More photos are available on Picasa. The photo on the left shows the writing inside the wall of the Museum of Contemporary Art. The entire writing is in English except one sentence that translates to "A major force." The photo on the right shows how nature inspires Gaudi.
We traveled from Madrid to Barcelona by train, taking about 2.5 hours. Very nice first-class with breakfast, electric sockets and Wi-Fi. It's nice to see the landscape outside Madrid, very dry and hilly.
After leaving our luggage at the hotel, we boarded the sightseeing double-deck bus where we can hop on and off at major attractions. The weather was nice every day when we were there.
Barcelona has a new part and the old part, just like most cities. The old part is close to the sea and the port, and the new part tends to spread out. They are easily distinguished as the new part of the city was laid out in grids. Having seen Toledo, I'm not much surprised to be in a medieval town with labyrinth small streets. I love the way that these old neighborhoods are still alive; restaurants, galleries, shops and government offices are still nested in them.
On the bus tour, we see essentially the entire city. In the old days, well-to-do people lived up further away from the ocean, perhaps due to a better view or to get away from downtown slums. The beachfront area got renovated when Barcelona hosted the 1992 Olympics.
On the overall, I enjoy Spain. Nice and friendly people. Safe to get around and not too expensive.
I've never heard Antonio Gaudi before I came to Barcelona. He lived and worked in Barcelona about 80 years ago. Very creative and smart. I just realized that an architect must be skilled in arts and mathematics. To get his design to work, he must make sure that his design obeys the law of gravity. My favorite is Casa Battllo. No sharp angles in this house. It's like being in the sea. We also went to another building that he designed: La Padrera. The most well-known of all is his unfinished cathedral: Segrada Familia which evokes the feeling of being in a forest. Gaudi died at the age of 74 by being hit by a tram. He was never married and seemed to be a workaholics.
Comments