Architecture

Knowing how limited our time in Barcelona was, we decided we’d need to focus in on one aspect of the city for the day. We all agreed that we were shopped out, so we didn’t feel compelled to spend time in any more stores or shopping districts. Fairly quickly we agreed that we ought to zero in on something that was unique to this lovely city, and from there it was easy to choose to visit some of the Modernista architecture which is so emblematic of Barcelona. Barb had been doing some reading, so we followed her lead as we struck out, deciding to visit Sagrada Familia first, and then proceed from there to other, primarily Antoni Gaudi-designed sites.

I was determined to venture into the Metro, and Julie gamely joined me while Barb and Ann shared a cab. Having used subway systems in Chicago, London, New York and Germany, I found that Barcelona’s was fairly easy to negotiate. Signs and route maps, when not in English (and most were), were simple to decipher, and the system seems to provide routes to every corner of the greater metropolitan area. We bought a one-day pass for two zones from a vending machine, confirmed the line we wanted and the stop for Sagrada Familia, and arrived at the station across the street from the church not long after Barb and Ann had departed their taxi on the same corner.

I had seen plenty of pictures of this amazing church before, but none of them had adequately communicated the size and mass of this yet-unfinished structure. Its multiple towers stretch high into the sky, accompanied now by immense construction cranes being used to continue Gaudi’s great final project. We never ventured inside the gates, crowded as they were on this Sunday afternoon with visitors, but limited ourselves to circling the massive building and trying to take in just a fraction of the details of its unique facades. I added it to my mental list of places I will need to re-visit on my someday return trip here: I think one would need at least half a day to even begin to delve into this treasure.

Leaving the church behind, we crossed the street into a lovely, quiet park block shaded by purple-flowered jacaranda trees under which families with babies in strollers enjoyed their day off and couples walked hand in hand. The immediate sense of peacefulness which decended on us was a welcome contrast to the noise and crowds surrounding the landmark across the way. From there we decided to stroll onwards; it appeared from our maps that it wouldn’t be too great a distance for us to reach other iconic Gaudi projects: Casa Battlo and Casa Mila (also known as La Pedrera — “the quarry”). Bad news (for our feet): it was a longer walk than we initially thought. Good news: there were plenty of unexpected architectural treasures along the way which we enjoyed at least as much as those we had purposely sought out.

Towards mid-afternoon, Julie, Ann and I grabbed a cab to deliver us to Park Guell while Barb struck off on her own. The park, another Gaudi-designed project, was created on the site of a barren, rocky hillside and completed in 1914. We spent much of the rest of the afternoon exploring the paths and stairways which offered wonderful views south over the city. All sorts of trees, shrubs and flower beds make this a wonderful oasis, and Gaudi’s fanciful colonnades, benches and other structures provide one with delightful surprises throughout.

Late in the day our party regrouped at our hotel and decided to quickly tour the Museu Picasso in the Gothic Quarter before searching out a tapas bar for a late supper. The museum is located in adjoining medieval stone palaces and contains a permanent collection of a number of works primarily from Picasso’s early career, plus some wonderful pottery he did much later (colorful and delightful pieces!). We arrived only about an hour before closing and found that the entrance fee was waived–great! (By this point in our nearly two-week sojourn, we were doling out our euros carefully and trying to figure out if we could avoid visiting an ATM one more time.) From there we meandered down narrow streets and alleys of this very old part of Barcelona and rather randomly chose a tapas restaurant based partly on the menu board and partly on the looks of the place. At 8 p.m., we had our choice of nearly every table in the place, but before our first dishes arrived, nearly every one was full. We really enjoyed everything we ordered and shared; I only wish I could tell you what we had, but the evening is a bit of a blur. With our wake-up calls set for 3:30 a.m., we did not make too late a night of it, though I know we all wished we could have extended our stay in this lovely, vibrant city much longer.

–Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader