A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

Friday, June 15 – Day 18 (Bern to Mürren)

So after a brief introduction, I am going to try to let these pictures speak for themselves. While the pictures are stunning, even they do not begin to portray the beauty that was ALL AROUND us! I guess there are some things that just can not be captured two dimensionally.

After a night train from Barcelona, we awoke in Bern, Switzerland. From here it was about an hour train ride to Interlaken Ost (east). We need some information on how to get to Mürren (our home for the next two nights) and so we headed to the tourist information office which is smack in the middle of the town between the Interlaken Ost and Interlaken West train stations.

Our guidebook said, “Arrive in Mürren on a clear evening when the sun hangs low on the horizon and the peaks feel close enough to touch, and you just might think you’ve died and gone to heaven.” Unfortunately for us, it was a rainy cloudy day in the Alps, but even so…

Mürren is a quaint, car free village that sits on a 1650 meter high ledge overlooking the Lauterbrunnen Valley. You can walk from one end of town to the other in about ten minutes. As we learned at the information office, there are two basic ways to get to Mürren: on the panoramic train from Grütschalp (connects via cable car to Lauterbrunnen); or on the gondola from Stechelberg (in the valley), which stops at Gimmelwald, Mürren, and continues up to the Schilthorn. Oh, and you could hike up if you so desired…We opted for the first route. Here is Rich on the gondola…

Directly across from the tiny train station was our guesthouse, shown here…

Our balcony is on the third floor far right, and here is Rich looking out through the clouds from inside…

Finally, close to sunset the rain stopped and the clouds began to break. Here is a series of shots from our balcony offering a panoramic view (from left to right) as the clouds broke…

Saturday, June 16 – Day 19 (Mürren)

We began this morning with a trip up to Schlithorn. This 2970 meter peak across the Lauterbrunnen Valley from the Jungfrau features the solar powered Piz Gloria revolving restaurant and spectacular views. We’re told on a clear day you can see from Titlis around to Mont Blanc and across to the German Black Forest. Unfortunately, again this morning we were enclosed by clouds…

The building I am pointing to may look familiar to some…It was the set for a 1960’s James Bond movie In Her Majesty’s Secret Service (I think that one starred Roger Moore and Telly Sevalis). At the end of the movie, the building is blown to smithereens. Here is a closer picture (an yes, that is snow at my feet in mid-June)…

We found breaks in the cloud periodically, and while we could not see Italy, France or Germany, the mountains were spectacular…

Schlithorn can only be reached by cable car from Stechelberg (in the valley) trhough Gimmelwald, and Mürren – hiking up again being an additional option if you are in shape enough to tackle 1320 meters of steep snow and ice covered paths. Here you can see Mürren in the distance as we descend from Schlithorn…

We headed back to the guesthouse to grab some groceries for our afternoon hike and picnic. No sooner had we gotten to our room than we heard this thundering sound of cow bells approaching from down the road. I went to the window and on the street below our balcony was literally a giant cow parade!..

As Rich and I learned later, in the Berner Oberland Region, cows’ grazing ground can range in elevation by as much as 1620 meters throughout the year. In the summer (usually mid-June), the farmer straps elaborate ceremonial bells on his cows (note the GIANT bells hanging from the necks of the cows in the picture) and takes them up to a hut at high elevations. When the cows arrive at their summer home, the bells are hung under the eaves. These high elevation summer stables are called “alps.”

The guidebook promised “a pleasant, mainly downhill (ha!) two hour hike (try more like four).” Despite the false advertising, the North Face Trail from Allmendhubel to Gimmelwald with a cut off to the Sprutz Waterfall was FANTASTIC! The trail had great views, flowery meadows, babbling brooks (seen here),… mountain huts, and dozens of information boards along the way, describing the climbing history of the great peaks all around us.

Along the trail we passed four alps, including the one where our cows from earlier were taken for the summer. Our guidebook told us that if the poles under the eves of the huts had bells, the cows were up for the summer. As we approached, we saw there were no bells, but once we rounded the corner, we found the cows in the field still wearing the bells!

In the Berner Oberland, hikers have the right of way. Basically, you walk right through people’s yards and cow pastures. Here, the cows just mind their own business as Rich strolls by…

I was not quite so fortunate. As I attempted to pass a bull in my fuchsia fleece, he decided he did not want me to go by and positioned himself to block my path. I stopped and took off my fleece to make a second attempt to pass. This time I thought I was free and clear, but the bull actually moved rather rapidly to head me off, again. Rich was dying laughing and caught the whole series of interchanges on video. I’m not sure if it can be uploaded here, but I’ll look into that…

Finally, the bull’s attention was drawn elsewhere (so to speak), and we were able to get by…

I think Rich was humming The Sound of Music for this shot…

The forest above Gimmelwald hides the powerful Sprutz Waterfall with a trail snaking behind it and offering a fun gorge experience. The path was steep, through a forest,.. and a little slippery in spots, but we were able to cross UNDER the waterfall while getting just a little misty…

This is a picture from behind the falls…

Here, Rich pauses to look back down into the gorge from the other side…

Here I am high on the hill above Gimmelwald – a wonderfully rustic time warp village overlooking the Lauterbrunnen Valley… As legend the goes, decades ago an anonymous backpacker scribbled these words in the Mountain Hostel’s guest book: “If heaven isn’t what it’s cracked up to be, send me back to Gimmelwald.” And that about sums it up! (When we booked our hotel, there was no room in Gimmelwald, and so we went up the mountain to Mürren).

Sunday, June 17 – Day 20 (Mürren to Arles via Avignon)

Despite our smiles, we left Mürren very sadly early on Sunday morning…

We caught the panoramic train to the cable car to the Lauterbrunnen train through Interlaken and beyond. Here Rich poses with our final view of the Alps…

From Interlaken we headed east and then south to Provence. We stopped in Avingnon on our way to Arles, France.

Encircled by 4.3 kilometers of stone ramparts, Avignon is apparently famous for its 900 meter wooden Pont St. Bénezet (aka the Pont d’Avignon, shown here – subject of a children’s nursery rhyme I have never heard of)… Completed in 1185, this was the only bridge crossing the mighty Rhône in the Middle Ages, until all but four of its spans were washed away by a flood in the mid 1600s.

Avignon’s brief stint as the papal seat of power bestowed the city with a treasury of art and architecture including the Palais des Papes (Palace of the Popes – shown here)… From 1309 to 1377, Avignon stared as the Franco Vaticano. The Vatican moved the entire headquarters of the Catholic Church from Rome to Avignon, and Avignon grew from a quiet village to the thriving city it remains today…

Just up the hill from the Palais des Papes is the Parc des Rochers des Doms. This delightful bluff offers great views of the Rhône, Pont St. Bénezet, Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, and the Alpilles…

Barcelona and an Introduction to Modernisme Architecture

Tuesday, June 12 – Day 15 (Barcelona)

Barcelona is Spain’s second city and the capital of the proud and distinct (they even have their own language) Catalunya region. We began our adventures here at the Plaça de Catalunya…

This enormous square is the heart of the city and marks the divide between historic and modern Barcelona. From here the long pedestrian boulevard, Las Ramblas, shoots southeast to the harbor front. This one time creek bed is lined with street artists, news kiosks, and vendors.

The black and gold Fountain of Canaletes sits at the top of Las Ramblas and is the starting point for many celebrations and demonstrations. Legend says that a drink from the fountain ensures that you’ll return to Barcelona one day. Here Rich takes a sip…

Our next stop is the Mercat de la Boquería, a massive fresh market with a modernist entryway (more on the modernist movement later)…

Plaça Reial, an elegant square with our first introduction to the work of Antoni Gaudí and his first public works (two colorful helmeted lampposts)…

Along the Las Ramblas, Rich encourages me to “stop and smell the roses” at one of the flower stalls...

Our tour of the Las Ramblas ends where the street ends, at the Monument a Colóm, a statute of Columbus atop a tall pedestal…

This monument, built in 1888 on the occasion of the Universal Exhibition, commemorates the discovery of America. It was here in Barcelona that Ferdinand and Isabel welcomed Columbus home after his first trip to America…

The next self guided walking tours begins in the Barri Gòtic, or Gothic quarter. This is the heart of the medieval part of Barcelona which until the mid 19th Century, was contained within the city walls. A walk through its maze of streets brings us to the Cathedral - Catedral de Barcelona - the origins of which date back to the 13th century…

Nearby, this bold tower is part of what remains of the old Roman wall that protected a small city called Barcino (Barcelona in ancient times)…

The big stones at the base of these towers are actually Roman, and the wall extends left into the old Palau Episcopal (Bishop’s Palace). Today this is the city archives and offers an up close view of the Roman stones (from the otherside).

Wednesday, June 13 – Day 16 (Barcelona)

At the end of Las Ramblas stands the Monument a Colóm, a statute of Columbus atop a tall pedestal. An extremely small elevator will take you up 60 meters to the top for a panoramic views of the city…

After the elevator view, we boarded a boat at the Portal de la Pau and sailed round the Port Vell and Barcelona harbor and then out to sea along 18 miles of the city’s coastline. Here is Rich enjoying the seaside (yes, that is him with the gray beard and gray hat)…

The harbor cruise went out past the Olympia Harbor home to the Olympic Village in 1992. In the distance, you can see the titanium fish (yes, designed by Frank Gehry) atop the area that housed more than 13,000 athletes that summer…

Today, the area has been turned into apartment complexes.

Next stop, the Museu Picasso…

The palaces called home by some of Barcelona’s wealthy merchants have been converted into the Museu Picasso. Although no pictures were aloud inside the museum, Rich and I managed to sneak this photo op at the top of the outside staircase in one of the many converted palaces…

This is touted as the best collection in the country of the work of Spaniard Pablo Picasso (1881-1973). The museum houses more than 3000 Picassos including much of his early work (since he spent his formative years from age 14 to 21 in Barcelona). The highlights included work from Picasso’s Blue Period, as well as a series of studies based on Velázquez’ Las Meninas (which we saw in Madrid’s Prado – see Day 10).

After a long day, we set out in search of paella and found a fantastic fresh pan at the top of Las Ramblas right at the Plaça de Catalunya. Here, Rich makes me pose with the shrimp heads…

Thursday, June 14 – Day 17 (Barcelona)

Modernisme, an architectural and cultural movement loosely defined as the Catalan version of Art Nouveau, transformed Barcelona’s cityscape in the early 20th century.

The artistic movement found one of its greatest means of expression in architecture; and Moderisme’s most famous architect was the eccentric Antoni Gaudí (1852-1926), a devout Catholic whose work is full of references to nature and Christianity.

Rich and I primarily dedicated this day to exploring Gaudí’s many Barcelona works. We began the day at the El Centre d’Interpretació del Park Güell and the Park Güell. The interpretation center, located at the entrance to the park, is an information and welcoming point for visitors. Here Rich poses with the interpretation center in the background…

The center gave us an opportunity to see the inside of the porter’s lodge and an exhibition showing the plans, models, photographs and plants that comprised original park project.

The park was designed to be a self-contained planned community with houses, schools, and shops. Unfortunately, the project was a flop, but today we are left with a Dr. Suess playground brought to life through colorful mosaics and Gaudí designed paths and plazas. Here Rich poses on the grand staircase… which leads to the Hypostyle Hall and eventually the square. Ergonomically correct benches line the outer wall of the square…

and the square itself offers great views of the park…

Next, we ventured to Casa Museu Gaudí, seen here…

Antoni Gaudi lived in this house from 1906 to 1926. The house maintains the structure of when Gaudí lived in it. The museum is a collection of the architect’s personal work and memorabilia – furniture, projects, and drawings.

After the Casa Museu Gaudí, we visited the Lover’s Viaduct…

and appreciated the view of Barcelona from this height…

After the Park Güell, we headed back to the city. The largest number of Modernisme buildings can be found an area of the Eixample neighborhood known as the Quadrat d’Or (Golden Square). This area is ripe with Modernisme work including this lamppost (one of many which line the Passig de Gracia)…

Like an open air museum, the Quadrat d’Or includes works by Antoni Gaudí, Domènech i Montaner and Puig i Cadafalch, among others. Over the years, this block has been nicknamed by locals as the Manzana de Dicordia (the Block of Discord), because the structures look as though they are trying to outdo each other in creative twists…

Four blocks up the street from the Block of Discord is the Casa Milà “La Pedrera” (meaning the stone quarry because people of the city thought the façade appeared to be carved out of rock). Here we caught Rich with building from across the street…

This structure built between 1906 and 1912 is the last residential building designed by Gaudi. The attic and rooftop houses the Espai Gaudi, a space providing an introduction to the art and techniques of the architect. Notice how these chimneys dance across the horizon (oh, yeah, and you can see Rich peaking out from behind one of them)…

Here we also visited the Pedera Apartment, a full scale recreation of the home of a Barcelona family at the begging of the twentieth century. Amazing!

Our final destination in Barcelona - the Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Famili (Attonement Temple of the Sacred Family). Construction on this site began in 1882. One year later, Antoni Gaudí was named project director. He worked on the project over forty years until he was run over by a street car and died in 1926.

Today (81 years later), the temple remains unfinished (and is expected to take at least 50 more years to complete)…

Eight of the twelve 100 meter bell towers dedicated to the Apostles have been built, and two of the three façade (Façade of the Nativity and Façade of Passion, shown here…)

are complete. The façade remaining incomplete is the most elaborate – the Façade of Glory. This main entrance will include four taller belfries dedicated to the four Evangelists - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the 125 meter Tower of the Virgin Mary, and the grand 170 meter central dome in honor of Jesus. Eighteen spires in total!

At the time of Gaudí’s death, only the Façade of the Nativity was essentially complete. Mixing Gothic-style symbolism, images from nature, and Modernisme asymmetry, it is the best example of what is called Gaudí’s “cake-in-the-rain style.” The sculpture of the Façade of the Nativity shows scenes from the birth and childhood of Jesus in a style like none you’ve ever seen!..