Travelling in Spain: a lesson in style

Barcelona Sagrada Familia

I admit that travelling solo is my favourite way to travel - you are your own master and can decide to go at your own pace. It can be daunting sometimes,  but I know, having tried before, that no one is able to sustain my dedication, braving long queues for tickets to museums and galleries - which can never be bought online as there is always one problem or another. You also meet many interesting people as you are more open: local people for sure, but also other travellers with whom you can team up for some excursion. I did so last year, when I went to Andalusia.
Spain is one of my favourite destinations at present, this time I combined it with a little work, so I went to Barcelona to admire Antoni Gaudi's modernist architecture - an architect friend  strongly recommended Barcelona a while ago - and then went to Rojales to model for Martin Robinson's art workshop. Of course that was a bit of a holiday too, as I went to the beach and then round to see the preparations for Easter, which is a big deal in Spain.
Barcelona is a Gaudian city and the architecture is stunning. I was worried about not being able to get into the Sagrada Familia because as usual the website was out of order and tickets could only be bought at the Sagrada and queues are horrendous. But partly because of the bad weather, partly because we were off season and partly because I went at lunchtime when everyone is busy eating, I only waited five minutes and there I was, inside this amazing building. Gaudi was a genius and natural shapes were his inspirations but having been to Andalusia I could not help feeling that there were some  Moorish touches. I may be wrong,  but those curves seemed to suggest it. I was not able to have a view of the city from the towers, currently closed to the public as they are being renovated - the Sagrada is always a work in progress.

Sagrada: Interior

After several hours back and forth, visiting the museum on site and the special exhibition and back inside the cathedral to admire the way the light fell through the stained glass windows - it changes all the time - I decided I could leave and  immediately went to join the queues at La Pedrera, another Gaudian building, this time an apartment block in the city centre which is as spectacular as all Gaudi's buildings are. I like taking my time when visiting sights, so another two and a half hours went by - unusually I got hold of an audioguide, I don't like them much but I felt I needed some background.
I did not have that much time in Barcelona and left for Alicante and Rojales after a day. Modelling for Martin is always a pleasure, I have been going for some years now and I do recommend him to other models.

Photo: Martin Robinson. Model: me

What I really enjoyed was to witness the Palm Sunday procession in Elche: I love the way they create intricate shapes with the palms and the dexterity with which they do it - you can see people making them at the market. Then there was the mantilla procession which starts off Holy Week, women dressed in black and wearing those spectacular lace mantillas which drop to their ankles, draped over what traditionally is a tortoise shell comb, which adds height. I was pleasantly surprised at the very stylish way the women in Rojales dressed for the procession: they all wore short elegant figure hugging black dresses - the classic LBD - or even a two piece black suit, with black heels and black nylon tights. Their hair was pulled back and they all wore the traditional mantilla and they all had smoky eyes! it could have been a catwalk show!  The back of their mantilla was held together with a pearl studded brooch and they wore pearl earrings to match. Of course the whole ensemble was accompanied by beautiful white rosaries which they held while taking part in the procession behind a float of the Virgin Mary, also wearing a black, gold embroidered veil.

Stylish women of Rojales, by the church, after the mantilla procession

I would have loved to get hold of one of those mantillas, in the end I did not. Next time perhaps? I do have a black silk shawl however and I might find some interesting way to drape it...