First off, let me wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving. Unsurprising, it's not a recognized holiday here in España. Go figure. Although, I did see a few stores with "Black Friday" sales signs. I assume they're trying to pull in the US tourist. Strange.
Today was all about looking at Modernist sights, mostly from the mind of Antoni Gaudí. Born in 1852 in Reus, Spain,
Antoni Gaudí was a Catalan architect whose style was incredibly unique and surreal. He gained his inspiration for his buildings through nature and religion. I mentioned that I had seen one of his buildings yesterday (Palau Güell), but I wanted to see the rest of them today. Most of them are located in the Eixample ("Expansion") part of town. The Eixample was created due to the overcrowded problems in the Old City of Barcelona. Around the same time as the expansion came about, so did Modernism and Art Nouveau which makes the Eixample architecturally unique from the rest of Barcelona. Coincidentally, my hostel is located in the Eixample.
At 9:00 am, I began with La Pedrera (a.k.a.,
Casa Milà). This building was Gaudí's last civil work, but it is certainly one of his best. Built between 1906 and 1910 for the Milà family, "it was very controversial because of the bold undulating stone facade and twisted wrought iron that decorate the balconies and windows...Architecturally it is considered an innovative work by having a structure of columns and floors free of load bearing walls. Similarly, the front – which is made of stone – is also self-supporting" (Wikipedia). Frustratingly, the entire facade of the building is currently covered up because it's undergoing some reconstruction so sadly I don't have a photo of the building, but you can see it by clicking on the above link. One of the most interesting aspects of this building is the funky rooftop. The 30 chimneys on the roof look like humans wearing helmets (see photo). It's very cool. The apartment that tourists visit is decorated as it might have been when the building was first occupied in the early 20th century. It truly is a magnificent work of art.
Popping down the avenue, one comes upon another of Gaudí's buildings and probably his most famous facade:
Casa Batlló. A remodel of a previously built house, it was redesigned in 1904 by Gaudí and is a masterpiece. It has tibia-like pillars and skull-like balconies, inspired by nature. The tiled roof has a soft-ice-cream cone turret topped with a cross. The humpback roofline suggests a dragon's back. The interior is funky and crazy and I love it! I'm slightly annoyed with myself that my batteries in my camera died in the middle of the tour so I missed some photos of the amazing roof. ARGH! But otherwise, you can get a general idea of the splendor of this building. Next door to Casa Batlló are two other Modernist buildings from other architects (Casa Lleó Morera and Casa Amatller) and the three buildings together are known as the 'Block of Discord'.
After leaving Casa Batlló and purchasing more batteries, it was onto
Sagrada Familia (Holy Family Church) via a hop-on/hop-off bus tour. Gaudí's most famous and awe-inspiring work is this unfinished super-sized church. With its cake-in-the-rain facade and otherworldly spires, the church is an icon in Barcelona and a true testament to the Modernist stye. Gaudí labored on the Sagrada Familia for 43 years, from 1883 until his tragic death in 1926. Nearly a century after his death, this church is still being worked on in order to hopefully complete it. Ideally, the goal is to try to complete it by 2026, the 100th anniversary of Gaudí's death, but there's still a shit-ton of work to be done on this building. The building is the weirdest and wildest church I have ever seen. I tell you if more churches looked like this, I might start attending services. Not out of any belief, but just to continue to admire the funky architecture. I'm not sure that my photos show the exquisite design of this church. Sad that I will not see this church finished in my lifetime. The one thing that I didn't like about Sagrada Familia is the crypt. There is no access to the crypt where Gaudí's tomb is. The only way to "see" his tomb is in the museum and smushing your face against a glass window and look down into the crypt. Even then, you only see about a foot of the tomb.
Once my tour of the church was completed, it was onto
Park Güell. This park is located on the outskirts of town and was originally supposed to be an upscale housing development in the early 20th century. Sadly, it failed to come to fruition because the wealthy did not want to leave the urban center. Gaudí was a 100 years ahead of his time because the area surrounding the park is filled with some of the wealthiest neighborhoods. Within the park are several Gaudí designed structures: fountains, a terrace, a couple of buildings, a multicolored mosaic salamander called 'el drac' (the dragon) seen here, and such. Also located within the park is Gaudí's house where he lived for 20 years until the death of his father in 1925. Gaudí did not design the house he lived in, but it was the model house for the failed housing development. It stands today as a memorial to the great architect. By the way, if you've never sat on a seat designed by Gaudí, you have been missing a real treat. The man was an ergonomic genius. Every seat fits the body perfectly. If they weren't so expensive, I'd buy a chair for home.
After leaving the park, I hopped on the bus for a quick jaunt around the outskirts of town before heading back to the Eixample. I then walked around the Eixample photographing a few more Modernist's buildings, like Casa de les Punxes, Palau Baró de Quadras, and the Hotel Casa Fuster. None of these building were designed by Gaudí, but all are excellent examples of Modernist buildings.
It's another quiet night hanging in the hostel, because I'm feeling little wonky. I'm having a hard time catching my breath. Even the walk around the block to pick up something to eat was stressful. I'm hoping it's allergy related and not cancer growth related. It's a little disconcerting, but time will tell if it's something over which I truly need to be concerned.
Check out all of my
Day 38 Monderniste photos on my
GToE photo site. It was a very cool day!
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| Hanging out at Casa Battló |
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