Barcelona Waterfront and Aquarium

April 02, 2012

Christopher Columbus Monument, Barcelona, Spain

Most All of you have moved on with your lives, but I'm not quite done with posting (scrapbooking) about our cruise from Istanbul to Barcelona!  I think there may be 3 more posts that I'd like to do to give you more flavor of the place and that rank high in our memories.

Both my husband and I love aquariums and waterfronts.  Good thing cruises bring us one after another.  If there's an aquarium in town we're going to visit it.  So this post features some sights we experienced the day we walked from our hotel, down La Rambla, out to the waterfront.

 

Base of Christopher Columbus Monument, Barcelona, Spain

The photos above are of the Christopher Columbus Monument erected in 1888 for the World Exhibition.  Today we know that Columbus wasn't the first European to discover the Americas (that was Leif Ericson, a Norse Explorer, 500 years before!), but he did instigate the lasting relationship between Europe and the Americas and trade routes around the world.  I think you could call him the Grandfather of Globalization.  Two books that I found fascinating about what the Americas were like before Columbus and after are:

 

Miraestels by Catalan artist Robert Llimós
 
This floating sculpture is called "Miraestels."  It is by Catalan artist Robert Llimós which was first exhibited in 2006.  It depicts a human figure gazing at the stars holding a star behind its back. 
 
Yacht harbour, Barcelona, Spain
Ocean plants, Barcelona Aquarium
Ocean plant life, Barcelona Aquarium, Spain
 
Colorful Fish, Barcelona Aquarium, Spain
Colorful Fish, Barcelona Aquarium, Spain
Colorful Fish, Barcelona Aquarium, Spain

How about inspiration for a new hair color from a jelly fish?!

 

Multicolor Jelly Fish, Barcelona Aquarium, Spain

Can you see the dragons in the last two photos?  One is called Weedy, the other Leafy.  : )

 

Weedy Sea Dragon, Barcelona, Spain
Leafy Sea Dragon, Barcelona Aquarium, Spain