Barcelona

Disclaimer:  This post makes use of quite a few Spanish words, the precise spelling of which is beyond the faculties of our keyboard.  As such, there are many missing accent marks.  Just wanted to let you all know that we know they're supposed to be there.  Thank you. 

We are illegal immigrants.  Well, perhaps not immigrants because we intend to leave before too long, but we certainly have over stayed our European Union visas.  On the day we left Athens for Barcelona we were 2 days over the original 90 we were granted in Dublin.  "Oooh, big deal," you may think but in the eyes of a customs official we are two scraggly looking people carrying large backpacks, entering their country with no documented plans to leave it, and we've over stayed the initial welcome extended to us.  I was sure there would be questions to answer upon arrival and gave Donica a lucky owl euro to rub while we waited for our bags.  As we passed through the opaque sliding glass doors, much to the dismay of the many waiting family members, I said without moving my lips, "Just keep walking."  And we did.  Right past the anxious loved ones, down the escalator and out to the curbside where we boarded, straight away, the shuttle bus to take us to the other terminal.  "No kidding?"  No stamp in the passport, but no questions to answer either.  In fact, my only concern was making sure I beat Lionel Messi out the revolving door.

 We followed the signs to the train which we boarded 3 minutes before departure and connected to the metro which dropped us off at the Joanic stop, literally, on the doorstep of our homestaybooking host.  This proximity and a multi-ride metro pass proved invaluable to our daily explorations.

We arrived in Barcelona on January 5, the eve of Three Kings Day (also known as the Epiphany or the twelfth day of Christmas) which is when Catalans exchange their gifts.  In this tradition our host, Anna, left us each a bag of chocolates on our pillows.  After a quick tapas and beer we headed down to the main shopping drag to check out the decorations and last minute shoppers.  The next day we had slices of King Cake.  Fortunately neither of us got the bean, and had to pay for the cake, nor the king who has to wear a goofy paper crown.

Each street had its own distinct light display.

They're not shy about using color.

One of the main attractions in Barcelona is the architecture of Antoni Gaudi, an art nouveau and modernisme visionary.

Michael's best post card shot of la Sagrada Familia.

Construction is ongoing, nearly 90 years after Gaudi died in a freak tram accident, but this portion is definitely work he designed and oversaw.  Immense detail.

Banished or forgiven?  Maybe we should've paid for the guided tour.

While the cathedral is probably his most well known work, one of his more ambitious projects was Park Guell.   It was a commercially unsuccesful housing site modeled on the English garden city movement and was to house 60 luxury homes, open spaces, markets, schools, etc.  In the end only two houses were built, along with an agora space, main terrace, and a system of raised viaducts.  It's outrageous!

 

One of the many signs on the exterior wall, and the former porter's house turned exhibition hall.

In the agora, intended as the main marketplace of the development.

Donica on the main terrace bench, built on top of the agora.

 

Exterior shots of the house that Gaudi lived in for nearly 20 years, gotta love that plaster filigree.

The house now serves as the Gaudi Museum.

Gaudi's rendering of The Passion for the Sagrada Familia cathedral

There was so much beautiful tile mosaic work at Park Guell. This is just one of the close-up pictures we took.

The lizard, for some reason this has become the icon for the park, and for Gaudi in general. One can by figurines and replicas of this lizard all over Barcelona.

About thirty people were clustered around it at all times trying to get their picture. It was chaos. Donica said, "I'm going in. Take a picture no matter how many other people are in it." She will probably appear in at least ten other people's photos, with this same goofy face.

At the recommendation of one of the other boarders at our homestay, we set off on a Sunday to visit the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya. The museum was featuring a temporary exhibit called "The Mexican Suitcase," three boxes of lost negatives from war correspondents who photographed the Spanish Civil War. Gerda Taro was one of the first female war photojournalists, and also one of the first to die in battle. Very fascinating stuff, and a side of the fight against fascism that we Americans don't spend much time studying in school. Franco who?

On the steps leading up to the palace

 MNAC is housed in the Palau Nacional, a "pompous neo-baroque" palace built for the 1929 International Exhibition, and rehabbed for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. There is a central dome, which we found photographically irresistible.

So many attractive lines of perspective, ooh la la.

 Also of interest in the museum were the art and designs of several Catalan modernists - Antoni Gaudi (of course), Salvador Dali, Homar Gaspar, Giovanni Boldini. Really, really gorgeous.

All of this amazing architecture isn't reserved only for cathedrals and bizarre development flops, it's all around town.  One street, Passeig di Gracia, has an abundance, so we went for a stroll.  The first unexpected photo op was this Flintstonesque apartment building by Gaudi.

Further down one comes to the Block of Discord, a result of a rivalry of sorts between early 20th century industrialists who employed modernist architects to help show off their fortunes.

The house that Gaudi built for the Barcelona whoody-who family, Batllo.

Not to be outdone, the next door neighbor, family Amatller, had architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch design them a modernisme marvel.

Family crest?

Rear wall of the foyer of Casa Amatller.

And the front door.

Events not depicted above:

• Musee de Xocholat, which we didn't go into because it was closed
• Samba drum parade complete with dancers
• Live human sculptures on La Ramblas; you have to pay to take their picture
• Amazing Barcelona subway network which served us well
• Man getting hustled for 150 euro in which-box-is-the-marble-under game; who still falls for the three card monty con?
• Donica getting pick-pocketed at the flea market, fortunately they swiped our nearly used up metro passes and left the bankcard
• The first half of Espanyol v Barcelona at the neighborhood tapas bar
• Voll Damm and Moritz Clara 
• An evening of traditional Catalan delights with Anna, Mariela and Carina: plenty of cava, four cheeses, three sausages, a cured ham delicacy, bread slices smeared with tomato, and almond candy for "postre"
• The Boqueria market and beautiful displays of mushrooms, chilies, candied fruit, nuts, xocholat, meats and cheeses, veggies and more
• and no pictures of goats, or livestock of any kind.