More of us are choosing city breaks in 2016 according to recent research by Sainsbury’s travel insurance. Barcelona is the now the fourth most popular city in Europe after London, Paris and Rome.
I was there in March when there was still a soft chill in the morning air. It’s an extraordinary city rich in architectural beauty and history, rich too in shops and places to eat, in golden beaches and ancient churches.
And then there’s Gaudi
You can’t claim to have visited Barcelona without seeing examples of his work. The most famous and the most must-see is the Bascilica of La Sagrada Familia, still a work in progress. Its voluptuous lines – nature doesn’t do straight and neither did Antoni Gaudie – makes it a controversial building. Outside it is an in-your-face fantasy of organic forms with the walls undulating like a country landscape. Inside the light from the stained glass windows create the same kind of spiritual uplift that you can get from the Notra Dame in Paris.
True, there are touches that seem extravagant and silly: for me it was the parasol over the crucifix in the main body of the church. But turn away and you notice another feature that forces you to hold your breath such as the intricate detailing on a minor side entrance near the main one.
A door as a work of art.
Was in Barcelona in April and can definitely see why its so popular. I want to go back!
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Me too! Hard to imagine ever growing tired of this city
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Beautiful.
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And this door was such a small, missable detail
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Hi Bridget,
The Sagrada Familia is my least favourite of Gaudi’s architecture – I think it’s pretty creepy, ugly and I nearly had a heart attack in the lift going up one of those thin spires.
I recommend La Pedrera, full of organic feminine curves inside the rooms and arches. I wandered round there for hours drinking in the womb-like surroundings.
Also Casa Batllo features stupendous mouldings and decorations. You could visit 10 times and discover something new every time.
Park Guell contains such a mixture, there’s something for everyone. Well worth visiting the house where Gaudi lived – quite modest but arranged with the impressive curvaceous furniture he collected.
Then of course up the coast is Dali’s Theatre-Museum in Figueres – don’t get me started! I’ve saved the delight of visiting his house in Cacares for next time…
Take care,
Valerie
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I have mixed feelings about the man and his work – some of it is stunning, some of it is indulgent and tricksy. During the Spanish Civil War the Republicans broke into the offices and burnt the plans for Sagrada Familia so no one knows how Gaudi wanted the building work to progress. George Orwell thought it a missed opportunity – they should have torched the building not just the plans
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Hello,
Interesting, I did this tour with an architect in http://www.artourbcn.com and explained that despite many believes of his technique as superfluous with form imposed to function, Gaudí houses are examples of a wise relationship of spaces and a creative and bold conception of volumes and forms.
Mary
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Thank you for dropping by & really interested to learn about the tour you took. So Gaudi’s houses are proper machines for living, not decorative follies.
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