Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain with a population
of around 3 million, and the capital of the region Catalunya. During the Franco regime regional
languages such as Catalan were forbidden, which is perhaps partly the reason that the language
is now used more widely than Castellano (standard Spanish) in the region, as the people try to
maintain their culture. There are movements for independence in Catalunya but not so much so
as in Páis Vasco, but I don't think we will see any more independant countries coming from
Spain in the near future.
So far Barcelona is my favourite place in Spain, the feel of the place appeals to me and there is
plenty to do. The bus tour of the city cannot possibly be done in just one day as there is just too
much to take in. One of the main tourist attractions is the collective works of Antoní Gaudi, scattered
about the city. He was one of the most original architects the world has seen, and nobody has
since been able to imitate his work effectively.
This was a temporary exhibit in the Plaza del Rei about
the work Gaudi has done, what with 2002 being the 150th anniversary of his birth. I think
the building that the sign is attached to is the history museum...?
Right round the corner from that Gaudi sign is the
cathedral, central to the Barrio Gótico. Parts of it are modern reconstructions of the
original from the 14th century, other parts are from then and the 15th century too.
Barrio Gótico is full of lots of little lanes and alleys
like this one, with high buildings on either side, they are quite enclosed. It's
interesting to wander round and explore them, you never know what you might find...
Barcelona as viewed from the cable car up to the summit
of Mont Juïc. Outside of the old city the map resembles a chess board with countless
blocks all the same size and orientation. In the distance the spires of La Sagrada Familia
can be seen, along with the mountains which surround the city.
This funny little lizard beastie adorns surprisingly
many postcards in the city, it seems to be quite iconic of Gaudi. It sits in Park Güell
in the north of the city, and I had to wait for a very long time to take a picture of it
without some clown sitting on it to get their own picture taken.
A little house in Park Güell designed by Gaudi, which is
now a museum I think, but I didn't go in. There is a similar building next to it at the
other side of the gate which contains a gift shop. The roof is very typical of Gaudi,
he never liked to use straight lines as he said they didn't occur in nature.
The main entrance to Park Güell is evidently a popular
place for newlyweds to have their picture taken, and it seems to be perpetually busy
with tourists. A lot of Gaudi's work is contained within the park, and one of his former
houses is located inside too.
Another of Gaudi's creations, the Casa Batlló was perhaps
my favourite, it looks like it might have been made out of bones from a woolly mammoth or
something suchlike.
Gaudi's unfinished life work is the Church of the Holy
Family, or La Sagrada Familia. Gaudi took over the design and building direction in 1884
after a couple of other architects were found to be not up to the job. In his lifetime
he saw only the crypt and one of the Nativity towers completed,
(the one on the left) as he was hit by a tram
in 1926. During the civil war almost all of Gaudi's plans and models were destroyed, which
is making it very difficult to continue construction as nobody else can recreate his ideas.
This is the view they generally don't print on the
postcards, most of the building is still an active construction site. It is projected
to be complete in 2021, but this is looking increasingly unlikely as time ticks by. The
newer parts are made from reinforced concrete not stone like the original sections which
has sparked criticism. However I will definitely be coming back when it's done as this
will indeed be the greatest cathedral in the world...
Here is the latest gargoyle to be added to the
church, I am standing in one of the little pod balconies
off the side of one of the Nativity towers. It was a lot of fun
scrambling around the narrow staircases up and down inside the building, and peering over
great drops to the ground.
We visited the Joan Miró foundation on Montjuïc which
although it contained lots of nice artwork the one thing that really caught my eye was
this little fountain. On closer observation you can see that it is not water flowing
but pure mercury, note the metallic surface and splatters round the edge by the writing.
It must have been very expensive to create!
Las Ramblas is a long pedestrian precinct which runs
from Plaça Catalunya down to the statue of Columbus at the port, it is where the action
is no matter what time of day. Full of street entertainers, stalls selling anything from
chocolate and churros to parrots and chickens (live, but I don't know what tourist would want to
buy a live chicken on holiday). So far the two times I have stayed in Barcelona I have
stayed in hostels just off this street.
