Barcelona 4/21-4/24

We arrived in Barcelona Thursday evening and immediately hopped a tram to town after checking in to a really nice Hilton hotel near the beach. We got to the gothic section and walked around a while admiring the architecture and all the boats in the harbour. We were winding our way down narrow streets and happened upon a church having Holy Thursday service. We went inside and stayed for the service. It was a small but beautiful gothic church. The service was really nice and we really enjoyed it. We processed with the eucharist to the sacristy which was spectacular.
We then got a bite to eat and went back to the hotel to rest for Friday's adventures. The forecast was calling for heavy rain on Friday and most places were closed or closed early so we planned to go to a couple of museums to avoid the rain. Sure enough it was raining Friday but not as badly as we feared. We actually only had a couple of short rain showers during the day so it was a good day after all. The museum had a very long line. I guess everyone was looking for something to do and had the same idea as us. So we decided to get on the hop-on, hop-off bus since it wasn't raining and see the city. We rode the bus for a while and got off at the Cathedral Barcelona. We found out that tehy were having Good Friday service in a couple of hours so we got something to eat and went to the service. This was a very beautiful gothic church and bigger than the first one but they were in the middle of renovations. We participated in the veneration of the cross along with a lot of other people. We then got back on the bus and rode past Sagrada Familia, the large gothic cathedral built by Gaudi, but decided to wait until the next day to go inside. After seeing a lot of the city on the bus we were tired and hungry so we got off in a very popular area of the city and had dinner. After dinner we were ready to go to the hotel and sleep. As we were walking up the street I looked down a small side street and saw a procession in progress. We had been so busy that we forgot there were 2 processions that night that merged together at one point before separating again. WSe happened upon the processions as they were together and just separating again. It was another stroke of luck. We were able to see both processions at the same time which was fantastic. They were great but not nearly the size of the one we saw in Madrid. Exhausted, we finally got back to the hotel and slept.
Saturday after a great buffet breakfast, we took the metro to the museum. There were no lines so we got right in to see the realism exhibit. We didn't have time to see the whole museum as would have liked. We then got on the bus and rode it to La Sagrada Familia and got off to a long line. Fortunately, it was moving quickly. The church is magnificent on the outside with all its towers and figures. The inside was not what we expected. It was nice but did not give us the same feeling as the other churches. Gaudi's style and vision fits in with other buildings he built around town. The church is still not completed but is expected to be done in 30 years.
We then took the bus to the bottom of a large mountain with another church at the top. We took a tram part of the way and the fernicular the rest of the way. The 360 degree views from the top of the church were amazing. The city with the mediterranean behid it on one side and the mountains on the other side were spectacular. The church was a small church on the inside but stood about 250 feet tall. We had a great time looking at the church and the views.
The day had flown by and it was getting late so we headed back to the hotel and had a real nice dinner across the street from the hotel.
Sunday we went into town for Easter mass. We decided to go to Cathedral Barcelona and got there early so we could get a good seat. We were pleasantly surprised as this service was presided over by a cardinal, 2 bishops, and a host of priests. The mass was done in Catalan which is a local language similar to spanish. The service was beautiful with a choir of young people with voices like angels. The organ was also amazing and we really enjoyed the whole experience. After mass, we ate a really fantastic lunch and enjoyed our first dessert since lent started. We gave up desserts this year. We then went back to the hotel, grabbed our bags, and then hopped the metro to the train station to go back to Madrid.
This holy week had been the most amazing of both our lives and a week we will never forget.

Palm Sunday April 17th

Palm Sunday we went to church and used our spanish missals we brought from home. They helped but the mexican spanish of course was somewhat different from the Castillian spanish. Also, we could not read and speak as fast as they were speaking but it was a beautiful mass anyway. That night we went to our first procession of Semana Santa (Holy Week). The procession is known as "stations of penance". It started at the Basilica de San Miguel at 7:15. We arrived around 6:30 and there was already a crowd but we got good spots to stand. The crowd was anxiously anticipating the start of the procession out of the church. When it finally started, there were dressed in black with black hoods, some other groups and then the great cross (so called Cruz de Guia - Guiding Cross). It's kind of like a float in a parade but it is carried on the shoulders of men underneath it who can't see anything. They are guided by a man on the outside. Turning is very difficult and comes in baby steps. Once a turn is made, the crowd erupts in applause. As the cross makes its way slowly down the street, more and more groups are following behind. There was even a cardinal in the procession. At the end of the procession is another large float of the Blessed Mother. This one was followed by a band that started playing once they exited the church. There must have been 300 people in the procession and it goes for a long way down the streets and ends up hours later back at the church.
This experience was unlike anything Robyn or I had ever experienced before. It was so beautiful and moving to the spirit. We were in awe of the whole experience.
There are more processions during the week and we go to Barcelona on Thursday night so we will see even more there. We are very excited and can't wait. This is going to be the best Holy Week ever.