Barcelona: Park Guell

One of the iconic buildings in the park, formerly a porter's lodge.

By far, my favorite Gaudi site in Barcelona is Park Guell, covering 45 acres and located in the hills above the city. I was there on two separate days, hardly enough to get my fill of this amazing park. The park was built between 1900 and 1914 and was officially opened in 1926. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984, along with other works by Gaudi.

The Monumental Zone entrance.

Park Guell  was the idea of Count Eusebi Guell, for whom the park is named. He hired Gaudì to create an estate for well-off families. Guell wanted the area to resemble British residential estates, which explains his use of the English word "Park'' in its name.. The Park's original intention as a housing site proved to be unsuccessful: in fact, only one of the 60 plots was purchased, and the only people who actually lived there were Guell (with his family) and Gaudi (with his father and niece).

Viaducts 

Gaudì respected the vegetation that was already growing on the property and when adding new species, he opted for Mediterranean plants that did not need much water. He also designed various systems to collect and store water, based on ideas he learned in the rural setting of his childhood in Reus.

El drac, the mosaic salamander that has become an icon of Barcelona.

Guell and Gaudì, who shared a close friendship, also wanted to create a setting that was strongly influenced by symbolism. As a result, they tried to incorporate many of the political and religious ideals that were shared by both men when creating the common elements of the park.

A view of the terrace above the Hall of 100 Columns.

The two men imagined an estate situated within a natural park. They envisioned an organized grouping of high-quality homes, complete with the latest technology to ensure maximum comfort, and decorated with an artistic touch.

The park's serpentine bench.

When it became clear to Guell that his idea was not going to succeed, he chose to halt the work in 1914. Upon his death in 1918, his heirs offered the park to the Barcelona City Council, which acquired it in 1922, opening it as a public park four years later.

Oddly, it's very comfortable to sit on! Gaudi made sure it was ergonomically suited to the human body.

The Ramp, with helicoidal (spiral) columns.

Park Guell was cleverly designed to create a peaceful, calm space that one would expect from a park. Roadways around the park were designed as structures that jutted out from the hillsides. Some roads were built atop viaducts, with footpaths in the arcades that were formed under those structures. Gaudì used local stone to further integrate them into the landscape. His structures were always created with nature in mind, creating columns like tree trunks with supporting branches under the roadways.

The Hall of 100 Columns

Drawing on the myths associated with the Temple of Delphi, Gaudì designed a "temple", complete with nearly one hundred Doric columns. (Actually, there are only 86.) It is also called la Sala Hipostila (a hall with many columns.) The space was originally intended as a marketplace for the residents.

The ceiling is completely covered in intricate mosaics. 

A closeup of one of the mosaics on the ceiling.

The intricate mosaics on the ceiling were designed and decorated by one of Gaudi's collaborators, Josep Maria Jujol. The terrace above the Sala Hipostila is bordered by what might be the world's longest bench, also done by Jujol. The unique shape of the bench enables people to converse with each other in private, even though the terrace is large.

More curves.

Curves and trees.

The serpentine bench was created using the trencadis style of mosaic, which uses small pieces of broken tiles, often taken from demolition materials and disused objects. This style of mosaics was popular in Catalan modernism, and Jujol found a good supply of broken tiles at a nearby factory.

This bench was one of the main reasons I wanted to visit Barcelona and Park Guell. as I'm mesmerized by the mosaics. I spent more time on the terrace than in any other part of the park, and took over 150 photos. Even so, I wish I'd taken more. The pristine appearance of the bench is impressive: it's hard to believe it was made more than 100 years ago. The Spanish do an incredible job of maintaining all of the Gaudi sites I visited. 

I can't get enough!

For anyone who plans to visit Park Guell, there's a need to plan ahead. The first day that we visited, we discovered there would be a three-hour wait to get into the Monumental Zone, where the main attractions are. Though most of the park is free, they limit the number of people in the zone at one time, and you need a ticket with a specific time and date to be admitted. We had plans to be in another town that afternoon, so were unable to wait, which was a huge disappointment. However, I was coming back to Barcelona on my own, and bought a ticket for a return visit that weekend. Just keep in mind that Barcelona is crowded with tourists, spring, summer and fall, so getting tickets in advance is a must for many Gaudì sites.

One of the unusual collonaded pathways in the park, in the Portico of the Washerwoman

Another consideration when visiting the park is the location. On our first visit to the park, we took a taxi from Sagrada Familia to the park, which cost about 8 euros. It might cost more from the city center. However, there's a bus from Placa Catalunya that only costs 2 euros and goes right to the park. It's much too far to walk to the park from the city center, so plan on finding transportation to get you there.

Another unusual viaduct, inspired by bird nests. 

I ended up spending nearly 5 hours total during my two visits to the park, and I wish I'd spent more. There was much more of the park to see, and I whizzed by some parts of the park that were worthy of more attention. There are two museums at the Park that I bypassed, as I simply couldn't bear going indoors. I also skipped the souvenir shop. There were many footpaths and levels of the park that bear further scrutiny. Earlier in the day, I'd noticed locals using the park paths on their morning run.  It seems another visit to Barcelona and Park Guell is in order!

The gift shop: quaint and adorable.

Barcelona: la Sagrada Familia

The Basilica de la Sagrada Familia (Basilica of the Holy Family) is often considered to be Gaudi's greatest masterpiece, even though it is still unfinished, more than a 130 years after its beginnings. Plans for a 2026 completion date have been established, to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of Gaudi's death. The building is now in it's 133rd year and is approximately 70 per cent finished.

The Passion Facade.

Like Gaudi's other sites in Barcelona, the Sagrada Familia is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (1984), and was consecrated as a Basilica by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010.

The Nativity Facade.

Once complete, the church will feature 18 spires, dedicated to religious figures, including the Virgin Mary, the twelve apostles and the four evangelists, of varying heights to reflect their hierarchy. As of this date, only eight spires have been completed. And in the middle of it all will be the Tower of Jesus Christ, which will measure over 172 metres (564 feet) and make the Sagrada Familia the tallest religious building in Europe.

Closeup of one of the spires.

Work started on the church in 1882, and Gaudi took over the following year, radically changing the original design. He worked on the church until his death in 1926, when it was only about 20% complete. Parts of the church, along with Gaudi's models and workshop were destroyed during the Spanish Civil War by Catalan anarchists. The current design is based on reconstructed versions of Gaudi's plans, along with modern adaptations. In addition, computer-aided design technology has been used to accelerate construction.

Closeup of Nativity Facade.

The Nativity facade was built before work was interrupted in 1935 by the Spanish Civil War, and it bears the most direct Gaudi influence, as shown in the photo above.

Interior of the church.

Intricately carved, tree-like columns support the tall ceilings. Gaudi took his inspiration from nature, so that the columns are intended to look like tree trunks and branches.

View of Gaudi's tree-inspired columns. 

As at other Gaudi sites in Barcelona, an audioguide is included in the admission price. However, we found it to be confusing and hard to follow.

View of the front of the church, with the altar.

When viewing the interior of the church, you will be craning your neck much of the time, in an effort to take in all the interesting, unusual and beautiful elements. The church is rich with symbology, and everything has a meaning.

Closer view of the crucifix above the altar.

Now that the naves have been closed, the interior of the church measures 4500 square meters where 8000 people can worship.

Blue and green stained glass windows on one side of church.

Gaudi's stained glass windows are truly majestic, with a separation of colors for more dramatic effect. It was a real challenge to take enough photos to capture the majesty of the interior.

Red and orange stained glass on opposite side of church. 

Closeup of Passion facade sculptures.

Construction for the Passion facade began in 1954, then in 1987, the sculptor Josep Maria Subirach began to create the sculptures. They were carved with harsh straight lines to resemble the bones of a skeleton, as Gaudi intended for this facade to strike fear into the onlooker. However, I found some aspects of it to be quite lovely, including this image of Jesus tied to a pillar during his scourging.

The Glory facade, which is still under construction, will be the largest and most monumental of the three and will be dedicated to the glory of Jesus. Elements of Judgement Day, Purgartory, and Hell will be included, along with the Ascension into Heaven.

View of Sagrada Familia and Barcelona from Montjuic.

If you plan to visit Barcelona, make sure you take time to see la Sagrada Familia. I booked our tickets online in advance, making an appointment for the day and time we wanted to visit. Like other Gaudi sites, there is constant tourist traffic, and planning ahead is imperative.

Related movie: Animation shows completion of Antoni Gaudí's Sagrada Família

https://vimeo.com/78148661

Barcelona: Casa Mila

One of the most popular sites to see in Barcelona is Gaudi's Casa Mila, or as the locals call it, La Perdrera (the Quarry), due to the odd exterior. Gaudi was selected to design and build a home for the flamboyant developer Pere Milà. Casa Mila was constructed between 1906 and 1910, and was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1984 for its uniqueness, its artistry and exceptional universal value.

Casa Mila

Now the headquarters of a  Catalan Foundation, Casa Mila houses a cultural center for exhibitions, lectures and other activities that are held at the site. The architecture is considered structurally innovative, with a self-supporting stone front, and floors that are free of load bearing walls. 

The Courtyard entrance, with car access to an underground garage.

Each admission comes with a free audioguide, and people are directed first to the courtyard, which gives an idea of how many offices and rooms there are in the still pristine building.

The Courtyard

Since most of the building is now used as offices, only two floors are open to visitors: the ground floor entrance and the fourth floor. After visiting the courtyard, visitors are then directed to the roof, filled with many unusual chimneys that Gaudi designed. Once covered in  fragments of broken glass, tiles and marble, they have been restored and now present a more pristine appearance. 

The 28 chimneys are often referred to as espanta bruixes, or witch scarers. As I've shown photos of them to others, many comment that George Lucas must have been inspired by Gaudi in the design of his Star Wars characters and scenes. 

Hard to believe these were designed more than 100 years ago!

After a thorough examination of the roof and chimneys, we were allowed to return to the fourth floor, which is furnished in the style of the early 1900s, when the Mila family lived there. I was disappointed to learn that most of the furniture that Gaudi designed had been removed from Casa Mila. However, it was still interesting to see what it would have looked like in 1912.    

One of the few rooms with furniture designed by Gaudi.

Bathroom: marble fixtures!

After visiting the fourth floor, we left the building through the courtyard, which has vividly colorful ceiling and walls as shown below. 

Swirls of beauty on the ceiling.

Though I enjoyed the unique artistry and architecture of Casa Mila, I was in for a greater surprise when visiting other Gaudi sites in Barcelona. 

Barcelona: Palau de la Musica Catalana

One of the first, and certainly one of the most beautiful places that we visited in Barcelona was the impressive Palau de la Musica Catalana. It was built between 1905 and 1908 by the Modernist architect Domènech i Montaner as a home for Barcelona's choral society, the Orfeo Català. The Palu was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997. Built on a narrow side street near via Laietana, the ornate entrance only hints at the even more majestic interior that awaits inside.

The former entrance, on Carrer de Sant Pere 

Tours are provided throughout the day to view the hall, and flamenco and other musical concerts are often performed at night.

Mosaics on the terrace above the entrance

The interior artwork is so impressive that it's hard to take it all in during the short tour. Wikipedia states that "The design of the Palau is typical of Catalan modernism in that curves predominate over straight lines, dynamic shapes are preferred over static forms, and rich decoration that emphasizes floral and other organic motifs is used extensively."

A view of the interior, facing the stage.

As you can see, the stage is quite small, which limits the types of performances that can be held in the Palace.

Another view of the stained glass window

The kaleidoscopic, stained glass skylight features a choir of women circling the sun.

A close up of ceiling decorations

One of the most interesting aspects of the stage is the "Muses of the Palau," a grouping of eighteen women from different cultures playing a variety of instruments. "The monotone upper bodies of the women protrude from the wall and their lower bodies are depicted by colorful mosaics that form part of the wall. Each of the women is playing a different musical instrument, and each is wearing a different skirt, blouse, and headdress of elaborate design" (Wikipedia).

Eight of the 18 muses that form the background on stage.

The Palau is truly a one-of-a-kind experience not to be missed, and well worth the cost of admission.

Barcelona, Spain: Las Ramblas

My flight arrived early one Thursday morning at the Barcelona airport, and I easily caught the aerobus (10 euros round trip) to Placa de Catalunya, in the city center,  Placa de Catalunya occupies an area of about 50,000 square metres. It is especially known for its fountains and statues, and its proximity to some of Barcelona's most popular attractions.

Las Ramblas

Once I had my bearings, I made my way down the famous mall-like roadway, Las Ramblas, towards the rental office where I'd planned to meet my brother and his wife. A tree-lined pedestrian sidewalk, Las Ramblas stretches for 1.2 kilometres (0.75 mi) connecting Placa de Catalunya with the Christopher Columbus monument by the harbor. The plane trees offer grace and elegance, and a buffer from the nearby buildings.

A former umbrella shop

Some sights along the way included the famous La Bouqueria Market, crowded to capacity with tourists, flower vendors, gelaterie, and grown men making noises like birds as they hawked whistles hidden in their mouths. The original market was started in 1217 near the city gate, but was moved to La Rambla and opened in 1840.

La Bouqueria market

Flower vendors decorate the street.

Notice the wavy tiles underfoot. Ramla means "stream" in Arabic, and this area was once a dried up river bed, from a river that once flowed from the hills to the sea. The tiles serve to honor the memory of that river.

One way to get customers: dress up like Marilyn Monroe and blow kisses from a terrace!

Further down Las Ramblas, I came across the Placa Reial, a quiet oasis down a side street, filled with palm trees and outdoor cafes. It is the home of Gaudi's first creations, shown below. Placa Reial was a lovely place to hang out and enjoy the ambience of Barcelona. I went there several times during my stay.

A Gaudi-designed lampost in Placa Reial: one of his first public works.

Pilgrimage Paths: Tourist to Pilgrim?

I've recently been toying with the idea of making a pilgrimage of some sort, fueled by several movies and books that I've come across this year. The first one was Wild, which recounts the experiences of Cheryl Strayed as she hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, some 2,600 miles along the West Coast of the U.S. After seeing the movie, I read the book, and was inspired by the idea of transformation that often occurs in such an undertaking.

I also attended a lecture at the local library that was given by a woman who had recently hiked the Appalachian Trail, nearly 2,200 miles along the East Coast of the U.S., and followed that up by reading Bill Bryson's book, A Walk in the Woods. (Now a movie, too!) Though I found the stories interesting and in some ways, inspiring, it was not enough to encourage me to consider these routes for myself. For one thing, they lack the spiritual connotation that I'm seeking and they do not have the long history of paths like the Camino de Santiago in Spain, which has served as a pilgrimage route since the Middle Ages.

I first learned of the Camino several years ago, from a movie called The Way: the path starts in the southwestern corner of France and travels 500 miles westward across northern Spain, to the town of Santiago di Compestela.  More recently I saw another film, this time a documentary called Walking the Camino, which only served to further my interest. And best of all, there's a YouTube video made by an Australian man, who records his own experience as he walks the Camino. It's also called The Way, and is available in its entirety (75 minutes) on YouTube:

Camino de Santiago Documentary Film - The Way

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dqOI87nSU0

I've followed up my interest in pilgrimage by reading several books written by people who have actually done pilgrimages. The first, A Sense of Direction: Pilgrimage for the Restless and the Hopeful, by Gideon Lewis-Kraus tells of three pilgrimages that the author has completed, including the Camino and Shikoku routes, the latter a 750-mile path that circles the island of Shikoku, Japan, while visiting 88 temples along the way. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, written with more depth and skill than either of the books by Strayed or Bryson.

And yet, what struck me about his walks, that was unlike the hiking done on the U.S. trails, was the inherent focus of the path itself,  which is a spiritual pilgrimage, even though most people who now complete the Camino and the Shikoku are unlikely doing it for religious reasons. On the Camino, walkers stop at shrines and churches along the way, and are housed and fed in hostels run by volunteers. On the Shikoku, there are 88 temples to visit, and rituals to follow at each temple. There is also a pilgrimage "costume" of sorts, to designate one's role as a pilgrim. So even though one is not on a religious pilgrimage, it is a pilgrimage nonetheless, because of the path itself.

A second book, Walking Home: A Pilgrimage from Humble to Healed by Sonia Choquette, documents the journey of a 50-year-old woman on the Camino. She was intent on being alone for most of her journey, unlike Lewis-Kraus, who did the Camino with a friend. Her approach was more New Age-oriented, but still a good read.

In a passage that resonated with me, Lewis-Kraus writes that: "I'm less and less sure that there really is a distinction between a tourist and a pilgrim. Both are in search of a spell of unusually memorable days. The pilgrim hopes that the experience will change her in some way, but the experience changes you only insofar as all memories change you. The tourist, like the pilgrim, hopes that these moments will linger."

I am letting these thoughts and images meld and settle in my mind, body and heart. I know I have been a pilgrim in my travels so far, on a search to understand other cultures, as well as my place in the world. I know these books, images and thoughts are leading me somewhere, and I will let them guide me. Who knows when or where?

What now....Spain?

For nearly ten years, starting in 2006, I have spent several months each year in Italy, with a few excursions to France on the side. I was able to visit more than 100 cities and villages in Italy, along with Paris and the Cote D'Azur in France. But life is full of change, and several things have recently occurred to impede the likelihood that I will be able to spend long stretches of time abroad in the future.

The main thing is that both of my online jobs have changed considerably, resulting in a loss of income. This change will not allow me the luxury of traveling as much nor as long as I've had the good fortune to do for so many years. I've also come to the realization that I don't want to keep doing the same things I've been doing, and I'm weary of always traveling alone. As wonderful as it seems to be able to travel for several months each year, it's also quite stressful, and the stress has been piling up for some time.

To afford my long stays in Italy, I worked long hours before, after, and often during my travels. It seemed that my year was spent anticipating upcoming travels and making plans, traveling, then reliving and recovering from my travels. Each stage came with its inherent thrills and disappointments, and it was a joy to share my adventures with others, via this blog and Facebook. But the only time I was living in the present was during those few months that I was in Italy, so much so that most of the year I was caught up in either a dream or a memory. I was shortchanging the life and the possibilities I could have at home, where I live most of the year. So this year, I'm taking the time to regroup, to figure out what those years of travel were all about, and what I want to do next. What can I manage on a smaller income? What do I want to explore?

My initial reason for traveling in the first place was to have an adventure and write a book about it. Now I've  had many years of travels and adventures. Sure, I've managed to write about them, but only on this blog. Maybe now I'll  find (make) the time to start writing in more depth. A novel, a memoir, who knows?

And then serendipity occurs, and I'm invited to share a trip to Spain with my brother and his wife this fall. They've arranged a time share in Tarragona, just west of Barcelona, for a week, so the cost of lodging is taken care of. And when I looked into airfare, I discovered I could pay for it with frequent flyer miles I've been saving up since 2008. Voila! A nearly free vacation! I'll spend a week with Chris and Kim, then stay on for another 5 days on my own, to make sure that I get my fill of Gaudì, Picasso, Mirò, and Dalì. A new country, a new language, a new landscape! So this year, I'll have a 2-week excursion in Spain, and we'll see where it goes from there...one can never tell!