rambla, to your left you can see the Montjuic Mountain and park.

  To the right you have Pop art sculpture by Roy Lichtenstein. Lichtenstein was a prominent American pop artist who’s  work heavily influenced by both popular advertising and the comic book style.

A short walk from here are  the beaches bordering the Olympic village built for the 1992 Olympics where you will find the amazing fish sculpture by Gehry.

One of the first public projects of Gehry, the fish sculpture was placed on Barcelona’s waterfront for the 1992 Olympics.

The monumental  sculpture functions as a landmark in the Olympic Village

If you look over your shoulder you have the Port Vell marina and behind that the Barceloneta district, a small Barcelona with a sort of village feel.

On our first day in Barcelona we just strolled along the Rambla taking in the hustle and bustle of the place.

Each day there are different stalls that line the Rambla, Wednesdays it's full of flower stalls and a wonderful display of unusial and exotic plants.

It would seem at the weekends it's a free for all where you can buy almost anything.

Musicians and living statues give it a real theatrical feel. Stalls sold everything from live tortoises to the usual memorabilia of hats, scarves, mugs and plates.The living statues were great and some very amusing. For a few cents/Euro in their hat they would let you have your picture taken with them, (I declined that one).  Frightening unsuspecting youngsters was amusing, but watching them standing so still had you wonder if they were real or not. These  in particular caught my attention; the guy walking was great and looked like he was walking into a force seven.

Of course there were also my favourite stalls, the local artist selling some of their original works or in some cases prints.

I also came across a small gallery and my eye was instantly caught by this stunning picture below. If I had a spare 12000 Euros I’d have snapped it up. The artist is Franciose Neilly.

I could have spent days just walking up and down this street or just sitting in one of the small cafe's people watching . Everywhere you look there is fantastic architecture.. Although the architecture of each building  is very different they seemed to fit together well even complimenting each other’s differences.

It's not difficult to pick out the buildings Gaudi designed and although they aren't all as extravagant  as one of my favourite  buildings in Barcelona, the Casa Batllo, they are distinctive and easily recognised just like a Picasso or Mondrian.

Casa Batllo is situated on the Rambla  and must be high on your list of ‘have to see’, it was a total remodelling project by Gaudi of a building that already stood there. Just to give you a little taste of it's delights here are a few pics. Actually, it does look good enough  to eat.

This house is like something out of Walt Disney. The uniqueness  shows so well the amazing imagination Gaudi had. His ability to use building material’s in a decorative and imaginative way is astonishing. He put thought into light, colour, form, curves and texture to make this an organic feast for the eyes.

Above is one of the wooden modernist doors situated in the main living room over looking the Ramble

The house was originally built between 1875 and 1877 and was bought in 1900 by the rich industrialist Josep Battlói Casanovaso. His original instructions to Gaudí was to tear down the old house and reconstruct a new one. Gaudí however convinced Battló to remodel the existing building. Between 1904 and 1906 when Gaudí redesigned the facade and roof, added an extra floor and completely remodelled the interior.

The facade of the Casa Battló is made of sandstone covered with colourful Catalan type of mosaics.  Gaudí avoided, straight lines  whenever possible.

                           

WOW look at those curves........

I just loved the roof that was made to look like the scales of a dragon. The balconies on the lower floors have bone-like pillars, those on the upper floors look like pieces of a scull, some say they are more like masquerade masks.

These features gave the house the nickname 'House of Bones'. The enlarged windows on the first floor gave it another nickname, 'House of Yawns'.

A small turret on the roof with a cross  symbolized the sword of St. George stuck into the dragon and the bones and skulls on the façade represent all the dragon's victims.

The house's interior is as fascinating as its exterior, if you have a magnifying glass you maybe able to see some of the details in the pics below.

Again, Gaudí avoids straight lines at all cost including the tiles, doors walls and even the stairs.

While walking up the Rambla towards Casa Batllo I first saw the balcony’s jutting out and my interpretation was more like the masquerade masks. As I moved closer and looked for the first time at the façade it took my breath away and i was rooted to the spot. It's an amazing sight and for me very emotional.  

To view the interior and the roof it costs about 12 Euros but it was well worth it. At least the money is used to keep the house in pristine condition which is an ongoing task.

Gaudi  thought about all the elements especially light and the way it’s reflected in the shapes, curves and different materials used. Ceramics feature a lot in the decorative structure inside and out.

 The blue tiles that run up the central staircase are lighter at the bottom than the top, this gives not only maximum use of light but creates a uniform colour when you look up from the bottom to the top.

There is nowhere in the building that hasn’t been well thought out even the smallest of handles on the windows are not only aesthetic but designed to fit the hand like a glove when held. Coloured glass panels in the windows give various colour shafts of light into the rooms. The walls are painted yet from a distance they look like small mosaic tiles.

  The chimneys are beautifully shaped and tiled. Gaudi certainly made my fantasy come true, As a  child you  would dream of living in a house like this, in fact I do dream of living in a house like this.

 My pics don’t give do justice so if there is any room on your wish list add Gaudi’s Casa Batlo as a ‘must see’ when you visit Barcelona.

 There's so much to see here and we needed to be organised so we decided to do one of the bus tours. For 29 Euros you can have a two day pass that covers most of what you want to see. With three separate routes you are able to hop on and off at random, see what you want to see then hope back on again. The buses are open topped but be aware they do get busy. When you purchase your ticket you also get a booklet with discount vouchers for some of the museums, restaurants and shops. So do this before you visit anywhere where there is an entrance fee.

 I think a city bus tour is a must, not just for seeing Barcelona from a different view and in comfort but also to help you get the layout in your mind.

 

One word of warning, be aware and take all precautions of your belongings as pickpockets are rife. We had a near miss experience when sitting in a square having a picnic. They often work in groups where one will distract you while the other sneaks up and lifts your purse/wallet or  bag.

 

We were too quick for the two who tried their technique on us. So no wallets sticking out of back pockets and keep your bag over your shoulder and zipped. I attached my purse to my belt loop with a line then tucked it in my underwear just in case. My reasoning was if anyone was brave enough to reach into my undies they are welcome to whatever they found......

I've lots more to add to this but it's a big task so will do it in instalments...

Ibiza to Mallorca

Old Ibiza town looks lovely from the Marina, not at all like the programmes you see on the TV.

 

 We stayed in Ibiza town for two nights. There were  a nice couple on  an Ovni  called Z13 one side with Tina, John and daughter Niam on board. They were on their way back to the UK having sailed down the canals of France and around the Med for the last year. On the other side was Wendy and Andy on Sallywag sailing in company with Karen and Paul on Rockhopper.

  The view of the town of Ibiza from the ferry.

 

Early on the 5^th we left our ‘pea in a pod’ mooring in Ibiza for Cana Cala just eleven miles along the coast. When we arrived we  were the only boat to anchor there now why was that? Oh i see.....we have a ferry that goes past regularly and so close we can almost shake hands with the passengers. No nude bathing here.....

 

 You can see the usual resort type hotels and shops that you would expect to find along these warm sandy beaches. 

Secluded islands are few and far between but if you look beyond the built up shore line lovely mountains rise up giving lovely backdrops. Not in this pic though....

A trip ashore showed this to be a very tourist part and I saw my first holiday rep in her airline type uniform. Tall slim and  blonde with a tan showing her football shirt clad and kiss me quick hat clients the best places to get you’re English breakfast and fish and chips. 

I'm now sounding like a snob but we have found that a lot of Brits like to keep it very  British when abroad. We prefer to soak up the culture and experience new things. We heard you could go to one bar and watch all the soaps and catch up on the latest football matches.We had to think hard about this one, 'tongue in cheek' however, if it has been showing 'Strictly come dancing' who knows......

Looking out to see at Wild Bird at Anchor

 

For those heathens amongst you that's the Cornish flag of St Pirens flying, the second this trip, flag one disintegrated about ten months ago, not bad for £4.99. 

We decided to move around the coast a little to another anchorage in San Vincente, another holiday resort but not so built up. High cliffs on either side of a white sandy beach with a few smaller hotels looked more inviting.

The wind was good and we managed a sail but had to go between the main land and an island. The wind being northerly and around 20 knots meant we had to sail around the outside of the island and put a tack in. We couldn’t remember the last time we had tacked the boat, would we remember what to do? Well no worries, it went smoothly but I think we were a bit premature and ended up motor sailing for a while so we didn’t end up back where we had started from.  We arrived and settled down for peaceful evening at anchor. Rockhopper and Sallywag turned up and anchored a little way off.  

We have a mission and that’s to be in Barcelona around the 12^th May so we decided to go across to Mallorca early morning.

 A 45 mile crossing and an easterly of around 10 knots meant if we wanted to get there sooner rather than later we had to motor sail some of the way.  It seemed every time Carol put on the throttle the wind came up, when she turned it down so the wind went down. Rockhopper and Scallywag had the same idea and left early too. We are now all anchored in Santa Ponsa. 

We heard from some friends on a another boat, slightly bigger than us that they had paid 137 Euros for one night on the holding pontoon. This is crazy, the marina was almost empty and at those prices will remain that way. We have paid various prices from about 19 Euros to 50 out of season. The season start date varies but some have started their summer rate already.

Barcelona main town marina is 48 Euros, a tad high but this will be a trip we think is worth paying for.

About 5 miles out of crossing to Mallorca we could see these things  floating by, on close inspection we realised they were what I think are after looking at a few books  ‘Velella vellela’ or by the wind sailor’s or another name for them is the blue bottle. They are an oceanic surface dwelling jelly fish and move about in colonies. This colony was in the billions and we saw them almost right across from Ibiza to Mallorca. I managed to scoop one up for a photo shoot.

  

Not the most flattering view and i hope he/she doesn't mind but this was looking up the skirt, the picture below shows the sail that sits above the water. This one was about 2 inches across.

 

 

 I've finished my first three books of, The number 1 Detective agency so thanks Liz I’ll return them next month. 

I also read yesterday My cousin Rachel and have been reading what advice Stephen King has to give in his book on writing. 

All this reading again has come up for two reasons, one we are at anchor and I have no tinternet and two, my laptop is having a funny turn and wont charge, I'm using 12 volts at the moment and Carols dongle to upload this blog entry.

Bill and Lynn on Fiz have joined us here and will be our sailing companions for our next leg. Tomorrow when we take off for our 120 mile trip to Barcelona. With any luck I will have some wild pictures to upload, I can't wait. Apparently mugging is an issue but I couldn't go without my camera so I'm taking a chance. The last time I left my camera behind because of pick pocket warnings I regretted it so my warning to muggers 'I have a great right hook'.

It's John on Vagabonds Birthday today so HAPPY BIRPDAY JOHN, cheque is in the post.

Running the storm.......

Idyllic  anchorages are fine when the weather is  idyllic but they are not the place to be when a storm is imminent.

Wind guru says we have one on the way so later on Sunday afternoon we pulled up the anchor and made for the nearest safe haven, Ibiza.

When we arrived the weather was still hot and the marina started filling up with boats all  running for shelter.  Below shows the weather forecast for Ibiza town, winds reaching 31 knots predicted but this proved to be conservative.

We took the opportunity while we still had sun to take a ferry ride to the main town and explore the delights.

I've only ever seen Ibiza on the television in 'Ibiza uncovered', a holiday rep programme. I had a vision of half clothed youths covered in foam and Puff Daddy belting out of the night clubs.

Transvestites in their finery strutting their stuff, bright lights, music and unusually colourful people.

Was i disappointed, Instead it was dead quiet. It reminded me of Mevagissy on a Sunday evening. Thank goodness i didn't pay for a package holiday expecting bright lights and wild party's.

Still it's a nice place, very old and quaint, i bet you never thought of Ibiza town as quaint.

Monday the storm started, we added extra lines tied everything down and went below to ride it out. The 31 knot winds predicted turned out to be nearer 50.

We were surging back and forth, lightning flashed and thunder crashed, the rain came down like stair rods being catapulted from above.

No probs, we were  tucked up below and although a few cracks, snaggle and pops occurred around us we were safe. It didn't last long, about four or five hours and the worst was over. No damage to us but the Ovni next door had some stern damage.

Carol and i did have to venture out to tighten up our slime line to pull us off the pontoon but that was all. Funny having to suit up in our oilies after not wearing them for so long.

It suddely felt like winter again....... Where are we?

Espalmador an Island off Ibiza....

Formentera and the island of Espalmador is a small island 2,995 meters long and only 800 meters

wide and the stuff of dreams. Its coastline is formed by cliffs except for a magnificent bay on the south and another smaller bay on the Northwest side called "Illa de Sa Torreta."

Standing at the highest point and looking over the crystal clear blue sea you can see Ibiza. Looming up and looking hazy under the mid day sun. I have to pinch myself, how come i've been so lucky to be experiencing this?

What a voyage we have had and to think, just over twelve months ago i was sat in my little resource room with pictures above my desk of blue seas with sailings yachts gliding along  sails full, and white sandy islands with turquoise coloured seas showing small coves with boats at anchor.

This is what most of us only dream of and here i am actually living it. Susie Connibeer, mother of two, heading for her fifty sixth birthday, standing on a white sandy beach, letting the blue Mediterranean tickle her toes..............Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh and just to prove it here are those little tootsies....

Well one tootsie actually trying to keep two in the frame and balance was a bit awkward but i assure you i have another one on the other side.

This is also the playground for serious yacht owners, this one must be around 65 feet if not more.

The Island is privately owned by a family from Barcelona however they don't mind sharing it's delights with us boaty folk.

One of the claims to fame on Es Palmador is mud bathing. Right in the middle of the island is a natural mud bath. Although it has no therapeutic benefits, they say on a hot sunny day there’s nothing nicer than rolling about or wallowing in cooling mud! Let it dry as you walk back to the beach then dive into the clear sea to get clean. Hmmmm mud wrestling now i can see how some may find that fun and i could be tempted to give it a go.

Below is Dels Penjats lighthouse looking over the bay.

 

Rosmary grows in abundance here and as you brush past the vast bushes so the scent of its leaves fill the air probably due to the weather it has a desert feel to it with just a few species of plants.

 

Ibizan Wall Lizards dart this way and that as you walk along the rocky paths, occasionally they sit motionless camouflaged against their habitat. It seems the youngsters blend in better being a fawn brown whereas the adults are green with flashes of pecan down their belly's.

It's a great 360 deg view up here, large yachts sail past and motor boats leave a white trail of surf in their wake. The sea is an amazing colour changing from deep blue to turquoise when it reaches the shallows.

Fish were sheltering under the boat and as Carol threw them scraps they rose to the surface like a torrent of hungry mouths stirring  the water with a frenzy. We took several pics and i played with a few in photoshop.

I was pleased with the affect of this one and I'll use it as a base for a painting when we get a breather.

Hmmmmm i wonder if they were any good with pedicures, should i dip my toes in and find out?

Another day in paradise...

All boaty jobs done and supplies bought we leave Alicanti behind us bathing in sunshine. It was getting rather warm and a lovely sea breeze was just the job. We were setting off for a night passage to a small island off Ibiza called Espalmador. 

It took eighteen hours in all with as usual wind on the nose or just off for a lot of the way.

Not far out at around 11.30 and on my watch we started to approach a shipping lane. All seemed ok and things were under control when all of a sudden ships from all angles started to converge on us. 

On the chart plotter it looked a bit like naval war manoeuvres and we were the target. 

Two ships on the plotter could be seen but only the lights of one were visible. It was getting confusing so i had to wake Carol. Running up and down the companionway looking through binos (binoculars) and trying to ascertain the goings on on the plotter were becoming a bit much. 

It was a couple of hours before things quietened down and we were alone again. 

We eventually hit that Greenwich meridian where the plotter went to all the zero's.

Yer tis  a pic for prosperity.........

 

Our arrival at the anchorage was great, a white sandy island surrounded in turquoise sea, blue skies and i could sea the sea bed and fish swimming about, this was one hell of a welcome and we are now starting to feel we are actually in the Med and well into our trip. 

This was another celebration, we started this adventure on May 1st 2009 and today it's May 1st 2010. 

Carol has been carrying a bottle of Cloudy Bay the New Zealand  Sauvignon Blanc around for a year and this was the day it would be consumed.

This  Marlborough wine is lovely to drink and features a fresh, tropical nose of pineapples and some passionfruit. Once on the palate the wine is noticeably full for a NZ Sauvignon Blanc and really lush and bursting with fruit throughout. 

The finish is long and pleasant, full of minerality and clean lime flavours. An excellent match for Marinated mushrooms on a bed of mixed salad leaves with lightly boiled eggs and home made garlic mayo followed by a corn fed, Espalmador, rosemary and lemon roasted chicken, roast spuds, spinach, broccoli and carrots.

 

 

This was also the first time we have used the anchor since having the new windlass put on so it was fingers crossed. I tentatively put my big toe on the down button and wallah out the chain popped, over the bow roller went the anchor and kerplunk, into the Briney it went. This was amazing, not just that it worked but i could see the anchor on the sandy bottom. No guessing where it was, what a difference to the muddy waters of the Guadianna. 

Tomorrow a trip ashore....