A little bit of a late post, but it took some time to go through the 600 (maybe more!) photos that we took in Barcelona. Paring the selection down to just a few truly does not do justice to one of the most beautiful cities in the World. Barcelona is an architecture student’s Mecca with street after street incredible buildings.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, Spain is a country with a turbulent past and owes a lot of that to the differing cultures that now are under one roof. The Catalan culture is no where represented better than in Barcelona. Visiting cities in Southern Spain show the dramatic and different cultures native to these regions.
During our visit, we made a pleasant side trip to the Monastery of Montserrat (translated “serrated mountains”). Parts of the monastery date back to the 11th century but much of that was destroyed during Napoleon’s campaign in the 1800s. As we drove up a steep mountainside with switch back roads to the monastery, I wondered why he would have gone to the trouble……Montserrat is almost 4000 feet above the valley floor……he was clearly determined to make a statement apparently! As an avid cyclist, I watched a local peddle up the thing…..now I know why the Spaniards do so well in the Tour de France! I would have coughed up a lung….or worse.
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| Serrated and Rugged terrain |
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| Courtyard in front of the Sanctuary |
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| You can figure this one out.... |
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| The "Black Madonna" is the most famous artifact at the Monestary and the reason for it's founding. |
Anyway, back to Barcelona….
Antonio Gaudi is the most famous architect in this region….at least now. According to locals, he was considered a crazy man during his era. Many of his designs are outlandish in any age but must have been truly frightening to some in the early 19th century when he did most of his work. The following photos are of the Sagradas Familias Temple and Casa Batllo which are probably the most well known. I find the Sagradas Familias the most interesting….construction began in 1883 and has never ceased. The pace has picked up in recent years. There are now 8 visible towers but the plan calls for 14. Current projected completion of the building is now sometime in 2026! Gaudi’s trademark is the almost “organic” feel of his buildings. His work in recognizable and visionary. One cannot help wondering where he got his inspiration.
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| The temple is huge...we are 200 yards from the street just to get it in the whole frame |
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| The other side entrance....this is completly hidden from the front shot |
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| Inside the sanctuary....notice Pat to the lower left for scale. |
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| Hall of the Mountain King??? |
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| Ceiling detail.....very organic |
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| Altar area |
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| Stained Glass "Emblems" adorn almost all of the pillars in the Sanctuary |
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Our view of the city from the observation area
Construction cranes and scaffolding is everywhere |
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| Cold, Windy day on the observation deck! |
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| Base of the Temple |
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| Casa Batllo.....another Gaudi creation. |
Barcelona has an old town and then a gothic quarter within the old town. Though it also has merit, I did not include any pictures of the newer town.
This post is all about pictures, so I will dispense with further dialog and upload as much as google (or my provider) will let me.
Chris and Pat
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