Barcelona: Day 1Gaudi, Gaudi and more Gaudi
Technically, the evening we arrived we met for a quick introduction (fueled by great wine, jamon and cheese) and then a walk along the pedestrian mall La Rambla before heading to dinner. The next day, rested and ready, we started at Sagrada Familia. It is the largest unfinished Roman Catholic church in world. Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí designed the church, and construction began in 1882. It is beautiful and should be visited on a sunny day so you can appreciate the magic of the stained glass windows. We also visited two other Gaudi projects: La Pedrera, a residential house, and Park Guell, which was originally intended to be an upscale gated community. Both featured lots of great examples of the famous mosaic designs. |
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Barcelona: Day 2Barri Gotic and Picasso
Our second full day included a stroll through the Gothic Quarter (Barri Gotic) of Barcelona, with stops in several important and interesting sites, as well as a visit to the Picasso Museum. Our local guide for the morning, Sonja, did an awesome job bringing young Picasso - long before crazy Cubism - to life. It was fascinating to see the evolution of his work and style. The walking tour included Roman ruins in the Temple d'August, as well as stops in the Barcelona Cathedral and Santa Maria del Mar Cathedral. I loved the narrow, winding streets. We passed the Palau de la Musica, or music hall, which is said to be a great example of modernista style. It was gorgeous on the outside, but we didn't have time to tour the inside. Our afternoon was free that day, but Helen and I already had other plans (check out Side Trips for details on that). |
Barcelona: Day 3The beach and Montjuic
This was our last day in Barcelona - we were set to take the high speed train to Madrid that afternoon. We hopped on a bus tour to catch other parts of the city, including the beach (that didn't exist prior to the 1992 Summer Olympics), marina, and Montjuic (Catalan word for "hill"). It boasts a number of attractions (museums, castle, gardens, etc.), but we moved on to the Museum of Catalan Art. This is a large museum with a variety of artwork, but our visit focused solely on the Christian frescoes. They were literally peeled off the walls of old churches and re-plastered here in their original configurations. Just boggle over that for a minute. Trust me, it is impossible not to do when you are standing before one. After the museum, it was off to the train (and a nap)! |
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