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| Facade if La Pedrera, one of Gaudi's works in Barcelona. Note seaweed like balcony rails. |
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| Gaudi;s building Battlo, with mask like balconies |
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| Another style of architecture kitty corner from Gaudi's whimsical structure |
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| La Pieta Portal of Seu Eulalia Cathedral in Barcelona |
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| Passage from Cathedral to Cloister |
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| Placa de San Jaume (St. James Square) |
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| Fresh strawberries on Barcelona's Market |
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| Sheep heads anyone - makes good stew. Their respective brains are contained in small plastic bags bside the heads. |
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| Another market offering for the Sweet Tooth |
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| Not yet roasted piglet gone to market. |
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| This is supposed to be a cruise ship, Prinsendam in the background as a small blue dot. Gaudi was NOT the architect of this monstrosity. |
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| Gothic Masterpiece - Santa Maria del Mar |
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| Plaque of Laborer, carrying stones to build Santa Maria del Mar from a quarry two miles away |
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| Lofty columns of Santa Maria del Mar |
25 to 27 April 2012, Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona was a Gothic inspired city contained within medieval walls until the mid Twentieth Century. The city is the heart of Catalunya, whose history and culture spans the Spanish-French border in the Pyrenees. Catalunya still speaks two official languages, Catalan and Spanish.
Ironically the Franco dictatorship years, when the medieval fortifications were destroyed, brought expansion to the city. During that era, the Catalan language was strongly suppressed. It now has three Million inhabitants, who are fluent in both - and a few more like English, German and French.
The old Gothic Quarter still forms the heart of the city. There are magnificent plazas, such as Placa San Jaume, which is entirely enclosed by Catalan Gothic style government edifices and a favourite for al fresco lunching of local paella and endless variety of mariscos (seafood).
The impressive cathedral rises high above the rooftops, and I took an elevator (hidden in a little side chapel) to it's very roof to enjoy an all around vista of Barcelona from the upper level of a vaulted Gothic roof. Some roof top visitors actually had brought a picnic up there, al fresco in most unusual manner. Seu Eulalia Cathedral (so it is called) was built 1298-1450 AD, has beautifully carved choir stalls, as well as a serene cloister, where a flock of white geese is allowed to roam the gardens and ponds amongst statues of saints.
Outside the 'Barri Gothic' Barcelona spreads out into the nearby hills.
'The Rambla', a wide thoroughfare that reaches from the harbour to Placa Catalunya, is the main artery of the City, with hundreds of shops, restaurants, flower stands, stately buildings, some theatres and an impressive market lining it's side, and a wide pedestrian tree lined promenade gracing it's centre.
Being a city of artists (Miro, Dali, Casals, Picasso, Gaudi) evidence of their work is plentiful. A circular design of Rambla's pavement is created by Miro. Placa Catalyuna is a work of Piug and Cadalfalch. La Pedrera, a quirky 'apartment' building, is designed by Antonio Gaudi, and astonishes and surprises with it's wavy stone balconies with seaweed like wrought iron fronts and whimsical fantasy chimneys. Casa Battlo, another Gaudi creation, sports balconies, which look like eye glasses, and a roof of coloured tiles looking like fish scales topped with the spines like that of a dragon. The entire city is filled with architectural works from masters hailing from every corner of the globe, whether it is the creator of the Olympic Complex and its monuments, or the great gothic builders of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Mar.
Santa Maria del Mar was erected during the era of the Spanish Inquisition, and is one of the purest examples of lofty Gothic architecture. Massive yet light, slender columns seem to reach heavenward to join in stone vaults. Every one of these heavy stones was carried on the backs of labourers to the site from Montjuic (Jewish Mountain), today's location of the Olympic Stadium, almost two miles away. Devoted Catholic faithful with a strong ethic of honour and purity, these men served their Virgin of the Sea (Maria del Mar) to death.
In present day Barcelona, avant garde mixes profusely with antique styles and all makes for intriguing discoveries and a heady mix of visual enchantments.
Barcelona's major landmark is Gaudi's - still incomplete - modernist Catedral de la Sagrada Familia, which is well known to most Foreigners by photos of its twisted elongated cones, grouped together to make a unique bell tower profile. Photos of Sagrada Familia later.
A combination of ship shuttle bus, hop-on-hop-off tourist bus and efficient metro underground public transportation carried me around to experience some of the many splendours of this vibrant city.
Three days layover during a cruise is a rare gift, however, not long enough by far to do this city justice. What I saw convinced me, that Barcelona is worth a long term visit to sample all it has to offer, which reaches far beyond architecture and museums filled with art works. Whether one likes the great outdoors, tasty cuisine and great wines, or a diverse and multifaceted cultural life, it is all there to enjoy.
