Day 7 in Barcelona

Unfortunately I have not been able to post for the past four days as I lost my phone...my life blood as I have found out!!  Luckily I am have been able to replace it with a cheap version of my I-phone 5S & will try to keep up my daily blogs with hopefully no lapses until the end of my journey in August!
Today I visited Montserrat

monastery located high in the mountains about a one & half hour's journey from Barcelona.  On a sunny day it would have been amazing but today was wet, cold & very cloudy! Still it had a mystical quality as my photos will reflect.  My disappointment was that I could not hike above the monastery which looks amazing on a sunny day which one sees in the ads located at the train station in Montserrat.  To make up for my disappointment I decided to walk through lots of the narrow streets in Barcelona that I had not visited & made lots of stops to drink red wine & eat tapas. It is almost impossible to get a bad glass of "vino tinto" (red wine).  It is delicious as is the food!

3rd Day in Barcelona

Today I visited the Boqueria Market just off the Ramblas, the main tree lined walking street that connects the Plaza Catalunya & the Port Vell.  The market seems very clean & is set up for tourism with an amazing array of Spanish hams (jamon), seafood, cheeses, sweets, fruits & olives.  The market is flanked by ancient pillars where outdoor restaurants can be found.  Nearby is the Palau Guell which was Gaudi's first commission in 1895 to build a huge house with underground storeroom for grains & fodder for the animals owned by the patron Guell.  The construction & materials used are like a work of art.  I was then lucky enough to stumble on two fine guitarists playing outside the cathedral to an enthralled public!  Then I entered a gallery that held the most extensive Salvador Dali

exhibition of prints, water colours & huge bronze sculptures.  However it was the amazing display of photos of Dali that blew me away.  It was like a photographic memoir of his life.  Fortunately I was allowed to take photos & I will share some of them on this blog with you!

2nd Day in Barcelona!

Today I walked for at least 10km doing back to back walking tours of the Barrio Gottico with all its' narrow atmospheric street evoking so much history dating back over 2,000 years!  Too much to remember except for all the bloodshed & cruelty inflicted by reigning kings & their families!  Fast forward to modern times during the time of the facist Franco in the 30's, who held Barcelona down with an iron fist, so much so that it eventually became impoverished until his death in 1975!  The resurgence of Barcelona became evident when they held the Olympic Games in 1992.  There is a distinct demarcation between the historic Barcelona & its newer version of a hundred years ago. Incredibly, Antonio Gaudi

made his mark on Barcelona during this time by creating his iconic buildings that defied logic of straight lines & ordinary facades.  His buildings to this day are amazing showcasing  his love of geometry & creativity.  They still challenge what we expect from modern architectural buildings today!

My First Day in Barcelona!

How happy was I when I flew into Barcelona being greeted with blue skies & a wonderful view of the coastline from my plane window!  As I found the airport bus that took me into the centre of Barcelona for only Euros 6, I walked down the famous Ramblas, a huge promenade that is frequented by locals & tourists alike strolling down the tree lined street eating ice creams or looking into shop windows.  En route I was stopped by a procession of musicians & acrobats.  Eventually I arrived at the Plaza Reail which will be by home for the next week.  It seemed festive with lots of people eating & drinking in the sunshine fanned by cool breezes & surrounded by palm trees.  I also took advantage of the free admission into museums on Sundays & stood patiently in the huge queues for the Picasso Museum.  It was well worth the wait!  Who knew that he was also a genius classical painter?

One Day To Go!

Why do I leave everything to the last minute?  Looks like I won't be sleeping too much tonight....haven't started packing or even thinking about what I am going to take.......decisions, decisions....how do I pack light for nearly a 5 month trip?  Hope to share some good news with you tomorrow morning when I am being picked up to be taken to Brisbane airport!

I am flying with Singapore Airlines from Brisbane to Singapore & then on to Barcelona!  Barcelona here I come!  Some secret information I am going to share with you, as I arrive on Sunday morning the museums are free in the afternoon & I will be heading immediately to the Picasso museum

!

In Melbourne with only 2 Days to Go!

As I have the luxury of one hour while I am in Melbourne

to practice my blogging skills without help or referring to my notes, I hope that blogging while I am on the road during my five month adventure in Europe will become much easier for me!

3 DAYS TO GO!

Starting to get excited about my impending five month journey into Spain, Morocco, Portugal, Southern France & Northern Italy!

Last week I shared with you a link about the lovely beach town of Sitges near Barcelona.  Today I will give you another great place in Italy - Cinque Terre where I will visit in July!

Finally I have sorted my itinerary which I can't wait to share with you!  I have chosen this particular itinerary that you cannot find in any brochure but will get at the heart of the culture & people whose countries I am visiting.  In other words, I am looking to find the spirit that makes these wonderful countries tick & will try to emulate that spirit in my tours scheduled for 2015!

Media Bootcamp on the Gold Coast

How lucky am I?......Montse from Barcelona who happens to be on the Gold Coast, is teaching me how to blog effectively for my upcoming trip to Spain.....first stop Barcelona!  Getting the inside information to make my trip very special from the point of view of a true local!

I intend to visit the gorgeous seaside town of Sitges just minutes away from Barcelona.

Don´t forget to comment on my Facebook Page - LilianaLivesLifeTours & let me know if this information interesting & helpful!

2 Weeks To Go

The excitement is mounting!  Just finished my weekly Spanish language lessons for my imminent trip to Spain - first stop Barcelona!  Cramming as much as I can learning about Social Media!  A huge thanks to Holly Phillips!  Also a huge thanks to Glenn McGrath who was helped me "kicking & screaming" learning about 21st Century technology!
Will keep you posted on what I am able to achieve in the next two weeks!
Bye for now!
Liliana

Rave Review

Check out Greg Clayton's comment from Baby Boomer Travel Meetup Group on the Gold Coast, Australia. 

Hi Boomers!

Thought some of you would be interested in finding out what one of our members is up to.

Liliana Gilbert Liliana Gilbert is about to embark on a study/research trip (and a little bit of holiday time!) into the Mediterranean. She’s planning on designing and developing a series of handcrafted tours that will bring passion & joy into people's lives.  These tours will include dancing, cooking, markets, culture, visiting spectacular historic towns & going into some National Parks to experience nature.

These tours will be small with no more than 12 passengers.

Liliana’s going to be blogging every day as her adventure unfolds so why not follow her on Facebook - www.facebook.com/LilianaLivesLifeTours.  Or her Blog - lilianaliveslifetours.blogspot.com.au. Follow her as she works her way through Spain, Morocco & Portugal to whet your appetite for some unique travel experiences?

Liliana has a thirty year travel background where she escorted many tours as well as working in the background assisting with product development.  As a baby boomer herself, she sees the need for those of a certain age to live life to it's fullest!  

I’ve offered her a MeetUp when she comes home to tell us all about it and maybe some of you will even sign on for one of her upcoming trips!

You go girl!