Wordless Wednesday : Door by Gaudi!

Doorway in Barcelona

Tuesdays of Texture : Week 26 of 2017

Inside La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona

This is a photo of the inside of La Sagrada Familia, Gaudi’s masterpiece in Barcelona, one of the most famous sights in that city.  The building of the church started in 1882, and is still going on  – it was designed by Antoni Gaudi and he worked on this cathedral and other projects until his death in June 1926.

In 1914 he left all other work to concentrate exclusively on this sole project until his death on 10 June 1926, the result of a tragic accident three days earlier. His funeral cortege, which went through much of Barcelona and finished in the Sagrada Familia, was a grand event in the city in recognition of his status as the greatest architect Barcelona has ever seen. Gaudí was buried in the chapel of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in the crypt of the Sagrada Familia.

It is a magnificent building, both inside and out, and if you are ever in Barcelona, it’s a must see – in fact it is so imposing that you really cannot miss it!

Sagrada Familia

Linked to Tuesdays of Texture

 

Wordless Wednesday : Sand Sculpture

Sand sculpture of La Sagrada Familia

The Magic Fountains of Barcelona

Gaudi designed street lamps

Just before dusk

The Magic Fountains

Colour changing

The Magic Fountain is one of the attractions in Barcelona, and a nightly show is put on in the summer months for visitors.  The fountains are in Montjuic, near the Placa Espanya, just outside the city centre.   The fountains were designed in 1929 for the International Exposition, and were used for the closing ceremony.   The display starts at dusk, and the water jets are controlled to music, with lots of lights and colour, that get more intense as the evening gets darker.

Have you seen these fountains, or some others like them in different places?

Wordless Wednesday : Castle on the Hill

Cows and a Castle at Roches Point

 

Thursday Doors : 8 June 2017

Door from the Alms House in Youghal, Co Cork

Over the weekend we went exploring in Youghal, Co Cork – a town about an hour away from my home.    The main street of Youghal, on first glance, is a bit run down with lots of empty shops and derelict buildings, but there’s more to Youghal than first impressions.   The town was buzzing on Sunday as there was a ‘Moby Dick ‘ festival on, as this is where the film Moby Dick was made in the mid 50s.   There was music, food and dancing in the streets!

We decided to explore a little more, and got a walking map from the Tourist Office, and came across some hidden gems, including St Mary’s Cathedral, which is the oldest church in Ireland, with continuous worship since the 13th century.

St Mary’s Collegiate Chapel

One of the main benefactors in Youghal was Richard Boyle who was the first Earl of Cork, and lived in Youghal for many years.  He built 6 alms houses in 1601 for 6 retired soldiers, and granted them a pension of £5 per year – probably a princely sum in those days!   The houses were renovated about 20 years ago, and are now used as private dwellings, but the original stonework is still there in places, as you can see, and they look exactly like they looked when first built.

Another view of the alms houses.

Tyntes Castle, Youghal

This is the door of Tyntes Castle, called an ‘urban tower house’ and built in the late 15th century, it’s a 4 story residence in the main street, where the gentry lived in earlier centuries.

Tyntes Castle, Youghal

Linked to Norm’s Thursday Doors

Tuesdays of Texture : Week 24 of 2017

 

Roches Point Lighthouse

The sea, the grasses, the cloudy sky and the lighthouse – all different textures to make up my Tuesday of Texture!