Saturday/Sunday, Aug 30-31, 2014 –
We went walking and found the central market with fresh fish, 25 types of olives from all over Spain, and fabulous fresh fruits and vegetables. We also found the market that has hot baguettes. Good thing we are doing so much walking or I would have Omar the tentmaker making me a new wardrobe by the time we get to Morocco! Crossing the Atlantic was good for weight loss though. We love the markets and are enjoying a very healthy Mediterranean diet. On our way back we discovered a beach with a very active stretch of boardwalk that is less than a half mile from the boat.
Yesterday it actually rained for almost an hour while we were at sea. It was the first time we had seen rain in almost 3 months.
We continue to be the only American boat, and people still ask us if we really sailed it across the Atlantic. Technically we are the only American boat in this marina. There is one other boat here of questionable nationality. Steve Job’s super yacht “Venus” is across the marina from us. His wife still owns the 250 foot extremely modern yacht. It has George Town, CI as its home port. California would have claimed too much in taxes. We had also seen the yacht in Horta when we were there. It is oddly square and flat in design, making it appear to be completely unseaworthy. The sailors we talked to describe it as the ugliest boat they have ever seen. We read that Jobs spent time every day working on the design with the marine architect; he was smart to keep his day job.
It would be difficult to visit the city of Barcelona without learning about Antoni Gaudi, Barcelona’s modernista architect. Gaudi’s designs, with their extreme creativity, stand out as his from afar.
He did homes, apartment buildings, a park, and most famously, the church – Sagrada Familia (Church of the Holy Family), probably the most famous building in Spain. We have become immersed in the history of Spain. Here we are also becoming immersed in Gaudi.