SAGRADA FAMILLIA

La Sagrada Família (Catalan, 'The Holy Family') is a large Roman Catholic basilica under construction in Barcelona. Construction began in 1882 and its formal title is Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família. Antoni Gaudí worked on the project for over 40 years, devoting the last 15 years of his life entirely to this endeavour. On the subject of the extremely long construction period, Gaudí is said to have joked, "My client is not in a hurry." After Gaudí's death in 1926, work continued under the direction of Domènech Sugranyes until interrupted by the Spanish Civil War in 1935.

Parts of the unfinished building and Gaudí's models and workshop were destroyed during the war by Catalan anarchists. The design, as now being constructed, is based both on reconstructed versions of the lost plans and on modern adaptations. Since 1940 the architects Francesc Quintana, Isidre Puig Boada, Lluís Bonet i Gari and Francesc Cardoner have carried on the work. The current director and son of Lluís Bonet, Jordi Bonet i Armengol, has been introducing computers into the design and construction process since the 1980s. Mark Burry of New Zealand serves as Executive Architect and Researcher. Sculptures by J. Busquets, Etsuro Sotoo and the controversial Josep Subirachs decorate the fantastical façades.

LA RAMBLA

La Rambla is an iconic and busy street in central Barcelona, popular with both tourists and locals alike. A 1.2 kilometer-long tree-lined pedestrian mall in the Barri Gòtic, it connects Plaça Catalunya in the center with the Christopher Columbus monument at Port Vell. Usually full of street theatre, cafés and market stalls, it serves as the emotional hub of Barcelona.
Officially, La Rambla is a series of shorter streets, each differently named, hence the plural form Las Ramblas. From the Plaça de Catalunya toward the harbor, the street is successively the Rambla de Canaletes, the Rambla dels Estudis, the Rambla de Sant Josep, the Rambla dels Caputxins, and the Rambla de Santa Monica. Construction of the Maremàgnum in the early 1990s resulted in a continuation of La Rambla on a wooden walkway into the harbor, the Rambla de Mar.

BARCELONA BUS TURISTIC

Plaça Catalunya or Plaça de Catalunya is a large square in central Barcelona that is generally considered to be both its city centre and the place where the old city (see Barri Gòtic and Raval, in Ciutat Vella) and the 19th century-built Eixample.

Casa Milà, better known as La Pedrera (Catalan for 'The Quarry'), is a building designed by the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí and built in the years 1905–1907

SAGRADA DE FAMILIA

Plaça d'Espanya is one of Barcelona's most important squares, built on the occasion of the 1929 International Exhibition located at the foot of Montjuïc, in the Sants-Montjuïc district.

Don't got to sleep Paraone FC Barcelona's stadium is next the new home of your fav. player Terry Henry

OH DEAR!! too many late nights for Paraone just as well Henry wasn't at the stadium but at least the rest of the Murus got to see the stadium. Hard to believe it's the size of Wembley
PORT OLYMPICO refurbished for the Olympics and a great place to stop for a swim and lunch

SALOU - COSTA DARAUDA

2 days after arriving home from Greece the Muru whanau were off to Salou a seaside resort and tourist center in Catalonia, about 10 km from Tarragona on the Costa Daurada, and little over 92km to central Barcelona. Aside from its string of beaches interrupted by rocky coves, and its landscaped promenade, one of its main attractions is the Port Aventura complex, formerly owned by the Universal Studios chain of theme parks.

SHREK 4WD TOURS

YAMAS!!!!!!!!

TZAATZAIKI!!!!!!!!!Probably the most exciting day of our holiday!! We were guaranteed to have a day full of "Dirty Fun"!!. Explore the Cretan mountains, visit the caves, experience local life with Land Rover Jeeps. Professional Drivers. We followed the trails of historical Crete, where no ordinary vehicle can reach. We experienced the true life of Crete, witnessing its traditions, seeing the true natural beauty, historical monuments, archaeological finds, national parks, the local people and their rugged way of life.
We traveled well off the beaten track using Land Rover "Defenders" which was a safe and hassle free way of witnessing the places and wildlife that most people only see in the brochures or from an armchair.
The first stop of the day was a very old olive factory. We enjoyed our free coffee and an opportunity to see how olive oil, raki and a variety of pottery are made, throughout the tour we were able to taste a variety of products for which Crete is famous for.
Our first photographic opportunity was from the side of a great mountain where we had a panoramic view of both sides of the island, the Cretan Sea and the Libyan Sea.

We continued our journey to the plateau of Katharo where the roads are non-existent and the mountains reach a height of 1,5000 meters. Where we stopped for refreshments at a Katharo Kafenion somewhere in the wilderness!!
Continuing through the dirt tracks and remote mountain villages, we travel across the Lassithi plateau where time has virtually stood still. The local people are mainly farmers and there are numerous sheep, goats, chickens, fruit trees, potatoe and vegetable fields.

Our next stop was at Aghios Konstantinos for a traditional Greek meal plus unlimited wine.

All back in the vehicles again, to then visit the cave of Zeus. Mythology says that this is the cave where the god Zeus was born and that he ruled the area from the top of the mountains nearby. The cave, which has many stalactites an stalagmites, is enormous. We are advised to wear walking shoes for this visit into the cave and also need to pay the 4 euros entrance fee. We then drove through the Lassithi plateau, passing through many other small villages, this road leads us to Seli, where we reach the highest altitude of our adventure.Once again we have the opportunity to take photos of this unique scenery. As we continue driving, we reach the village of Krassi, which is famous for a 2000 year old tree, Krassi also has a natural spring water source where many years ago, people washed their clothes and sometimes bathed.

Heading back we pass through the area of Selinari where you will see vultures, which are no an endangered species. This was a day full of many surprises. The excitement was second to none! We certainly wont forget our fun day out on our Great Adventure. THANKS PAVLOS AND SHEK !!!!!