MEMORIES OF MARVELOUS PORTS
Author: By Richard P. Carpenter, Globe Staff
Date: SUNDAY, July 26, 1998
Page: M6
Section: Travel
Barcelona -- We are greeted at the dock by costumed musicians on white
horses. . . . From 700-foot Montjuic Mountain, the view of this lively city
and its harbor is great, but my wife and I equally enjoy watching youngsters
at play in the nearby parks. . . . There are so many sights on that amazing
stretch called Las Ramblas: living statues (that is, motionless performers) in
silver, living statues in bronze, a dog wearing wings, people shopping,
eating, drinking, laughing, kissing. . . . No other building looks like an
Antoni Gaudi building -- for instance, La Pedrera, with its curving, smooth
stone exterior and elaborate iron balconies. . . . Gaudi's most memorable
building, of course, is the La Sagrada Familia church, more than 100 years in
the making with perhaps a century to go before completion by his disciples. We
take an elevator to the top of the structure but somehow end up walking down a
narrow, turning, seemingly endless stairway to the bottom.
Everywhere -- The Grand Princess is an attraction wherever we go. In
Istanbul, they stand on rooftops and wave. In Venice, where boating is a way
of life, they gather on balconies and bridges to look. In Barcelona, a radio
announcer speaks about ``el gran barco'' -- the grand ship. Whenever we come
into a port, big and little boats come as close as they can for a better view.
Even passengers on other cruise ships head for their decks to look. It's kind
of nice being an object of attention and affection!
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