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Friday 30 May 2014

Messing about, ... Park Güell ... and waiting for the sun to shine ...

Every time I go out I can't help doing a quick mental inventory of the wild flowers that are in bloom over here on the Costa Brava. It amazes me how many different types of colourful blossoms I stumble upon during my daily comings and goings. The cheerful orange poppies, that bob happily in the breeze, are my favourites.
This past week we've had a pretty mixed bag weather-wise; not at all what we'd been expecting for the end of May.

There have been some sunny days, but there have also been some stormy ones with spectacular thunder and lightening, nature's very own son et lumière show, for which we've had ring-side seats.

On Tuesday evening the weather came charging down the mountain in a blaze of fury. It was the wind that caught our attention first. It came suddenly, out of nowhere, to assault the old pine tree in the garden outside, twisting the branches this way and that to the point where they seemed certain to snap. Then we noticed that the noisy seagulls had disappeared. The sky darkened, and we watched from our sitting room window as the swirling clouds came tumbling down to earth, obscuring the view and leaving an impenetrable white fog. A moment later the thunder crashed, then the lightening flashed and the heavens opened. Rivers of water cascaded down the street, the garden became a floodplain and fat, swollen rain drops battered the window panes like tiny, angry fists.

We responded by fetching some logs from the basement and lighting the fire. Cosy in front of the hearth, with the weather doing its worst outside, we watched Cate Blanchett in Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine. Have you seen it? She really rocked her role, and in my view she so deserved her Oscar for such a convincing performance. I absolutely believed in her character. Her stylists did a great job too. I know we're talking about a lady who'd still manage to look stunning if she were dressed in a bin liner with her face scrubbed and her hair in rollers, but she wore such chic outfits, which were then re-cycled continually as her fortunes declined. It felt like her frocks were a metaphor for what was happening inside her head.

This week they've been holding a second hand boat sale in our village. I'm not much of a one for messing around on boats; I'm a bit of a landlubber. The thing is I get horribly seasick once we start bobbing around on the waves.


If I could get over my nausea I'm sure I'd love to go boating on one of these, especially if the weather was calm, the sky was blue and the water was like a mill pond.

I'm not sure what the connection is between selling boats and donkeys, but they've also had a gang of these little chaps doing pony rides along the beach.

Meanwhile life has carried on as normal down in the harbour.

The fishermen have mended their nets.


And the folk who simply sail for the fun of it have puttered around as usual.


We had a great day out with Emi's cousins down in Barcelona.


They took us for a romp around Park Güell, which was sensational. Antoni Gaudí is one of my heroes. I read the other day in the newspaper that there's a pressure group petitioning the Vatican to have him beatified, and subsequently canonised as a new patron saint for architects.

As with all his other buildings there's a playfulness and a sense of fun in the design of Park Güell. If you ever get a chance, please go inside one of his buildings because they're as special once you're in them as they are from the outside. Gaudí really wanted people to enjoy being inside his houses. He introduced as much natural light as possible, and everything has a wholesome, organic feeling: a bit like living in some enchanted forest where life is perfect, the wind never blows too strongly and the sun never shines too hot.

Sadly we didn't have time to go inside the monumental zone as we had to go to a family barbecue. The queues for tickets were frightening, and the next time slot available at 1 p.m. was for 3:30 p.m., which would have totally scuppered our plans for the afternoon. If you plan on going it would be advisable to book your tickets online in advance.


You can get all the details here if you'd like to arrange a visit: Park Güell information

As it was, we enjoyed the rest of the park even though it was crazy-busy with people. I made a mental note to myself that we ought to revisit in the winter on a nice, clear day when there aren't so many people around.


There's also a museum about the great Gaudí, but our time constraints meant that we weren't able to get a ticket to go in for a nosey around that either.

Nevertheless we enjoyed some great views down over the city and out to sea.


And the most important part of all was for us to enjoy a day with my sister and brother-in-law, and for Emi to catch up with his lovely cousins.

Hasta la próxima,


Bonny x
As shared on Welcome to the weekend and Friday Finds

13 comments:

  1. Really lovely photos together with the very fine story!
    Have a continued nice day!

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    1. Thank you, Magnus. Hope you have a great weekend. All the best, Bonny

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  2. I really enjoyed your stories, they were so interesting. You have a gift for writing. Enjoyed the photos too! So important too being with family. Thank you for sharing.

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  3. Thank you, Donna. Glad that you've enjoyed them. All the best, Bonny

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  4. I LOVE Parc Guell. We went in May half-term last year, so it was lovely to see these photos. They brought back some really nice memories of a year ago. Popping over from Clairejustine.

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    1. So glad they brought you back some happy memories, Sarah. It's a really special park. All the best, Bonny

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  5. Looking at your pictures today, I feel as though I've been on an adventure! Today will be a typical day here with taking my son to school, grocery shopping, and errands, but I will be dreaming of travel - perhaps touring a gorgeous home, or sailing upon a boat, or maybe even riding on a donkey! Thanks for the inspiration! So happy you have a lovely time with family.

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    1. Thank you, Donna. Hope you have a great day whatever you're doing. All the best, Bonny

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  6. I love taking photos of boats, but I have the same problem with riding on them on anything other than smooth waters. I don't have a problem with cruise ships though, thank goodness, since we take a cruise every two years.

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  7. Very nice and beautiful pictures. Thanks for sharing.

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