Our first stop was Antoni Gaudí's church, Sagrada Familia. Construction began in the 1880s and, according to wikipedia, is scheduled to be complete by 2026. Mom wanted to rest for a minute so she sat down on a curb while I changed my camera lens. I had warned her that the ground is seen as extremely dirty and people don't even let bare feet touch the floor here. Two seconds after she sat down, a man approached and asked (in Spanish) if she was alright or if she needed assistance. He was extremely concerned. (I cracked up.)
Gaudí was completely mad. The church has two facades: the front is a mess of details, curly cues, stained glass and botanically-inspired ornamental protrusions. The other side, which is much more modern, has statues representing the 14 stations of the cross. They aren't in order, but a guide identifies them.
The church was pretty cool to look at. We didn't bother entering because Gaudí really didn't do the inside and people had told me there was nothing much to see in there. After walking around the building we checked out an Easter market in a park across the street. We inquired about the six-foot long palm everyone seemed to be buying. Apparently, the Spanish take them to mass to be blessed, then the use them for decoration in their houses. Once the palm dies/dries out completely, they keep the attached toy to remind them of Easter.
Next, we walked toward Passeig de Gracia, stopping to look at a building, called the Casa de les Punxes (House of Spikes) by Puig i Cadafalch. Along the Passeig de Gracia, we checked out designer storefronts before entering La Pedrera, an apartment building Gaudí built between 1906 and 1912. It was designed to allow for maximum light to enter the apartments, one of which we toured. The interior was decorated with period furniture, and Mom especially enjoyed the bathroom. Two interior courtyards allowed light to enter the apartments from within the building, in addition to the windows overlooking the street. Upstairs, we got to see the attic which was like being in a large tunnel because of the system of arches Gaudí used to hold up the most intriguing part of the building, the roof. The chimneys were designed to carry smoke upward in addition to being well-designed. They actually looked like the smoke, and one was decorated with a mosaic of broken glass. It was also multi-level: different parts of the roof were up steep steps while others were lower. From the roof, we could see the Sagrada Familia and, just barely, the sea.
We continued our Gaudí tour by visiting Casa Batlló, located just down the Passeig de Gracia. This building was renovated by Gaudí between 1905 and 1907. He only worked on the facade, back patio, central staircase, attic laundry spaces, roof and one (very large) apartment. The other apartments are still used as private houses and offices. His apartment was meant to feel like it was underwater - wall treatments seem to move, cool tones were used in tile work and stained glass, almost no right angles exist. Again, he concentrated on light and designed the space to allow for maximum exposure.
The attic was a common space for all apartments - each family had a room for laundry facilities. Above it, the roof was similar to that of La Pedrera, except this one was on a smaller scale. The top of the roof had a dragon-like motif which could be seen from the street below.
For dinner we went to Cervesaria Catalunya, a destination for both locals and tourists. We got there just in time (as we were leaving, there was a line of people waiting for tables). We each had a Rioja (glass of red wine) and we split grilled shrimp, asparagus, mushrooms and a pepper, eggplant, and cheese tapa. The food was great, and because we were still in Spain ordering was no problem. (People around us were having some trouble.)
We decided that we had walked a lot during the day, so we treated ourselves to some Haagen Dazs for dessert. I'm lactose intolerant, but their coffee ice cream is well-worth a stomach ache. After our yummy dessert, we went off in search of the metro only to find that we had to go to a different entrance to get to our line. A woman told us to "follow the yellow line," which would have been good advice had there been a yellow line. We finally found the correct entrance and took the metro to our hotel stopping en route at a Corte Ingles.
Corte is one of my favorite things here in Spain. It's a department store, and can be found in all major cities. I never venture further than the supermarket where I can find wheat-free foods and imported goodies.
For day two in Barcelona, we continued our Gaudí tour by heading to Park Guell, a public park which was originally supposed to be an area of country houses. The plots didn't sell, so the government turned it into the park it is today. Gaudí designed benches, fountains, gates, the gate houses, and arched walkways. These spaces feature the curvy lines and recycled bits of broken glass which we had seen previously at the apartment buildings. To get to the park, we took the bus and climbed a hill. On the way back down, we saw the other path....a series of stairs and escalators up an extremely steep hill.
For lunch, we headed to el Mercado de Boquería, a huge produce, meat and fish market on Las Ramblas, a wide street with a pedestrian pathway down the middle. The mercado was incredible - we found all kinds of seafood including a tube-like shellfish about six inches in length. I also got some candied ginger and dried cranberries. For lunch, I had octopus and Mom had tortilla - a Spanish omelet filled with peppers and eggplant.
We crossed Las Ramblas and entered the gothic part of the city where we visited a synagogue. Not much of the synagogue remains, but records show a synagogue stood in the same place since 212AD. The building had been converted over the years, sometimes it was a residence, including the home of a fabric dyer. His dye-pots, from 1477, can still be seen.
Continuing through the Gothic Quarter, we passed the Cathedral and walked through Placa Sant Jaume, home to Barcelona's government buildings. Along the way we passed a store selling cartoon statues of famous people, including Bruce Springsteen and Hugh Laurie. As I stopped to take a photo, several pairs of tourists passed us, murmuring "Doctor House" in different accents.
We stopped for gelato (we were really bad that day) at a place which offered bizarre flavors, such as avocado. Mom got an almond cookie scoop and a mint scoop. I chose soy chocolate and mojito (lemon, lime, mint sorbet). We ate our gelato while sitting on the stoop of a bookstore. Then we walked around the old Roman walls and went to Placa de Rei where we took a nap on the steps.
We were getting tired, but wanted to go to a museum. We chose to visit the Museu Picasso. He was born in Malaga (southern Spain), but this was the only museum to open during his lifetime. It was started by friend and collector.
Leaving the museum, we went to the Estació de France, a train station, so I could take pictures of it....I love transportation....
Then, we wandered the Parc de la Citadella where we stopped to watch some crazy dogs play in a fountain. We were going to eat in Barceloneta or by the harbor, but decided to go back to the same tapas place we ate at the night before. I almost never do this, but the tapas were great and reasonably priced (for Barcelona) and we really didn't want a full meal.
The next morning, we woke up and took a 5:30 taxi to the airport. We checked in and ate breakfast before going through security. Next to us, an American slept on top of his luggage.
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