Te Quiero Barcelona!

Tori’s European Escapade

Summer 2012

July/August

31/7 – 1/8

Barcelona - Spain

As we moved into Spain, I strained desperately for the first glimpse of the Mediterranean but we were too far from the coast. To sate our desire for expansive blue sea for a few more days, our driver Marcus suggested a stop at a water hole that he knew of, and the resounding yes reverberated through the bus. The water hole rivaled my favourite on the Routeburn Track in NZ.

This was a friends - change the date! That will annoy me forever.

Bliss.

On the way out the police tried to stop us. My clever "Pardon, s'il vous plait?" Von shrpenkensee non Fransays" worked a treat - I escaped while they looked at me like I was an idiot. We got back on the bus, a trifle damp, and after a few hours found ourselves in Barce-LOW-na!

Barcelona was one of the reasons I had picked this tour - most didn't go as far west as Spain, and I was excited to see the city that Antoni Gaudí transformed so uniquely. When I was younger I found myself averse to Gaudí's distinctive organic, modernist aesthetic, disliking the earthen colours and non-conforming lines, most especially his use of the catenary curve. Despite my earlier perceptions of his work, I have always admired his devotion to nature and the devotion he applied, and mostly his individuality and avant-garde thinking. As I got older, my opinon of his work gradually did a complete turn, until he became one of my most admired artists, and therefore my visit to Barcelona would be focussed on seeking out numerous Gaudí works, notably the Park Güell and, of course, the unfinished Sagrada Família. By the end of our 2 days in the famous Catalan city I would no longer be a turned disbeliever of Gaudí's work, but an avid and vociferous supporter of his incredible achievements.

We stayed in a fabulous backpackers, with a view to the rooftop of a Gaudí building from the bar on our roof. That night we had Sangria (which I enjoyed despite my unfortunate red wine aversion!) and took in a flamenco show - Olé!

Plaça d'Espanya (1929)

My first view of La Sagrada Família, using max zoom. At the same time, I got my first ever look at the Mediterranean!

Casa Batlló, remodelled by Antoni Gaudí and Josep Maria Jujol 1904-06

In the morning a group of us decided to public-transport it up and caught the bus to Park Güell. Luckily we had Nick, who had lived in Spain during high school and spoke excellent Spanish. He just told us what to do, and like a happy little flock, we dutifully followed instructions. Park Güell is on El Carmel hill overlooking the centre of Barcelona and was Gaudí's pet project from 1900 to 1914. He designed aspects of the park in between other major projects, and gleaned inspiration from mythical and real animals, skeletal imagery and organic, art nouveau imagery. The park includes the house Gaudí lived in himself, a church and a functioning school. It also has a phenomenal fountain with a mosaic sculpture of a salamander, now synonymous with Barcelona.

Robots...

The edge of the viewing platform is a mosaic sea serpent.

Antics.

The best fountain I had ever seen - designed to be an overgrown hub of life, with birds and dragonflies using the pool under the green growth.

The steps and fountain reflected in the unique window of the shop.

Clockwise from me - Boy Joe, Dane, Girl Jo, Sarah, Nick

Boy Joe, Mindy, Nikki, Me, Lana, Dane, Girl Joe. Only NZ and Canadia represented here!

After paying 14 Euro for water (it angered me so much I can still remember how much I paid!) and catching the bus back down, we went to lunch, where Spanish Linguist Nick hooked us up for a lunch deal. Most of us ordered the delicious sounding 'spinach, raisins and pine nut' starter, assuming incorrectly that it was going to be a salad. No such luck - the stuff was cooked. And revolting.

After a more satisfying main course we headed to La Sagrada Família and I was positively shivering with excitement. Basílica y Templo Expiatorio de la Sagrada Família is a Roman Catholic Church, officially recognised by Pope Benedict XVI as a 'minor basilica in 2010. The church began construction in 1882 and Gaudí devoted his last years to the project, and at the time of his death in 1926, less than a quarter of the project was complete. The progess has relied on private donations and some of the most challenging aspects of the construction still remain, with the hopeful completion date for the centenneray of Gaudí's death. The facades of the church each have their own story and the influence on the design is quite apparent. The interior is quite starkly different from the exterior, devoid of the earthen tones that are a marked trait of Gaudí's work, the walls and towering pillars are neutral creams and the windows, almost invisible from the outside, cascade brilliant rainbows of light into the cavernous space. The consistency is in the forms of the design, rather than looking like they support the weight of the church, the walls and columns imitate trees and seem to reach and strain heavenward.