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We
visited many beautiful churches and cathedrals, but the
one that stands out most is the Sagrada Familia Cathedral.
It is a monstrosity of towers, winding stairways and intricate
stone carving. |
Carmen created a delicious
traditional paella for us!
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A typical street in Barcelona's
famous old gothic section
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Bird-brains?
Howie and Jack pose at the exotic bird show
in Port Adventura.
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We
spent an entire day at Port Adventura, a massive theme
park run by Universal Studios. We caught interesting performances
like the exotic bird show, a thousand and one ways to
tie a pareo, Polynesian dancing and an oriental magic
show. We also rode the massive roller coaster and several
other thrilling amusement park rides. |
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The Dragon Khan: eight complete
loops.
Its the worlds loopiest roller coaster
and we all had a great ride!
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Chrissi bundled up in the
village square.
Hot coffee and a sarong used as a scarf
help to keep her warm.
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The
medieval village where Carmen had lived as a child was having
its annual festival. We were invited to stay at Carmen’s
aunt’s house where we were given a comfortable guest
room, and treated to traditional Catalonian lunch feasts.
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We
watched as angry bulls were let loose in the town square.
The men taunted and teased them, then bravely ran across
the square while the bulls charged after them. Spectators
remained inside the steel cages provided, but the bulls
were angry enough to attack the cages too. |
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Here's a brave little dog
doing his part taunting the bull
- except this "bull" happens to be a cow.
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Although
many of the houses in this village have been refurbished
and modernized, many still maintain their old-world charm
and magic. This is the cellar in Carmen's Aunt's house.
Stepping down the stone stairs, we see drying herbs, sacks
of grain and old wood casks and barrels. With the exception
of the light bulb, this room could have looked the same
five-hundred years ago! |
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Barcelona's
Rambla Colon is a long pedestrian walkway set between
two roads, running from the harbor to the Plaza España.
All along its length there are open-air cafes and restaurants.
Artists and craftsmen sell their work alongside flower
stalls and newspaper and book kiosks. There are exotic
bird venders selling parrots and songbirds, and musicians
and street performers ply their eccentric trade. Of the
street performers, my favorites were the "statue
people." They were painted and dressed as some fanciful
character, and would stand or sit perfectly still until
a coin was dropped into the hat or bowl in front of them.
Then, with mechanical slowness, they would acknowledge
your presence and make some kind of theatrical movement,
then return to their immobility. |
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Jack was surprised to meet
"Che" among
the statue people!
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After two weeks in Spain,
we rented a car and drove to France
where we visited some of Jack's old friends
and some of his favorite areas of the country.
—
France —
Villages and towns in the
department of Tarn et Garonne,
a little way north of the major southwestern city of Toulouse,
were first on the agenda.
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This old house is pretty
typical of the ancient village of San Antonin.
Jack spent some seven delightful months in San Antonin back
in the
early '90's. He finished his book there: "La nuit où
les bateaux volaient."
Tiles
embedded into the walls of the houses proclaim the street
names in the old language of Oc. Most of the town’s
architecture dates back to the 12th and 13th Centuries,
a bygone era of feudal lords, peasants and serfs. The
village not only looks and smells old, it stirs a sixth
sense with a ghostly feeling of days long past that meld
only reluctantly with modern times. |
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Picturesque
old church and cemetery near the tiny village of Fenyrols.
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Eat
Your Heart Out Walt Disney!
The ancient remains
of a castle perch perilously high on a weathered outcrop
overhanging the Aveyron River in Penne.
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Short of time, we zoomed
north on the high-speed French Autoroute to
visit old friends in Brittany.
Fort Bloqué, just
north of L'Orient.
At high tide, you would have to swim to get out to this castle.
But low tide is another story, as you can see from all the boats
aground here.
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Jack's
good old friend, Daniel Charles, is the world
expert on the history of yachting (in fact he is now the
world's only Doctor in the subject!) and he is a well-known
author, with many books to his credit. Here he delves
the depths of an obscure and fascinating topic in his
kitchen with Chrissi. |
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Jack , super sailor
Nigel Irens, famous multihull designer
Daniel Charles, yachting historian and architect
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It
had been years since Jack had seen most of his old racing
friends and we had another wonderful meeting with his
old friend Nigel Irens in La Trinité sur Mer, the
world capital of offshore racing trimarans. Nigel is arguably
the top trimaran designer in the world, and he showed
us a new 60 ft. trimaran racer that was under preparation
just outside town. |
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One of Nigel's super fast
hydrofoil trimarans being finished.
These sailboats are capable of more than 30 knots!
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A
beautiful cool Brittany day, and a small portion of the
anchorage and marinas in La Trinité, home of some
of the fastest sailboats in the world. |
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Sailing
in a suit?!
Yup. It was a new one on us too!
It was a brand new, first of series, 52 foot, 1.8 million
dollar catamaran! Yves Gallot La Valle was an old racing
friend of Jack's - a fellow competitor in the 1982 Route
du Rhum transatlantic race. Yves was now the boss of the
Catana catamaran factory in L'Orient, and we were invited
out for a test drive on this, the latest Catana. The contrast
in the photo, Jack on the left and suited corporate officer
on the right, perfectly expresses the contrast between
this expensive boat and the style to which we are more
accustomed. |
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Castles guard
the entrance to La Rochelle's inner harbor.
After
wonderful reunions with people and places, it was time for
a fast dash by car back south to Barcelona, onto the plane,
and a return to the steaming heat of tropical Cartagena
in September. |
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