Friday 17 June
Woke not all that rested at 7:30am, and after a quick breakfast, were out the door before 9am to head for the Sagrada Familia for our 10am visit, leaving David and Christin still slumbering.
Bought a T10 ticket at the Provença metro station, then had some dramas finding our way to the underground link between Provença and Diagonal stations. It was only 2 stops to Sagrada Familia on the L5 line. We were greeted with the sight of the towering Passion Façade immediately on exiting the metro. Walked around the basilica to the park on the across the road from the older Nativity Facade where we spent some time contemplating the reflections of the massive church in the small lake, watching the activities of the Asian selfie brigade from shady seats.
Our booking was for 10am, and we were quickly processed through bag check, and picked up an audio guide. Entry is through the three great portals named for Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Around these portals, an exuberance of sculptures depicting the rapture felt by all the world upon the birth of Jesus. Shepherds, wise men, wandering stars, angels and saints and the beasts and birds of the fields are in evidence, rising to the pinnacle of the tree of life, encrusted in doves. Above, 4 tall towers rise. Each portal now has elaborate polychrome metal doors, encrusted with leaves, grasses and vines, and with beetles, lizards, toads, frogs and myriad other insects besides peeking out.
Inside the basilica, the sense of space and inspiring height is the first impression. Gaudi imagined the interior as being in a forest, with light filtering through the foliage. The stained glass windows to the nave provide cool greens and blues to the east, and fiery reds and oranges to the west.
In contrast to the exuberance of the Nativity Facade, the Passion Facade is bleak and almost industrial, hacked in brutal square lines and blocks, depicting hard wizened sculptures in states of distress, sorrow or despair. The doors on this facade are massive square blocks of sculptured bronze letters, telling the dark fairytale of the passion of Christ. The sculptor Josep Maria Subirachs has includes the odd easter egg, including a shout out to the chimneys of La Pedrera through the helmets of the roman soldiers, Gaudi's own face as a mourner, and the magic square, adding up the 33, the supposed age of Jesus when the gospels claim, and the Christian Church believes that the crucifixion occurred.
I had booked a visit to the towers on the Nativity facade, and joined the short queue to the elevator just before 11am, leaving Minuk to rest and contemplation. I was soon whisked up to the vertiginous viewpoint between two of the four towers which laud the apostles (the other 8 apostles are represented by the four towers on the Passion Facade, and the four as yet unbuilt towers on the soon to be commenced Glory facade). The most striking aspect of the towers are the chance to see the interior of the hollow towers, with their ribs of stone. The path took the traveller close to the 'tree of life' with its green foliage and white blobby doves. It is elevator up, but strains downward, and what a fine spiral staircase it is, like a seashell when its sinuous curves are viewed from above. There are tantalizing glimpses of elements of the building exterior on the walk, close up views of the curious bunches of polychrome grapes, fruit and ears of corn which decorate the pinnacles of the temples rooftops, all from Gaudi's signature trencadis of venetian glass.
It was not possible to visit the basilica's crypt, because of a service in progress, but glimpses were to be had through windows in its ceiling, visible from the apse of the church.It is very much more traditional in appearance than the surmounting basilica. The very freshly completed Sacristy, where items designed by Gaudi for the Catholic Liturgy are now on display has now been opened to the public. Under the dome of the Sacristy, geometric designs of wood and stone predominate. Light fills the spaces. Construction continues on high for the supports which will underpin the great towers which will crown the temple, once it is completed in 2026, the 100th anniversary of Gaudi's death. A potential excuse for a visit in another decade!
After leaving the basilica, we both took some time to look at the models and displays in the museum beneath the church, where models of Gaudi's design processes (using the hyperbolic arch), and another presentation highlighting his selection of elements inspired from the natural world as the basis of his vision,
Afterward, we chose to walk back to Granados, but got caught in the rain. Minuk found the the Barna Art shop she had researched for engraving gear, and was most satisfied with her purchases, which were obtained at a fraction of the cost at home.
We dined on the Menu del Dia at Ravelax, on Granados on the way home, coincidentally dodging more rain. I chose cannelloni with a meat filling and slathered in cheese sauce, whilst Minuk had a vegie fix with Catalan style spinach for first dish. The second dish (grilled chops and chips), was a bit oily, Minuk’s selection of fried seafood with salad was a bit better. Desert was a tasty flan, which just slid down. We were well filled for just 10 euros!
The rain stopped, and the sun shone again during our afternoon rest. David and Christen returned from their own expedition and we joined them for late afternoon drinks and nibbles on the roof terrace
In the evening, we went for a tapas search down toward the University. There were not great pickings, but eventually we stopped at a place which was distinctive for its Cyrillic menu (there was an English one too). Our selections, Patatas Bravas, Bombas, Calamari and Russian Salad, were a bit meh. Ice cream bought on the way home was very much better! (Horchata and Crema Catalana were the standouts)
Saturday 18 June
Morning at Sant Pau Hospital, an Art Nouveau gem hidden in the suburbs, and built perhaps on the theory that a happy patients and staff, make for a successful hospital. We made our way there by metro, and a short walk. It was drizzling rain as we arrived, the air cool. Tickets were 10 Euro, and the visit begins in the understory of the Administration Building.
From there, the path enters the tunnels used to move patients and resources between the buildings of the complex. Phantom patients and medical staff are projected onto the walls. We exit from the tunnels into an open quadrangle, surrounded by the many grandly decorated buildings and manicured gardens. The many roofs are emblazoned with multi-coloured glazed tiles and glazed chimneys, whist the red brick walls are adorned with sculptures and mosaic pictures. We can enter some of the buildings – a conservatory style operating theatre, glass walls open to the gardens, a former hospital ward, with high ceilings and decorated tile walls. Photographs in black and white show how it appeared whilst operating as a hospital.
The piece de resistance is the magnificently decorated Administration Building, with its intricate mosaic tile walls and ceilings, and coloured glass skylights. A grand staircase leads up to the highlight. A double height audience hall, resplendent in art nouveau tiled mosaics. The work of architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner deserves to be held in just as high a regard as is that of his more famous compatriot, Antoni Gaudi.
Outside, the entrance towers of the Sagrada Familia are visible at the end of Avinguda de Gaudi, just a 10 minute walk away. We take the Metro to Jaume I and La Ribeira district, all narrow streets and winding alleyways. It is only a short walk to Sta Maria del Mare. This soaring gothic cathedral in hemmed in by the surrounding alleyways. Inside, a Wedding service is in progress. It is still too early for lunch, so we walk around the back of the cathedral and find a group performing Catalan folk dancing. Good diversion until it was time for lunch.
We took our lunch at ‘Petra’ – egg and potato with truffle oil vs grilled bream 26 euro. The room is brightly painted in rustic blues and reds.
Minuk headed off to the Picasso Museum, I walked down to Barceloneta, passing a ‘Street Food’ festival, on the way to the seafront promenade. Barceloneta is a grid of five to six story buildings, tightly packed around narrow streets. Huge crowds along the beach, lots sunning themselves but few in the water. A motley array of passersby – bucks party groups (penis cap and mankini), hens party groups (bride climbs high on climbing frame, waves to the masses) , groups on bicycles, face painted football supporters on Segway scooters, or just on families on foot. I walked to Frank Gehry’s giant ‘fish’ sculpture, but found it looks better from a distance!
So I retraced my steps and walked around the port, enjoying views to Montjuic Hill, and of the teleferique across the harbour. The way was packed with presumably legal sellers (illegal ones can be fined), making picking the way tricky. A man creating giant soap bubbles amused the kids.
After reaching the towering Cristobal Colon monument I walked up the lower reaches of Las Ramblas, past assorted painted statue people (an alien, Wild Bill Hickock to name a few), and took the metro from Drassanes , back to Granados. Just avoided a rainstorm, which became a thunderstorm. Minuk arrived before the worst set in, and David and Christen not long after having fled from Park Guell as the storm hit.
When the rain stopped, the whole crew went on an expedition to Bonpreu to get supplies for dinner. Got back to discover that power had tripped on the fridge, microwave, air conditioners and hot water system. Resetting the circuit breakers was to no avail. Result, no potatoes for dinner, and a reorganisation of the position of the fridge to plug it into a power point that worked! We could get hot water in the same manner. Contacted our hosts, who were slow to respond, but could send a technician on Sunday, if the problem had not fixed itself (apparently a common occurrence after heavy rain)
Despite the problems, dinner was a success, with vegetarian tapas prepared by Christen (corn, peppers, olives, buffalo cheese and brie), and Minuk prepared tiny sausages and overly salty octopus. For dessert, Tirimisu icecream (prepared a la Allison Stewart by accident rather than design), and packet Crema Catalana finished the spread.
Sunday 19 June
After breakfast, we farewelled David and Christen who left, hopefully to the correct airport terminals at about 8:30. We had an 11:30 booking at La Pedrera (Casa Mila), one of Gaudi’s iconic commissions. We took a slow stroll through the streets of Eixample, each lined with grand modernist buildings, eventually reaching the grandest street of all, Paseo de Gracia. Here the buildings are grander still, but their rectilinear lines fail to match the audacity of Gaudi’s undulating, wrought iron balconied creation. We paused to rest and observe on the moulded broken tile (trencadis) benches which support the street’s distinctive light posts. A ‘listen to me’ is holding forth on the corner. She is showing photographs of the building interior, to a group of young Chinese tourists. Another group walks by, listening to the words of their leader via Bluetooth earsets.
We can see people walking on the roof, stopping to take photographs or selfies, silhouetted against the azure of the sky. In cursive text, the words ‘Ave’ and ‘Gloria’ are inscribed on the white broken tile façade. Above the curved roofline, the distinctive chimneypots and ventilation stacks protrude higher than the tourists. Many of the windows are shuttered, like blind eyes behind their black wrought iron balustrades.
We check tickets, and enter into the interior courtyards. Above, the multi-coloured walls rise to an oval of blue sky. On the ceiling, subtle frescos are painted. Fanciful wrought iron gates look back onto the street. Armed with audioguides, (whose commentaries are short and succinct thank goodness), we enter the lift and rise to the rooftop. The space thins the crowds a bit, but there is often a wait to get a clear shot. The key rooftop elements are the terracotta coloured chimneys (resembling the soldiers on the Passion façade of the Sagrada Familia), and the white trencadis tile clad ventilation shafts. These are the most popular photo objects, though the undulating roof, the gulfs to the interior courtyards protected by unsightly grey iron fences are popular also. An especially long wait is needed to get a picture of the temples of Tibadi and La Sagrada Familia, framed through deliberately placed arches.
Underneath the rooftop, the attic is used as an exhibition space, and also as a working example of Gaudi’s gift to architecture, the catenary arch, borrowed from the construction of suspension bridges, to general architecture. In the attic, the brick ribs of the arches are like the bones of whatever mythical creature remains trapped forever in the roof of La Pedrera.
Downstairs, an apartment has been restored to the style of the buildings heyday as a residence for the wealthy of early 20th Century Barcelona. Gaudi’s characteristic irregular shaped rooms, attention to detail in mouldings and wainscoting, down to specialised doorhandles are all evident. The hexagonal floor tiles, with an aquatic theme were originally intended for use in Casa Batllo, but were instead used here (and they are duplicated in the paving stones of Paseo de Gracia). The apartment is bright and airy, and would have been a pleasant domicile. Further downstairs, the first floor temporary exhibition space showed the use of supporting columns, allowing open plan office space long before they came into vogue. Also remaining is the undulating ceiling, which would have been a bitch to keep clean! We exit through the gift shop.
Back on the street, it was time to hunt down lunch. On a Sunday, Menu del Dia options are limited, So eschewing David and Christen’s fatwa on restaurants with pictures of food on the menu, we took lunch at Cal Barrera, on Granados. Their Menu del Dia was not only good value at 9.50 euro, it was available on Sunday. If the fideua was more like mie goreng, well no matter. Minuk’s salt cod croquettes were good too. We each chose the Parillada for secunda – a generous serve, and garlic aioli for the tasty chips. And we could not refuse crème caramel for dessert! So we waddled back to the apartment and rested from our morning exertions, electing to snack on leftovers before heading to the Palau de Musica Catalan for the 9:30pm ‘Gran Flamenco’ performance we had booked from home.
Because the metro was on ‘reduced services’ due to a strike, we chose to take the bus to Born district, where Palau de Musica Catalan is located. The stop was only a couple of blocks from home, so quite convenient. Traffic seemed heavier than usual, and our bus came after 20 minutes. Arrived quite early, so had some time to check out the theatre, with its elaborate art nouveau tilework and domes and towers on the roofline. The façade is crammed into a narrow lane, making it quite hard to view. A modern extension included a clever brick bas relief depicting a tree.
Inside the foyer, the decoration was even more exuberant, adding coloured glass and mirrors to the palette. Grand stairways lead left and right, to the concert hall upstairs. The foyer is a bit cramped for the size of the audience, and entry is not until about 10 minutes before the performance. And, says Minuk, only 4 cubicles in the Dames WC!
The ‘Gran Flamenco’ is no tourist show. For ninety minutes the troupe give an energetic and passionate performance. There are four principal dancers (two male, two female), principal singers (male and female), plus percussion and guitar and backup singers. The music and perhaps the dancing itself is at least partially improvised. The musicians suggest and prompt throughout the show. Whilst the male dancers are in austere blacks and greys, the ladies costumes include the elaborate dresses synonymous with flamenco, flounces there are in suitable abundance. We bussed back home after the performance, catching a glimpse of a floodlit Casa Batllo, tomorrow’s opening attraction. It has been a busy day.
Monday 20 June
All Gaudi, all of the time was the theme for our last day in Barcelona. Following breakfast, we walked to Paseo de Gracia to visit Casa Batllo, Gaudi’s conversion for the Batllo family of a traditional Eixample building into something extraordinary. One knows that it is special as soon as one sees the façade. The first floor windows are framed with bones. The upstairs balconies grin like carnival masks (or are they yawning? Who knows?). The façade is clad in tiles, inspired by the colours of coral reefs, whilst on the roof, a dragon sits, resting patiently. On the street outside, everyone’s phone, camera and iPad are pointed skyward, catching the images.
Our booked time is 10am, so we sit for a while enjoying the scene. Inside, we are issued with audioguides. These ones have headphones of cerulean blue, and have screens attached which have a trick. As one enters each room, the screen shows in furnished (and missing the crowds too!). The commentary is thankfully brief and to the point. In the entrance foyer, a staircase leads upward. There are no straight lines in the room. The bannister is made of wood, carved into the spine of an underwater beast. And so upstairs to the vast main room looking past the framing bones to passing parade of Paseo de Gracia. Toward the rear, two interior light-wells are tiled in blue, the colour of the tiles darker nearer to the roof, for control of light and heat. The windows onto the light-wells have curved profiles, and are fitted with wooden ventilation grilles. At the rear of the building, a large terrace sits above the former carriage horse stables, offering a view of the plainer rear façade.
We climb up the stairwells to the attic, where the brick catenary arches are hidden behind white plaster. The ribs are plain to see. Up a spiral staircase, we emerge onto the flat roof. Chimneys are gathered in groups, and the dragon’s spine and scales are resplendent in multi-coloured tile. The belly of the dragon once held water tanks, but now is an empty space. On the way down we get a balcony view of Paseo de Gracia and the chance to buy overpriced photos. We decline. The power of the walking stick sees Minuk offered a ride down in the lift. The hand of the architect is seen even here, where specially created characters representing each apartment in the building replace numbers on the lift controls. After a brief turn through the gift shop, our visit comes to an end.
It is not our last appointment with the architect. A short walk away is Casa Calvet, designed by Gaudi for textile manufacturer. It is one of Gaudi’s more conventional buildings, a sober stone façade with black wrought iron balconies. We have come for the Menu del Dia at the eponymous restaurant. Indeed there is space for us at 1pm, and we scored a spacious corner table. We chose from the 38 euro menu, choosing
We waddled back to our apartment, and, after a rest, decided to treat ourselves to a taxi up to Park Guell, instead of using the bus. This extravagance cost 10 Euros! My memory of the park from 1982 was that it was very near deserted when Lilian and I made our visit. It is anything but deserted today. One even has to stand in line to enter at ones selected time. The area outside the monumental zone is rather less crowded. Stone pathways and viaducts lead through the trees to viewpoints over the city below. We walked up from the entrance on Carrer d'Olot to the access to the Monumental Zone behind the Placa Natura, where crowds lined up. On the terrace behind, rough stone 'bird nests' mimic palm trees on the slope above. The dusty plaza provides the roof of the Hypostyle hall, and at it perimeter are the park's iconic trencadi tiled benches, their sinuous lines in the shape of a sea-serpent. The tiles used on the benches incorporate poetic images, religious imagery, and elements of Catalan nationalist symbolism. jutting from the edges of the Plaza, the heads of dogs form waterspouts, providing the drainage for the wide flat expanse. Step lead down to a shaded undercroft, flanked by angled rough stone columns whose thrust supports the retaining wall. The path leads down a spiral viaduct, to the wrought iron entrance gates, flanked by buildings with fantastical rooflines and pinnacles. In one is the Gift Shop, and in the other, a rather sparse permanent exhibition, which required a short wait to enter. No extra cost, unlike the Gaudi house Museum, outside the Monumental Zone.
In front of the entrance, the Grand Staircase rises, either side of a fountain and mosaic 'dragon', to the Hypostyle Hall beneath the Placa Natura. The massive doric columns are again subtly angled outward at the edges of the hall. Unfortunately, the four mosaic roses in the hall were being 'renovated', and so were invisible behind scaffolds.
After seeing our fill of the park, a stroll up to the bus stop at Carrer del Carmen saw us soon back down the hill to Granados, where we chose to eat a leftovers meal, and pack in preparation for the next days train journey.
Woke not all that rested at 7:30am, and after a quick breakfast, were out the door before 9am to head for the Sagrada Familia for our 10am visit, leaving David and Christin still slumbering.
Bought a T10 ticket at the Provença metro station, then had some dramas finding our way to the underground link between Provença and Diagonal stations. It was only 2 stops to Sagrada Familia on the L5 line. We were greeted with the sight of the towering Passion Façade immediately on exiting the metro. Walked around the basilica to the park on the across the road from the older Nativity Facade where we spent some time contemplating the reflections of the massive church in the small lake, watching the activities of the Asian selfie brigade from shady seats.
Our booking was for 10am, and we were quickly processed through bag check, and picked up an audio guide. Entry is through the three great portals named for Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Around these portals, an exuberance of sculptures depicting the rapture felt by all the world upon the birth of Jesus. Shepherds, wise men, wandering stars, angels and saints and the beasts and birds of the fields are in evidence, rising to the pinnacle of the tree of life, encrusted in doves. Above, 4 tall towers rise. Each portal now has elaborate polychrome metal doors, encrusted with leaves, grasses and vines, and with beetles, lizards, toads, frogs and myriad other insects besides peeking out.
Inside the basilica, the sense of space and inspiring height is the first impression. Gaudi imagined the interior as being in a forest, with light filtering through the foliage. The stained glass windows to the nave provide cool greens and blues to the east, and fiery reds and oranges to the west.
In contrast to the exuberance of the Nativity Facade, the Passion Facade is bleak and almost industrial, hacked in brutal square lines and blocks, depicting hard wizened sculptures in states of distress, sorrow or despair. The doors on this facade are massive square blocks of sculptured bronze letters, telling the dark fairytale of the passion of Christ. The sculptor Josep Maria Subirachs has includes the odd easter egg, including a shout out to the chimneys of La Pedrera through the helmets of the roman soldiers, Gaudi's own face as a mourner, and the magic square, adding up the 33, the supposed age of Jesus when the gospels claim, and the Christian Church believes that the crucifixion occurred.
I had booked a visit to the towers on the Nativity facade, and joined the short queue to the elevator just before 11am, leaving Minuk to rest and contemplation. I was soon whisked up to the vertiginous viewpoint between two of the four towers which laud the apostles (the other 8 apostles are represented by the four towers on the Passion Facade, and the four as yet unbuilt towers on the soon to be commenced Glory facade). The most striking aspect of the towers are the chance to see the interior of the hollow towers, with their ribs of stone. The path took the traveller close to the 'tree of life' with its green foliage and white blobby doves. It is elevator up, but strains downward, and what a fine spiral staircase it is, like a seashell when its sinuous curves are viewed from above. There are tantalizing glimpses of elements of the building exterior on the walk, close up views of the curious bunches of polychrome grapes, fruit and ears of corn which decorate the pinnacles of the temples rooftops, all from Gaudi's signature trencadis of venetian glass.
It was not possible to visit the basilica's crypt, because of a service in progress, but glimpses were to be had through windows in its ceiling, visible from the apse of the church.It is very much more traditional in appearance than the surmounting basilica. The very freshly completed Sacristy, where items designed by Gaudi for the Catholic Liturgy are now on display has now been opened to the public. Under the dome of the Sacristy, geometric designs of wood and stone predominate. Light fills the spaces. Construction continues on high for the supports which will underpin the great towers which will crown the temple, once it is completed in 2026, the 100th anniversary of Gaudi's death. A potential excuse for a visit in another decade!
After leaving the basilica, we both took some time to look at the models and displays in the museum beneath the church, where models of Gaudi's design processes (using the hyperbolic arch), and another presentation highlighting his selection of elements inspired from the natural world as the basis of his vision,
Afterward, we chose to walk back to Granados, but got caught in the rain. Minuk found the the Barna Art shop she had researched for engraving gear, and was most satisfied with her purchases, which were obtained at a fraction of the cost at home.
We dined on the Menu del Dia at Ravelax, on Granados on the way home, coincidentally dodging more rain. I chose cannelloni with a meat filling and slathered in cheese sauce, whilst Minuk had a vegie fix with Catalan style spinach for first dish. The second dish (grilled chops and chips), was a bit oily, Minuk’s selection of fried seafood with salad was a bit better. Desert was a tasty flan, which just slid down. We were well filled for just 10 euros!
The rain stopped, and the sun shone again during our afternoon rest. David and Christen returned from their own expedition and we joined them for late afternoon drinks and nibbles on the roof terrace
In the evening, we went for a tapas search down toward the University. There were not great pickings, but eventually we stopped at a place which was distinctive for its Cyrillic menu (there was an English one too). Our selections, Patatas Bravas, Bombas, Calamari and Russian Salad, were a bit meh. Ice cream bought on the way home was very much better! (Horchata and Crema Catalana were the standouts)
Saturday 18 June
Morning at Sant Pau Hospital, an Art Nouveau gem hidden in the suburbs, and built perhaps on the theory that a happy patients and staff, make for a successful hospital. We made our way there by metro, and a short walk. It was drizzling rain as we arrived, the air cool. Tickets were 10 Euro, and the visit begins in the understory of the Administration Building.
From there, the path enters the tunnels used to move patients and resources between the buildings of the complex. Phantom patients and medical staff are projected onto the walls. We exit from the tunnels into an open quadrangle, surrounded by the many grandly decorated buildings and manicured gardens. The many roofs are emblazoned with multi-coloured glazed tiles and glazed chimneys, whist the red brick walls are adorned with sculptures and mosaic pictures. We can enter some of the buildings – a conservatory style operating theatre, glass walls open to the gardens, a former hospital ward, with high ceilings and decorated tile walls. Photographs in black and white show how it appeared whilst operating as a hospital.
The piece de resistance is the magnificently decorated Administration Building, with its intricate mosaic tile walls and ceilings, and coloured glass skylights. A grand staircase leads up to the highlight. A double height audience hall, resplendent in art nouveau tiled mosaics. The work of architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner deserves to be held in just as high a regard as is that of his more famous compatriot, Antoni Gaudi.
Outside, the entrance towers of the Sagrada Familia are visible at the end of Avinguda de Gaudi, just a 10 minute walk away. We take the Metro to Jaume I and La Ribeira district, all narrow streets and winding alleyways. It is only a short walk to Sta Maria del Mare. This soaring gothic cathedral in hemmed in by the surrounding alleyways. Inside, a Wedding service is in progress. It is still too early for lunch, so we walk around the back of the cathedral and find a group performing Catalan folk dancing. Good diversion until it was time for lunch.
We took our lunch at ‘Petra’ – egg and potato with truffle oil vs grilled bream 26 euro. The room is brightly painted in rustic blues and reds.
Minuk headed off to the Picasso Museum, I walked down to Barceloneta, passing a ‘Street Food’ festival, on the way to the seafront promenade. Barceloneta is a grid of five to six story buildings, tightly packed around narrow streets. Huge crowds along the beach, lots sunning themselves but few in the water. A motley array of passersby – bucks party groups (penis cap and mankini), hens party groups (bride climbs high on climbing frame, waves to the masses) , groups on bicycles, face painted football supporters on Segway scooters, or just on families on foot. I walked to Frank Gehry’s giant ‘fish’ sculpture, but found it looks better from a distance!
So I retraced my steps and walked around the port, enjoying views to Montjuic Hill, and of the teleferique across the harbour. The way was packed with presumably legal sellers (illegal ones can be fined), making picking the way tricky. A man creating giant soap bubbles amused the kids.
After reaching the towering Cristobal Colon monument I walked up the lower reaches of Las Ramblas, past assorted painted statue people (an alien, Wild Bill Hickock to name a few), and took the metro from Drassanes , back to Granados. Just avoided a rainstorm, which became a thunderstorm. Minuk arrived before the worst set in, and David and Christen not long after having fled from Park Guell as the storm hit.
When the rain stopped, the whole crew went on an expedition to Bonpreu to get supplies for dinner. Got back to discover that power had tripped on the fridge, microwave, air conditioners and hot water system. Resetting the circuit breakers was to no avail. Result, no potatoes for dinner, and a reorganisation of the position of the fridge to plug it into a power point that worked! We could get hot water in the same manner. Contacted our hosts, who were slow to respond, but could send a technician on Sunday, if the problem had not fixed itself (apparently a common occurrence after heavy rain)
Despite the problems, dinner was a success, with vegetarian tapas prepared by Christen (corn, peppers, olives, buffalo cheese and brie), and Minuk prepared tiny sausages and overly salty octopus. For dessert, Tirimisu icecream (prepared a la Allison Stewart by accident rather than design), and packet Crema Catalana finished the spread.
Sunday 19 June
After breakfast, we farewelled David and Christen who left, hopefully to the correct airport terminals at about 8:30. We had an 11:30 booking at La Pedrera (Casa Mila), one of Gaudi’s iconic commissions. We took a slow stroll through the streets of Eixample, each lined with grand modernist buildings, eventually reaching the grandest street of all, Paseo de Gracia. Here the buildings are grander still, but their rectilinear lines fail to match the audacity of Gaudi’s undulating, wrought iron balconied creation. We paused to rest and observe on the moulded broken tile (trencadis) benches which support the street’s distinctive light posts. A ‘listen to me’ is holding forth on the corner. She is showing photographs of the building interior, to a group of young Chinese tourists. Another group walks by, listening to the words of their leader via Bluetooth earsets.
We can see people walking on the roof, stopping to take photographs or selfies, silhouetted against the azure of the sky. In cursive text, the words ‘Ave’ and ‘Gloria’ are inscribed on the white broken tile façade. Above the curved roofline, the distinctive chimneypots and ventilation stacks protrude higher than the tourists. Many of the windows are shuttered, like blind eyes behind their black wrought iron balustrades.
We check tickets, and enter into the interior courtyards. Above, the multi-coloured walls rise to an oval of blue sky. On the ceiling, subtle frescos are painted. Fanciful wrought iron gates look back onto the street. Armed with audioguides, (whose commentaries are short and succinct thank goodness), we enter the lift and rise to the rooftop. The space thins the crowds a bit, but there is often a wait to get a clear shot. The key rooftop elements are the terracotta coloured chimneys (resembling the soldiers on the Passion façade of the Sagrada Familia), and the white trencadis tile clad ventilation shafts. These are the most popular photo objects, though the undulating roof, the gulfs to the interior courtyards protected by unsightly grey iron fences are popular also. An especially long wait is needed to get a picture of the temples of Tibadi and La Sagrada Familia, framed through deliberately placed arches.
Underneath the rooftop, the attic is used as an exhibition space, and also as a working example of Gaudi’s gift to architecture, the catenary arch, borrowed from the construction of suspension bridges, to general architecture. In the attic, the brick ribs of the arches are like the bones of whatever mythical creature remains trapped forever in the roof of La Pedrera.
Downstairs, an apartment has been restored to the style of the buildings heyday as a residence for the wealthy of early 20th Century Barcelona. Gaudi’s characteristic irregular shaped rooms, attention to detail in mouldings and wainscoting, down to specialised doorhandles are all evident. The hexagonal floor tiles, with an aquatic theme were originally intended for use in Casa Batllo, but were instead used here (and they are duplicated in the paving stones of Paseo de Gracia). The apartment is bright and airy, and would have been a pleasant domicile. Further downstairs, the first floor temporary exhibition space showed the use of supporting columns, allowing open plan office space long before they came into vogue. Also remaining is the undulating ceiling, which would have been a bitch to keep clean! We exit through the gift shop.
Back on the street, it was time to hunt down lunch. On a Sunday, Menu del Dia options are limited, So eschewing David and Christen’s fatwa on restaurants with pictures of food on the menu, we took lunch at Cal Barrera, on Granados. Their Menu del Dia was not only good value at 9.50 euro, it was available on Sunday. If the fideua was more like mie goreng, well no matter. Minuk’s salt cod croquettes were good too. We each chose the Parillada for secunda – a generous serve, and garlic aioli for the tasty chips. And we could not refuse crème caramel for dessert! So we waddled back to the apartment and rested from our morning exertions, electing to snack on leftovers before heading to the Palau de Musica Catalan for the 9:30pm ‘Gran Flamenco’ performance we had booked from home.
Because the metro was on ‘reduced services’ due to a strike, we chose to take the bus to Born district, where Palau de Musica Catalan is located. The stop was only a couple of blocks from home, so quite convenient. Traffic seemed heavier than usual, and our bus came after 20 minutes. Arrived quite early, so had some time to check out the theatre, with its elaborate art nouveau tilework and domes and towers on the roofline. The façade is crammed into a narrow lane, making it quite hard to view. A modern extension included a clever brick bas relief depicting a tree.
Inside the foyer, the decoration was even more exuberant, adding coloured glass and mirrors to the palette. Grand stairways lead left and right, to the concert hall upstairs. The foyer is a bit cramped for the size of the audience, and entry is not until about 10 minutes before the performance. And, says Minuk, only 4 cubicles in the Dames WC!
The ‘Gran Flamenco’ is no tourist show. For ninety minutes the troupe give an energetic and passionate performance. There are four principal dancers (two male, two female), principal singers (male and female), plus percussion and guitar and backup singers. The music and perhaps the dancing itself is at least partially improvised. The musicians suggest and prompt throughout the show. Whilst the male dancers are in austere blacks and greys, the ladies costumes include the elaborate dresses synonymous with flamenco, flounces there are in suitable abundance. We bussed back home after the performance, catching a glimpse of a floodlit Casa Batllo, tomorrow’s opening attraction. It has been a busy day.
Monday 20 June
All Gaudi, all of the time was the theme for our last day in Barcelona. Following breakfast, we walked to Paseo de Gracia to visit Casa Batllo, Gaudi’s conversion for the Batllo family of a traditional Eixample building into something extraordinary. One knows that it is special as soon as one sees the façade. The first floor windows are framed with bones. The upstairs balconies grin like carnival masks (or are they yawning? Who knows?). The façade is clad in tiles, inspired by the colours of coral reefs, whilst on the roof, a dragon sits, resting patiently. On the street outside, everyone’s phone, camera and iPad are pointed skyward, catching the images.
Our booked time is 10am, so we sit for a while enjoying the scene. Inside, we are issued with audioguides. These ones have headphones of cerulean blue, and have screens attached which have a trick. As one enters each room, the screen shows in furnished (and missing the crowds too!). The commentary is thankfully brief and to the point. In the entrance foyer, a staircase leads upward. There are no straight lines in the room. The bannister is made of wood, carved into the spine of an underwater beast. And so upstairs to the vast main room looking past the framing bones to passing parade of Paseo de Gracia. Toward the rear, two interior light-wells are tiled in blue, the colour of the tiles darker nearer to the roof, for control of light and heat. The windows onto the light-wells have curved profiles, and are fitted with wooden ventilation grilles. At the rear of the building, a large terrace sits above the former carriage horse stables, offering a view of the plainer rear façade.
We climb up the stairwells to the attic, where the brick catenary arches are hidden behind white plaster. The ribs are plain to see. Up a spiral staircase, we emerge onto the flat roof. Chimneys are gathered in groups, and the dragon’s spine and scales are resplendent in multi-coloured tile. The belly of the dragon once held water tanks, but now is an empty space. On the way down we get a balcony view of Paseo de Gracia and the chance to buy overpriced photos. We decline. The power of the walking stick sees Minuk offered a ride down in the lift. The hand of the architect is seen even here, where specially created characters representing each apartment in the building replace numbers on the lift controls. After a brief turn through the gift shop, our visit comes to an end.
It is not our last appointment with the architect. A short walk away is Casa Calvet, designed by Gaudi for textile manufacturer. It is one of Gaudi’s more conventional buildings, a sober stone façade with black wrought iron balconies. We have come for the Menu del Dia at the eponymous restaurant. Indeed there is space for us at 1pm, and we scored a spacious corner table. We chose from the 38 euro menu, choosing
- fiduea for first course
- squid and monkfish with grilled eggplant (Ken), and lamb medallion with Arabian rice (Minuk)
- apple flan with caramel for desert
We waddled back to our apartment, and, after a rest, decided to treat ourselves to a taxi up to Park Guell, instead of using the bus. This extravagance cost 10 Euros! My memory of the park from 1982 was that it was very near deserted when Lilian and I made our visit. It is anything but deserted today. One even has to stand in line to enter at ones selected time. The area outside the monumental zone is rather less crowded. Stone pathways and viaducts lead through the trees to viewpoints over the city below. We walked up from the entrance on Carrer d'Olot to the access to the Monumental Zone behind the Placa Natura, where crowds lined up. On the terrace behind, rough stone 'bird nests' mimic palm trees on the slope above. The dusty plaza provides the roof of the Hypostyle hall, and at it perimeter are the park's iconic trencadi tiled benches, their sinuous lines in the shape of a sea-serpent. The tiles used on the benches incorporate poetic images, religious imagery, and elements of Catalan nationalist symbolism. jutting from the edges of the Plaza, the heads of dogs form waterspouts, providing the drainage for the wide flat expanse. Step lead down to a shaded undercroft, flanked by angled rough stone columns whose thrust supports the retaining wall. The path leads down a spiral viaduct, to the wrought iron entrance gates, flanked by buildings with fantastical rooflines and pinnacles. In one is the Gift Shop, and in the other, a rather sparse permanent exhibition, which required a short wait to enter. No extra cost, unlike the Gaudi house Museum, outside the Monumental Zone.
In front of the entrance, the Grand Staircase rises, either side of a fountain and mosaic 'dragon', to the Hypostyle Hall beneath the Placa Natura. The massive doric columns are again subtly angled outward at the edges of the hall. Unfortunately, the four mosaic roses in the hall were being 'renovated', and so were invisible behind scaffolds.
After seeing our fill of the park, a stroll up to the bus stop at Carrer del Carmen saw us soon back down the hill to Granados, where we chose to eat a leftovers meal, and pack in preparation for the next days train journey.