We spent our summer holiday in Costa Brava, a coastal region of Catalonia in northeastern Spain two weeks ago. We had a great time enjoying the sunshine (It was very hot with temperatures ranging from 30 to 34 degrees!), walking along and swimming in the beach, tasting the food, taking a stroll along the busy streets, and meeting lots and lots of people. We had a great time as a family!
During our trip, we took the opportunity to visit Barcelona - not once, but twice. It took us an hour and twenty minutes to travel by train from Costa Brava to Barcelona. Boring journey? Not at all. The train travels along the Mediterranean Sea where one could enjoy viewing not only the sea, but people having a good time there. While on the train we were entertained by two men singing what I would imagine to be popular Spanish (or Catalan?) songs, only to be asked for a few coins afterwards.
Emerging from the underground Plaça Catalunya station, we saw the City of Barcelona teeming with life: the roads were busy, tourists and locals abound, and it was hot! Riding on a tourist bus, we wandered through the city and saw great works of art such as Casa Batllo, Casa Mila (aka La Pedrera), and Sagrada Familia. All these were designed by the renowned Antoni Gaudi. We also saw the Columbus Monument, the 1992 Summer Olympics stadium, the Magic Fountain of Montjuïc, Beach Barceloneta, and Plaça Espanya. Nidz noted how the city's buildings and surroundings are well-looked after. It was, according to her, much better than the city we visited the previous summer. I agree.
It pains us to hear that last Thursday afternoon, at a rush hour, Barcelona was attacked by terrorists. A white Fiat van veered off the road and into a crowd. The reckless driver continued, according to the Guardian (www.theguardian.com), "...down the pedestrian boulevard of Las Ramblas, a popular tourist destination, for more than 500 metres before stopping and fleeing on foot". As of this writing, 13 were killed and more than 130 were injured. The following morning, another attack happened in Cambrils, a neighbouring coastal town, where a woman was killed and six civilians and a police officer were injured. ISIS claims responsibility for the attacks, but this is still being verified. I note a similar incident which occurred in London Bridge last June.
Why an increase in terrorist attacks? Ben Wallace, UK security minister, has this to say: “I think the threat is still increasing, partly driven by the fact Isis is collapsing in Syria and people are either unable to get out there to fight for Isis and so look to do something at home – or because people have come back and tried to inspire people with their stories and tales of the caliphate. I think those two things mean that the threat is to some extent increasing.” This calls for vigilance and tighter security.
My heart goes out to the innocent victims of the Barcelona attack, among them was an Italian father who died saving the lives of his young son and baby daughter. May their souls be in God's peace. May God wipe away the tears from the people they left behind. May He also comfort those who are injured. May Jesus' words console them: "And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly." (Luke 18:7-8).
I know Barcelona will rise up again from this tragedy. Indeed, Las Ramblas has re-emerged "as a centre of life, reflection, and defiance". Keep it up, Barcelona. I join the crowds in shouting: No tinc por (I am not afraid).
During our trip, we took the opportunity to visit Barcelona - not once, but twice. It took us an hour and twenty minutes to travel by train from Costa Brava to Barcelona. Boring journey? Not at all. The train travels along the Mediterranean Sea where one could enjoy viewing not only the sea, but people having a good time there. While on the train we were entertained by two men singing what I would imagine to be popular Spanish (or Catalan?) songs, only to be asked for a few coins afterwards.
Emerging from the underground Plaça Catalunya station, we saw the City of Barcelona teeming with life: the roads were busy, tourists and locals abound, and it was hot! Riding on a tourist bus, we wandered through the city and saw great works of art such as Casa Batllo, Casa Mila (aka La Pedrera), and Sagrada Familia. All these were designed by the renowned Antoni Gaudi. We also saw the Columbus Monument, the 1992 Summer Olympics stadium, the Magic Fountain of Montjuïc, Beach Barceloneta, and Plaça Espanya. Nidz noted how the city's buildings and surroundings are well-looked after. It was, according to her, much better than the city we visited the previous summer. I agree.
One of the last spots we saw before leaving the city was Las Ramblas, a 1.2 km walkway through the heart of the city centre. One could see here all sorts of stalls, restaurants, bars, and street performers. It stretches from the Columbus monument in the south to the Plaça Catalunya in the north.
It pains us to hear that last Thursday afternoon, at a rush hour, Barcelona was attacked by terrorists. A white Fiat van veered off the road and into a crowd. The reckless driver continued, according to the Guardian (www.theguardian.com), "...down the pedestrian boulevard of Las Ramblas, a popular tourist destination, for more than 500 metres before stopping and fleeing on foot". As of this writing, 13 were killed and more than 130 were injured. The following morning, another attack happened in Cambrils, a neighbouring coastal town, where a woman was killed and six civilians and a police officer were injured. ISIS claims responsibility for the attacks, but this is still being verified. I note a similar incident which occurred in London Bridge last June.
Why an increase in terrorist attacks? Ben Wallace, UK security minister, has this to say: “I think the threat is still increasing, partly driven by the fact Isis is collapsing in Syria and people are either unable to get out there to fight for Isis and so look to do something at home – or because people have come back and tried to inspire people with their stories and tales of the caliphate. I think those two things mean that the threat is to some extent increasing.” This calls for vigilance and tighter security.
My heart goes out to the innocent victims of the Barcelona attack, among them was an Italian father who died saving the lives of his young son and baby daughter. May their souls be in God's peace. May God wipe away the tears from the people they left behind. May He also comfort those who are injured. May Jesus' words console them: "And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly." (Luke 18:7-8).
I know Barcelona will rise up again from this tragedy. Indeed, Las Ramblas has re-emerged "as a centre of life, reflection, and defiance". Keep it up, Barcelona. I join the crowds in shouting: No tinc por (I am not afraid).
