Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee 2012

The past week (1 - 5 June 2012) saw the whole of Britain celebrating Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee.  It was baffling for hubby and me at first, because as far as we know, 'diamond jubilee' refers to a celebration to mark the 75th  anniversary of an occasion (wedding, establishment, etc).  Queen E, on the other hand,  has only been on the throne for 60 years.  A check with Wikipedia enlightened us on the matter:  'Diamond jubilee' is also used to mark the 60th anniversary of a monarch's reign (started during Victorian times).

Queen Elizabeth II on her coronation day in 1953

Celebrations kicked out months earlier with retailers selling festive paraphernalia: bags, mugs, tea towels, fridge magnets, you name it.  You also have diamond jubilee packaging of biscuits, chocolate, sweets, etc.  There were diamond jubilee sale, diamond jubilee street parties planned in various neighbourhood, etc... surpassing the Royal Wedding frenzy :)

There were many tv programmes to commemorate the week-long celebration,  I watched some and skip some.  I enjoyed "A Jubilee Tribute to the Queen by the Prince of Wales" (BBC1) as I got to see private photos and home videos of the royal family.  This and "Elizabeth: Queen, Wife, Mother" (ITV1) showed a different side of the queen.

Pictures of yesteryear reminded  us of how beautiful the Queen was when she was young...  

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh...

The Royal family

The queen as a child, with her sister

The queen, now

In between packing for my North England-Scotland-Midlands Trip, I managed to catch the "Diamond Jubilee Thames Pageant" (BBC1) and "All the Queen's Horses:  A Diamond Jubilee Special" (ITV1).  In the former, the Queen's royal barge led a procession of over 1000 boats from Battersea Bridge to Tower Bridge.  A very colourful flotilla despite the rain.  The latter, showcased horse performances from various nations, within the grounds of Windsor Castle.  Never thought that horses can be so adorable, prancing and jiggling to the music!

Yeah, I watched everything on TV.  I wouldn't have gone to see it live anyway, because I'm sort of claustrophobic?? Not a chronic one, but just can't stand crowds.   Anyway, I do feel lucky to have been able to experience the festive mood of so many historical events and happenings over my three years here, like the Royal Wedding, the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, and in the near future, the 2012 London Olympics.  Memang terasa kemeriahannya.  Syukur atas kurniaanNYA :).  

Bluebells in Bristol

It's nice to see how flowers seem to take their turns to bloom in spring.  The first sign of spring was the sprouting of daffodils in March.  Next, were the tulips and other colourful perennials.  In April, bluebells started to make their appearance in people's lawn, but the ones you saw, would most probably be of the migrant spanish variant. If you want to see English bluebells, you would have to venture into the woods :)
In Bristol, there are a few places to admire bluebells.  One of them is Abbots Leigh, in North Somerset.

The scenic road to Abbots Leigh

We went there without high hopes because we were aware that the temperamental weather (more rain than sun) had stunted the growth of flowers all over England.  Yet, we harboured the hope of seeing bluebells in the woodlands, just as we had witnessed last spring in North Cornwall (blog post belum keluar lagi... hahaha!).

It was a sunny day.  Sheep laid on the green meadows - a common sight in England, Wales and Kg. Dioh in Kuala Pilah :P.

Walking through the dense foliage, felt like home @ Malaysia. Steering away from the well-trodden path,  we found the carpets of violet and blue :).

Bluebell wood in Abbots Leigh

We carefully weaved our way through the undergrowth, making sure we didn't tread on any bluebells.  Stepping or even picking flowers is a no-no among the Mat Sallehs, hatta wildflowers sekali pun.

Hyacinthoides non-scripta aka English bluebells

There were not many bluebells as we had anticipated, but enough for me to feast my eyes and plan for some shots.  This time around, though, I had to share my camera with a photographer pencen.  Hubby who has long given up photography as he opined that digital photography was not as challenging as single-lense reflex, suddenly decided to pick-up the camera again.  Adoi!!  Bukan main lagi hogging my camera... camni rupanya purist ambik gambar... (tersangatlah) SLOW AND STEADY (pasang tripod bagai).  

Bokeh and bikin :)

Anyway, I managed to 'kidnap' my camera every now and then, and  QUICKLY snapped some shots of the bluebells basking in the glorious afternoon light.  Siap ada BOKEH lagi!  Well... some more pleasing to the eyes than others... saya budak baru belajar :)

A pleasing bokeh?

The photos taken by hubs were not bad at all but I couldn't upload them here because they are in RAW format.  Yeah, the purist is warming-up to photo-editting :)

As usual, there's no photos of me because I was the photographer :).

A very modest spread of violet and blue

... dan hatiku berbunga riang 2012

Spring has always been my favourite season.  As this year will most probably be my last spring in Bristol, I decided to go all out to capture its essence :)

Spring, Vivaldi and daffodils are so exhilarating! Enjoy the video! :)

Parc Guell, Barcelona

The last place that we visited in Barcelona was Parc Guell.  It was also one of Antoni Gaudi's legacy, proclaimed as a world heritage site.  However, unlike Sagrada Familia, La Pedrera and Casa Battlo, this park was free-of-charge :).

From Passeig de Gracia, we took metro Line 3 to Vallcarca.  From there we happily followed the road signs to the place until we saw something that made us stopped dead in our tracks.  The final sign pointed up a steep terrace...   Unbeknownst to us, we had actually accessed the side entrance to Parc Guell...


Ayoyo!  Masa ni, rasa malas je nak teruskan perjalanan!  With a heavy heart, we decided to push on.  Luckily there were escalators going up the hill.  However, we still had to walk uphill on some stretches and hubby grumbed loudly.  Lutut nak tercabutlah, bla,bla, bla :).  So, for those of you who wishes to go to Parc Guell, it is better to access the park via its main entrance in Carrer d'Olot.  It's less challenging and there are buses plying its hilly route.

Anyway, the spectacular view of Barcelona from this particular entrance of Parc Guell, do make up for  sore limbs :)

Torre Agbar, Sagrada Familia and the sea... from the top of Parc Guell

Parc Guell was named after Eusebi Guell, a Catalan industrialist who had commisioned Antoni Gaudi to design a residential complex. The park, spanning 15 hectares, was located on the slope of the rugged Pelada mountainside.

As we walked downhill, the uniqueness of Parc Guell unfolded...

The 'Washerwoman' portico with palm tree-shaped sculptures

... posing at the helicoidal columns

Gaudi's signature catenary archs

Through the portico and viaduct we walked, until we reached the large square.  Here, visitors sat and posed on the famous undulating serpentine bench decorated with Trencadis.  Really beautiful!:)

The main terrace decorated with Trencadis - a type of mosaic made up of broken shards of ceramic and tiles.

At the rear of the square, large palm trees were carved from the mountain, forming a rustic stone wall.

After resting for a while, we proceeded down to the 'Marketplace'.  Inspired by the temples of ancient Greece, the hall was made up of 86 columns which supported the square above it.  The ceiling was decorated with colourful trencadis rosettes.  Nak tergeliat leherku ambik gambar! Hehehe! :P

The marketplace

Out of the Marketplace, we found ourselves facing the entrance of the park.  Wah ...  the scene was like a picture from  a story book, to be precise; Hansel and Gretel :).

The administration (R) and caretaker's (L) lodge

Down the stairs, the sons posed near the iconic dragon of Parc Guell.  Looked more like a monitor lizard to me :P

.... in front of the main fountain

More pictures were taken in the courtyard...

It was already sunset when we exited Parc Guell.  We didn't go to Montjuic as planned, as the cable car station would have already closed.  The next day we were already booked for London.  So, Parc Guell was our final destination in Barcelona.

All in all, we managed to visit most of the attractions in Barcelona.  Alhamdulillah :)

Final Verdict:
I LOVE Barcelona!  Unique buildings, cheap seafood, excellent public transport (better than London... ahem :)) and PERFECT weather.  I would definitely visit again kalau ada rezeki, InsyaAllah.  

Casa Battlo, Barcelona

Our next destination was Antoni Gaudi's Casa Battlo.  Similar to La Pedrera (Casa Mila), Casa Battlo was also an apartment, built by Gaudi for another wealthy Barcelona family, the Battlos.  From Palau Reial, we took Metro Line 3 to Passeig de Gracia station. Once there, it was not too difficult to catch the sight of the colourful building...

The exterior of Casa Battlo...
all bony and skeletony :)

"What?!  Another weird building??!!"
My son, Jon, couldn't hide his displeasure for having been dragged to see yet another Gaudi masterpiece. Hahaha!  So hubby volunteered to layan the sons, while the daughter and me toured the place.

Tickets were not too expensive, but I sure could have saved some Euros if I had my student card with me :(.  The price included audioguides.  Check the ticket price here.  You can buy the tickets online or on-site.  When I was there (in February), I didn't have to queue for tickets.  But I figured there would be a long queue during peak season.  The place is open 365 days (9.00 am to 9.00 pm) and will only be closed when there are functions.  

The windows of Casa Battlo on the first floor overlooking Passeig de Gracia

The modernist outdoor courtyard on the first floor...
Look at that tile work! :)

The interiors of Casa Battlo... marvellous ceramic tile work

Although we were able to visit most of the spaces, some were deemed restricted - probably these were private living spaces.  There was an antique lift going up and down, but I guessed this was private as well.  We visitors had to take the stairs.  

Gaudi's signature  catenary archs

The roof terrace was yet another proof of Gaudi's ingenuity:  the roof supposedly symbolized the backbone of the dragon killed by St. George.  As I let my imagination ran wild, I figured that the chimneys might be the swords and the crossed turret symbolized St. George?  Amacam?  Boleh ka?? :)

Can it be that this is a dragon's head (see those eyes??)
pierced by 4 swords? 

The supposed backbone of the dragon killed by St. George,
the mythical chimneys and four-armed cross

My verdict: a place that truly appeals to your mind and senses! Words can't say enough but hopefully my photos said it all :)

Arenas de Barcelona, Parc de Joan Miro and FC Botiga

On our fourth day in Barcelona, we decided to go to Arenas de Barcelona in Placa d'Espanya to find the stop where the airport bus (aerobus) picked up passengers.   We planned to take the bus to the airport the following day, as taxi can be expensive in the wee hours of the morning.  Besides taxi, we could take the train, the normal bus or the aerobus to El Prat.  If we chose the aerobus, the stop closest to our apartment would be somewhere in Arenas de Barcelona.

From our apartment we took the short-cut to Arenas de Barcelona by crossing Parc de Joan Miro.  The park was named in honour of Joan Miro, a Catalan painter, sculptor and ceramist.   The park, just like most parks in Barcelona, was grassless.  With sandy fields, pockets of water and palm trees lining the avenues, it looked more like an oasis.  There was even a row of taps in the park, macam tempat ambil wuduk pulak... reminded me of Islamic landscape :).  The park's crowning glory was of course, Joan Miro's sculpture:  Dona i Ocell (Woman and bird).

See if you can figure out the bird and the woman in the sculpture... :P

Once we reached Arenas de Barcelona, hubby went to look for the bus stop while the rest of us when up to the rooftop.  You can either take the elevator (for a small fee) or the escalator (free) up to the top floor to get a fantastic view of the surrounding areas.

Aerial View from Arenas de Barcelona

Our next destination was Barcelona FC, or better known in Barcelona as FC Botiga.   Camp Nou, the stadium, was located in Aristides Maillol.  From Taragona metro station, we took the line 3 metro to  Palau Reial.   This station was near the Faculty of Biology, Universitat de Barcelona.  From this station, we had to walk for about 400 metres until we reached the gate of FC Botiga.  Somebody was all smiles when he saw a billboard which featured Lionel Messi :).  

Don't ask me which one is Messi :P

We didn't go for the stadium tour due to time constraints, but the sons were very happy just to have reached this place :).  Yang not too happy was mommie who had to pay for the Barca merchandises.  Mahal gila tahap cekik darah!  The most expensive so far, compared to even Manchester United and Chelsea!  No wonder it is the *2nd richest football club in the world :P 

*  The richest football club is also in Spain - Real Madrid :)

From Gothic to Modernisme in Barcelona

Catedral de la Santa Creu i Santa Eulalia (Barcelona Cathedral) is another tourist attraction near La Rambla, Barcelona.  It is a gothic cathedral built from the 13th to the 15th century.  Yeah, 3 abad untuk bina gereja tu!  To get to this cathedral From La Rambla, we turned into Carrer de la Portaferrissa.  There were many high street brands on sale along this street that I thought it was another tourist stretch.  It was only much later did I discover that it was part of Barri Gotic, the old quarter of Barcelona.

When we reached the cathedral we found that it was (not surprisingly) partly under restoration.  Yelah... awal tahun... baru dapat budget :P.

Barcelona Cathedral

Although it was under restoration, visitors and worshippers were allowed in.  However, since I have been inside another gothic cathedral (Santa Maria del Mar), I figured, they would probably look more or less the same.  So, after taking a breather, we continued to our next destination:  Basilica de la Sagrada Familia.  It was easy to go there from anywhere in Barcelona because the metro station was aptly named Sagrada Familia, too.

I admit before coming to Barcelona, I know nuts about this UNESCO world heritage site.  However, the daughter was very excited to see the place, having seen it first in the Disney Channel Movie: The Cheetah Girls 2.

Sagrada Familia looming at the background

Boy, was I in awe when I saw the towering structure as we walked out from the Metro station!  As I strained my neck and squinted my eyes to take it all in, I was full of admiration for the man who's responsible for this imposing beauty.  Sagrada Familia is a Roman Catholic church designed by Catalan designer Antoni Gaudi, the pioneer of Catalan Modernisme.  Construction of the basilica (church) started in 1882 and is still underway.  Yep, you heard me right!  The basilica is expected to be completed by 2026, just in time to celebrate the centenary of Gaudi's passing.

The Nativity Facade of Sagrada Familia

The Passion Facade of Sagrada Familia

The basilica is a fine example of  Modernisme architecture.  Gaudi's modernisme is characterised by the dominance of curved over straight lines, rich and detailed decorations, organic motifs, assymetrical and dynamic shapes.  Hubby wanted to take a tour of the place but I was torn between spending money to buy tickets to this particular Gaudi masterpiece or the other one, the equally enchanting Casa Battlo.  Taking into consideration that snapping photos was not allowed in the basilica, we decided to forgo the tour and bought a guide book instead :).  Maybe, we will visit the completed basilica in 2026, kalau panjang umur dan ada rezeki :)

From Sagrada Familia, we boarded the Metro to the Diagonal station to visit another Gaudi's creation, Casa Mila.  Unlike Sagrada Familia, Casa Mila a.k.a La Pedrera is a residential apartment. It was originally built for a Catalan Bourgeois family, the Milas.  Now, visitors can actually visit the second floor and the roof for a fee, but the third to fifth floors are closed to visitors, most probably because there are residents in these floors.

Casa Mila - look at the undulating stone facade :)

When we got there, La Pedrera was already closed so we just took pictures in front of the place and bought souvenirs at the gift shop located at the ground floor.  Then, we took the metro back to our apartment.  End of  day 3.

La Rambla, La Boqueria, Liceu (3Ls)

After sight-seeing at Port Vell, we walked along La Rambla, the popular tourist tree-lined pedestrian mall  in Barcelona.  I was bit a apprehensive as I had read on websites and had been cautioned by friends, to be wary of strangers around the area as they might be pick-pockets.  So, I was literally clutching my bag, using the camera discreetly and on the lookout for dubious characters!  Hahaha!   Reflecting on this now, I think I would have enjoyed myself more if I had not been unduly worried.  After all, there were scores of policemen patrolling the area!

Honestly, I felt that La Rambla was a bit over-rated??  The usual thing- traders, street artists, etc.  Nothing that you can't find in London or even Kuala Lumpur.  If I were to visit Barcelona again, I  would spend more time walking through the cobbled path of El-Born and Barri Gotic rather than rambling on La Rambla, that's for sure! :)

Among the places of attraction along La Rambla was the Gran Teatre del Liceu (Liceu Theatre)...

...err... Erotic Museum, anyone?? :P

and of course, La Boqueira  (Boqueira Market). 

 The market dated back to the 13th Century.  What I liked about the place was the diversed selection of food and the fantastic colours.   

Yang paling mahal kat sini ialah... 

Jamon Iberico @ peha babi hitam Iberia

Jamon Iberico (Iberian ham) is a type of cured ham sourced from black Iberian pigs bred in the Iberian Peninsular.  Mula-mula nampak, tak ambik pot, coz I've seen this in Jamie's Italian in Bristol.  It was hubby (the walking encyclopedia :)) who told me that these were no normal ham.  These came from black Iberian pigs which, apart from grass, were strictly fed with barley, maize, acorns, herbs and olives!  Wow!  Siap ada gred !  The most expensive was Jamon Iberico Bellota (see pix).  Jamon Iberico and suckling pigs can be found in most Barcelona supermarkets.  So, I guessed,  these were Catalan delicacies.

Talking about food, we stumbled upon Halal food as we were looking for a surau to pray.  The surau was located off-La Rambla, in an area called El-Raval.  The dark narrow path and grim-looking foreign faces (Eh! Eh!  Aku pun pendatang jugak! Kuikuikui!) that we saw on our way to the surau, made the neighbourhood appeared sinister. Tapi itu cuma luaran saja.  Once in the surau, a kind siak led us to a spacious praying hall on the first floor where where we rested, washed and prayed.  Alhamdulillah :)

While walking back to La Rambla, we discovered quite a few halal restaurant and pattiserie (pastisseria in Catalan) along Carrer de l'Hospital.  We stopped at one (forgot it's name) as we saw the signage had some arabic words.  As we oggled at the delightful yummies, the friendly girl behind the counter who understood little English, repeatedly said: "Musulman! Musulman!" while pointing at the pastries.  So, we bought some snacks and ate them at the National Library of Catalonia grounds.  The 15th century library building used to house a hospital (Hospital de Santa Creu).  

Lepas "isi minyak", we continued sight-seeing :).