Embrace peace without regret,
Share the joy of a child’s heart,
The universe smiles.
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Barcelona (Part 2) and its Muse: Antoni Gaudi
Like so many others before us, we had fallen in love with Barcelona. Here is a lovely video by singer/songwriter Matt Stone of Sweet Barcelona:
After two days in Barcelona, Ron and I were ready to see some of the city's iconic sites in more detail. Think Barcelona, think Gaudi. He was one of many influential artists and architects at the beginning of the 20th century that changed forever the look and reputation of Barcelona. Antoni Gaudi, however, stands out because of the existence of many of his buildings that are iconic of Modernisme - the avant garde movement in Catalunya affecting architecture and art. Indeed, Gaudi is still building one masterpiece 131 years later - La Sagrada Familia - even though he died in a tragic accident in 1926.
This is the side of the church built after Gaudi died
This is the side of the church completed before Gaudi died
He began building his masterpiece church in 1882 and it is still being built according to his design and is not scheduled to be completed until 2026. It was consecrated by Pope Benedict as a Minor Basilica in 2010 and is known officially as the Expiatory Church of the Holy Family.
This is Gaudi's model of the finished church
Ron and I wanted to see the inside of La Sagrada Familia and thought since it was a Monday in November and early in the morning, we could do it without a reservation. So we got on the Touristic Bus once again on November 4th and took it to the site. The line went around the block so we changed plans and headed by taxi to Casa Batlló, a house Gaudi built for Josep Batlló and his family in the Eixample neighborhood. There was a very short line and we entered the beautiful home almost immediately. Here are pictures of this architectural masterpiece:
Casa Batlló (front)
Staircase from entry
The walls are painted like the skin of a reptile
Interior of central stairwell
Looking up toward skylight above central stairwell
Fireplace
windows
Doors
Looking toward backyard patio
Back of the house
In the attic with airways and skylights
An attic room
To the rooftop staircase
Stairway to roof
Rooftop sculptural elements
We left Casa Batlló and walked a couple of blocks along the boulevard admiring many of the artistic elements of buildings and street lights.
Ron wanted to go to a really nice restaurant for our last night in Barcelona and you cannot go wrong with the Zagat and Michelin-ratedVia Veneto. Salvador Dali dined here for many years, among many other artists, celebrities and world leaders.
We made reservations for 8:30PM and found that we were only the second table seated at that early hour. By 9:30PM, most of the tables had diners. Very gracious personal service is provided by owners, Josep and Pere Monge, and their staff at Via Veneto. Here is their current menu.
The next morning, we were picked up by our taxi driver by a prearrangement and were at the Barcelona Airport (BCN) within 15 minutes. We flew to JFK in New York City, then to Salt Lake City, and finally arrived at the Albuquerque Sunport (ABQ) by 10:30PM (about 23 hours of flying time including layovers).
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