R. Doug Wicker's Blog, page 125

Military Monday — Swiss K31 “Straight-Pull” Bolt Action Rifle

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Swiss K31 Rifle

I’ll be returning to my “54 Days at Sea” series next week. Until then, this week is dedicated my most viewed subject — firearms. And today I present an extraordinary one, a Swiss K31 bolt action rifle.

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Swiss K31 Rifle

The K31 was the primary weapon of the Swiss Army from 1933 until 1958. So, if that’s the case, why is it called the K31? Because the first rifles were delivered to the Swiss Army for testing in 1931. The K31 is often called a “Schmidt-Rubin” K31, but this isn’t t...

Fun Photo Friday — 54 Days at Sea, Barcelona and Park Güell Favorites

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Shutters and Shadow

Here is today’s Fun Photo Friday gallery and slide show:

54 Days at Sea — Visiting Park Güell, Barcelona

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Park Güell

This week and last I’ve been presenting to you images of a very distinct architectural style. It’s known as Catalan Modernism, and it is characterized by a very fluid, organic look. One of the most important practitioners and proponents of this style was Antoni Gaudí.

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Park Güell

And the best place to go to see Antoni Gaudí’s work is a park on the western edge of Barcelona. Today’s photos were taken at Barcelona’s Park Güell, which was designed by Antoni Gaudí and built during the f...

54 Days at Sea — April 9, Another day in Barcelona

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Catedral de la Santa Cruz y Santa Eulalia (Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia)

MS Prinsendam overnighted in Barcelona, affording us on the next day more time to spend exploring the city, and with much sunnier skies than we’d experienced the day before. So, we took advantage of the weather and, with our friends Bill and Joelle Travis who accompanied us to Montserrat Abbey the day before, we headed out and about. Here is our little group in front of a very Gaudí -like building, the P...

Fun Photo Friday — 54 Days at Sea, Barcelona Favorites

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Street Lights

Here is today’s Fun Photo Friday favorites of Barcelona from this trip:

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Ursula on a gaudy Gaudí bench

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Parasols and Fans

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Ticket Booth

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A Dragon, a Fan, and an Umbrella

54 Days at Sea — Walking around Barcelona

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Casa Batlló, Barcelona, Spain

As you can see above, la Sagrada Familía and Casa Milà are hardly the only Antoni Gaudí works here in Barcelona. There are many, many others you’ll find as you walk around the streets. There is also rather unique statue of a submarine, which pays tribute to Narcis Monturiol, inventor of the air-independent/combustion-engine submersible:

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Narcís Monturiol tribute, Barcelona, Spain

Other sights you’ll find on your walking tour include:

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Barcelona, Spain

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Barcelona, Sp...

54 Days at Sea — April 8, La Sagrada Familia and Casa Milà

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La Sagrada Familía

I’ve done past blog articles on Antoni Gaudí and his magnificent creation la Sagrada Família. I’ll link to those past articles below as well as repost some of the photos from them.

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La Sagrada Familía “Passion Façade” by Josep Maria Subirachs

If that style of sculpture above looks familiar, it’s because last week I showed you this artist’s work at another site — the Montserrat Abbey. The artist was Josep Maria Subirachs, and here is more of his work from the Passion Façade o...

Fun Photo Friday — 54 Days at Sea, Montserrat Favorites

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Montserrat Abbey

Here is today’s Fun Photo Friday photo gallery and slide show of Montserrat favorites:

54 Days at Sea — Touring Montserrat Abbey

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Montserrat Abbey

I’ll begin today’s tour of the Santa Maria de Montserrat Abbey with interior views of the basilica:

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Montserrat Basilica

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Montserrat Basilica

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Montserrat Basilica

Moving to the exterior, here is a shot of the abbey taken from the Aeri de Montserrat aerial tramway:

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Montserrat Abbey

Make sure you hike a ways above the abbey for photos such as this and the photo at the top:

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Montserrat Abbey

You’ll also find in the distance Josep Maria Subirachs’ intriguing sculpture Escala de l’Ent...

54 Days at Sea — April 8, Santa Maria de Montserrat Abbey

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Abbey of Montserrat

MS Prinsendam left the island of Ibiza on April 7 and docked the next morning in Barcelona. I’ve done many blogs on Barcelona, as Ursula and I have been there several times. This time we had a different destination in mind, so with two friends from Canada whom we met on this cruise, we took a train northwest out of the city and headed toward the Catalan Pre-Coastal Range and the small town of Monistrol de Montserrat. Here we disembarked from the train and climbed aboard th...