Gallivanting Grandma

Monday, November 16, 2015

It was a gloriously sunny day with the temperatures in the low 70s. This morning we continued our exploration of Gaudi’s architectural genius with visits to two major sites. Public transportation to Park Guell is challenging because it involves walking up a steep hill, so we took a taxi to the entrance. 

Gaudi must have had an amazing sense of playfulness because his designs are filled with whimsical touches. The buildings at the entrance to Park Guell look like gingerbread houses covered with frosting.

The park was financed by Eusebi Guell and built on a hill overlooking the city of Barcelona. Visitors can see the Mediterranean Sea in the distance from the overlook. 

  
The Basilica of the Sagrada Familia is still under construction with planned completion in 2026 to mark the centennial of Gaudi’s death. Gaudi began his famous church in 1882 but died unexpectedly before completion. The western facade is clean and modern while the eastern facade resembles a gray sand castle. The interior is magnificent:

  
The interior is like a gigantic stone forest with colorful stained glass windows illuminating the massive space. In the afternoon, sunlight filters through yellow, orange, and red stained glass windows bathing the entire interior with warm golden light. 

Later, at night we tried another “pintxos” restaurant in the Barri Gotic simply called: El Pintxo. I could get used to this lifestyle! :-)

Sunday, November 15, 2015

We had a late start today. I guess the excitement and jet lag finally caught up to us. After a late breakfast, we discovered the lovely roof-top lounge of our hotel with fabulous 360-degree views of Barcelona. 

The roof looked like a fun place to lounge on hot summer nights. Ah, to be young again….

We walked to another Antoni Gaudi mansion, the magnificent Palau Guell, which had been the residence of the industrial tycoon and patron, Eusebi Guell, built in 1888. The Catalan art nouveau building was an early Gaudi ‘Modernisme’ design but showed some of his original concepts. 

The parabolic entryways, whose shapes became Gaudi signatures, were designed for horse-drawn carriages.

The Palau Guell, like all the other Gaudi designs, is included on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The roof was a complex of undulating tiles and whimsical chimneys. 

We walked through the center of the old city known as Barri Gotic (Gothic District) to the Born District to visit the Picasso Museum. After we saw the very long line and discovered that we would have a three-hour wait to get into the museum, we decided to save it for another day. Later, we learned that the Picasso Museum has free admittance on Sundays. 

The lovely Placa Reial (in the Catalan language) is pictured below: 

It’s fun to walk along the shady narrow ancient alleyways and imagine what they must have been like five hundred years ago. Today, they’re lined with inviting little shops and cafes.

The Catedral de Barcelona is a huge complex of hodgepodge architecture. The Gothic church is surrounded by Roman and modern buildings which reflect the history of the city. 

After resting at the hotel, we ventured out for a simple tapas supper at a nearby restaurant named Macareno. We shared a plate of jamon (cured ham), pa amb tomaquet (tomato bread), and patatas bravas. Yummm……….

Then we joined the crowd of locals and tourists who stroll along Las Ramblas in the cool dark evenings. The flower shops close about ten o’clock but the restaurants are open late and the newsstands are supposed to be open all night. 

Saturday, November 14, 2015

Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926) is the most famous architect who contributed to Barcelona’s “Modernisme revolution.” He experimented with new construction techniques to create both practical and decorative buildings and objects. 

We rode the Metro to ‘The Block of Discord’ where three Modernista facades stand out among the classic style residences along the wide boulevard of Passeig de Gracia. 

Liceau Metro Station:  

We first visited Casa Batllo, Gaudi’s famous extravagantly designed residence, which he created for a wealthy textile merchant.

The exterior has been described as having the appearance of the scales of a giant reptile and the interior as the bones of a sea creature. I would describe the house as ‘whimsical’ and a lot of fun.

Even the roof, with its spectacular views of Barcelona, was enchanting:

Afterwards, we walked a couple of blocks to La Pedrera – Casa Mila which was an apartment building Gaudi designed and built in 1906.

Most of the building is occupied by residents but tourists can visit parts of the building to learn about Gaudi’s architectural process. An apartment was furnished as it would have looked during the early 1900s:

The roof was an undulating complex of tiled steps around 30 functioning chimneys.

We took another Metro to Sagrada Famalia, the cathedral which Gaudi designed and began building before his sudden death in 1926. The city of Barcelona and wealthy benefactors have continued construction hoping to complete the magnificent church by 2026.

Since today seemed to be ‘Gaudi Day,’ we thought we could visit the cathedral this afternoon. But when we arrived the line to buy tickets was so long we decided to save the tour of the cathedral for another day. The weather was perfect: high 60s and sunny.  We didn’t want to waste our time standing in line so we took the Metro back to Las Ramblas.

We rested for a while at the hotel then went out for supper. The ancient narrow alleyways are well lighted and many people were out.  It was difficult for us to adapt to Barcelona’s meal schedule: a late lunch, tapas snack 5 to 7 at night, and dinner after 10pm. Tonight we went to Taverna Basca Irati for Basque “pinchos” or ‘pintxos’ in the Catalan language.

Pintxos are eaten standing up at a bar. Visitors walk in, find a place among the locals, order a drink and ask for a plate. The young woman behind the bar didn’t seem to care what you ordered. I saw everything from glasses of wine, cava (bubbly wine), beer, and soda. Then you carefully look over the plates on the bar heaped with delicious-looking choices.

You reach over and help yourself. The idea is to save the large toothpicks holding the pintxos together so, at the end, the woman counts up the sticks and you pay accordingly.  They were all one price: 1.85 euros each and one or two euros for drinks.

The yummy treats included salmon, tuna, octopus, jamon (ham), sausage, beef, peppers, potatoes, cabbage, etc., etc.  Every single pintxos was delicious!

Friday, November 13, 2015

After a sleepless night on the plane, we arrived in Barcelona, Spain before the sun rose and took a taxi to our hotel on Las Ramblas, the pedestrian walkway. It was too early for the usual crowds of tourists and locals.

 
The plan was to stay awake all day today, or as long as we could, in order to avoid “jet lag” tomorrow, so we explored. There was a busy market near the hotel. It was a good place to take photos and people-watch.

La Boqueria Market:

We took a taxi to the train station to purchase our tickets to go to Madrid next week and then rode the subway back to our hotel.  We walked along several narrow streets in part of the old “gothic quarter” and shared a light tapas supper.

Seafood Paella:

Batatas Bravas:

Barcelona looks like a great city to explore! There are many places to go, good food, and interesting architecture. I’m looking forward to a good week…..