It took us just shy of 48 hours to travel from Lima, Peru to
Barcelona, Spain. This included 4
delayed flights, 2 missed flights and one overnight in London (including a trip
to a local storage locker). To say we
were thankful to finally arrive is a dramatic understatement.
Nonetheless, we decided to head out to dinner at Sesamo as
planned (albeit it to a much later reservation than originally booked!), and
enjoyed a delightful tasting menu of vegetarian fare as well as an unexpected
surprise - $2 drinks. To put this in
perspective – we can have one glass of cava in an upscale Dubai restaurant or
25 glasses in Barcelona. This was going
to be a problem…
Drinks aside, we fell hard and fast for Barcelona. The city boasts magnificent architecture, bountiful trees and walking/cycling paths, bustling squares, interesting alleyways with adorable shops and restaurants, a great shopping street (La Rambla) and a really forward approach to eating, with lots of vegetarian options.
To get acquainted with the city, we took a walking
tour. We were surprised to arrive to
find hoards of people waiting when we arrived.
Summertime in Spain, it seems.
Even with four tour guides who took a whopping 30 people each, they
still had to turn people away. Thank
goodness we had made reservations!
Barcelona is Spain’s second largest city, with 2 million
people, and the capital of the autonomous community of Catalonia. Autonomy was reinstated after Franco’s death
in 1975 as a result of numerous demonstrations.
As such, Catalonia flags fly in abundance around the city and both
Spanish and Catalan are official languages and widely spoken.
Our walking tour focused primarily on Antoni Gaudi, one of
the world’s most famous modernist architects who lived and worked in
Barcelona. Gaudi (1852-1926) was
considered “Part genius. Part madman”
and his works can be seen all across the city. At the end of his life, he was so passionate about his latest work – the Sagreda Familia – that he became all-consumed with it, working non-stop, sleeping on-site and forgetting all about personal hygiene. As such, when he was hit by a bus one day, the driver thought he was homeless and simply left him bleeding on the side of the street. Only hours later was he helped and taken to the local “poor people” hospital where he eventually died two days later.
Although treated terribly at his death, Gaudi and his works are celebrated around the city and we were lucky enough to see some of them:
- Placa Reial offered a view of Gaudi’s first and only work for the city – two ornate lamp posts that demonstrate his strong religious faith and his ability to tell stories through architecture.
- Palau Guell was designed for the industrial tycoon (and Gaudi’s patron), Eusebi Guell. The mansion is designed around the central entertaining room for high society and has the most magnificent entranceway.
- Casa Batllo has been called "a fairytale in stone" and "the house of yawns" and is arguably Gaudi’s most remarkable building. The house recreates the story of Saint George, complete with a dragon-inspired roof and staircase as well as knight-themed accents.
- Casa Mila was one of Gaudi’s more controversial works with many claiming it to be a massive eyesore. Others taut the genius of this building, that was designed to reflect the spirit of Cappodoccia and has not one 90 degree angle in the building.
- Sagreda Familia is likely Gaudi’s most famous work and remains unfinished almost 90 years after his death. This large Catholic Church is so ornate that Gaudi left detailed plans almost knowing that it would take longer than his lifetime to complete. The city hopes to finish it in time for his centenary in 2025.
Incredibly, Gaudi was just one of several remarkable
modernist architects in Barcelona. As a result,
you can see exquisite buildings all around the city. It almost feels like a treasure hunt….
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