Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone!

To celebrate this special day, my family and I had a delicious seafood lunch at the port of Barcelona (Port Olimpico)..and paid a visit to the most famous church in all of Spain, La Sagrada Familia.  Conceived by world famous Catalan architect, Antoni Gaudi, La Sagrada Familia has been under construction for 128 years.

Gaudi devoted 40+ years of his life to La Sagrada familia, which, along with his 6 other buildings in Barcelona, was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, ”as testifying “to Gaudí’s exceptional creative contribution to the development of architecture and building technology”, “having represented el Modernisme of Catalonia” and “anticipated and influenced many of the forms and techniques that were relevant to the development of modern construction in the 20th century.” source

Progress on its construction has been slow as the church relies solely on private donations as well as entrances fees from visitors – La Sagrada Familia receives no funding from the Spanish government nor from official church sources.  If you see anything in Barcelona, you MUST see Gaudi’s greatest work – La Sagrada Familia.  It is the most visited monument in all of Spain – welcoming thousands of visitors daily.

How did you celebrate Easter?

This was my Easter Lunch.. What was yours like?

Yachts at Port Olimpico, Barcelona..

Barceloneta Beach, Barcelona..

La Sagrada Familia

Isn't it spectacular?

Me and my sister in front of the (newer side of) La Sagrada Familia

The much older side of La Sagrada Familia..this side was built in the time of Gaudi..(who died in 1926).

Byblos Part 2

After strolling through The Old Souk, we arrived at The Byblos Port..The view of the Mediterranean from the port was absolutely breathtaking..

I managed to get a couple of nice shots of the port with The Old City in the background..I think I’m getting better at this!

Byblos port

Byblos port

The picturesque view made up for the rather mediocre food at La Cafe du Port, a restaurant bold enough to have adopted the tagline, “Saint-Tropez a Byblos.”

"Saint Tropez a Byblos.." riiiight.

The food at La Cafe du Port

After lunch, we took a different route back to the hotel..which led us to a portion of The Old City known for its churches..it was then I remembered that one of the owners of Hotel Canari de Byblos had told me about this area..and how it is a common tradition for people to go visit the seven churches (all in one day) on the Thursday before Good Friday..Seven chuches, in one day?  Maaaaann.  They’ve got me beat.

We were looking out over one of the churches from the street above, when I spotted a Boyscout troup in the middle of a badge ceremony..

Boy-scouts in Lebanon

Do you get more badges for being a boy-scout in the oldest inhabited city in the world?  I should think so.

Happy Easter!!

Look at what the Easter bunny brought us for lunch..

Man, the Lebanese and their attention to detail..

WOW.

Beeeuutiful!