Monday, January 13, I set off to explore the old town of Valencia, here, on foot, taking the metro from Marîtim-Serreria to Colon. The Mercado-Central is dedicated to Spanish fruits and vegetables, oranges, sumptuous strawberries as well as hams of all sizes and all ages, it seems up to 5 years old! Next to it, the La Longa building shows its 15th century architecture. But the highlight is the cathedral built on the foundations of an old mosque with two paintings by Goya. I walked the streets to reach the two ancient gates of the city, Torres de Serranos and Torres de Quart, the only vestiges of the city walls. I returned to my "casa rodante", by metro and on foot. Of course this visit is very superficial.
|
| ¨Pope Francis |
Tuesday, January 14 I explored Ciudad de las Artes y de las Ciencias, here, built in the drained bed of the Turia river. Five main buildings were drawn by architects of talent schematizing of the animals like Palau of Arts Reina Sofia, the carapace of a beetle, or Museu of Ciències, a skeleton of whale. I traversed the two kilometers of the site from 9:30 to 12:30 to try to take the architectural beauty. There had been necessary to arrive early the morning and to remain late the evening to have a low-angled light. I returned to my truck by the beaches from the south to north, in this week day little people and much of restaurants were closed.
|
Wednesday January 15, despite the chemical disaster, I was going to Tarragona, here, bivouacking at Forti de la Reina, after a stop at Carrefour Hyper at the entrance to the city. Tomorrow I will visit the historic center of the city.
|
| Bivouac |
Thursday, January 16 I traversed the walk of the Roman city with its vestiges of the ramparts, its monumental towers as well as the forum and the amphitheater. I stopped lengthily to visit the cathedral whose frontage presents a Roman and Gothic architecture . The interior is sober contrary to that of Grenade. The small museum exhibits paintings of the 15th century of great beauty. The cloister with the Gothic blind arcades with carved capitals of which one of them presents the burial of a cat escorted by rats! Left around 8:30 with a temperature 8°C I returned to the carpark at the beginning of afternoon under a hot spring sun.
|
Friday, January 17 the way from Tarragona to Barcelona, Camping El Masnou was carried out by the turnpike along Costa Brava with alas the crossing of Barcelona by C31, broad avenue. The camp-site El Masnou is not extraordinary, but it is the only open in winter and nearest to Barcelona by train.
|
Saturday, January 18 I took the train from El Masnou to Barcelona, Plaça Catalunya to visit Barri Gothic and the Rambla. Alas the Picasso Museum was closed due to restoration. I was back to the El Masnou camp-site at the beginning of afternoon.
|
Sunday, January 19 by a cold, very windy and rainy weather, I went back to Barcelona to visit mainly the Sagrada Familia, here, conceived by the very catholic architect Gaudi which remains unfinished in 1926 since his death. The building is impressive outside but even more inside which in spite of the overcast sky without sun is lit by the multicolored stained glasses with dominant blue and red. Beyond the religious fact the building is in the great tradition of the cathedrals in the Middle Ages without however crushing the excessively pious people under the hand of God symbolized by the dark atmosphere for meditation; quite to the contrary the light is present at the glory of the very powerful Lord, the Large Clock and watch maker, according to the name by Voltaire who was undoubtedly not an excessively pious person. At the beginning of afternoon I passed quickly in front of the three houses of the modernistic architects of which Gaudi. Then refrigerated I returned to the Masnou camp-site by train.
|
Monday, January 20 was the return to France by the pass of Banyuls at approximately 330m of altitude and some snowflakes. Of course no checkpoint in Europe, spaces Schengen.
