So I'm back from my winter vacation in Barcelona & Marseille. And as requested, I'll be breaking up my adventures/experiences into many smaller entries throughout the next few days (hopefully).
Yvonne and I were super excited to go to Barcelona and were just as excited to finally see some SUN and feel some warmth. Our voyage started off with 2 trains to get to the Paris CDG airport, where we waited around for hours until our flight. When our plane landed in Barcelona mid-afternoon, we were happy to see some palm trees. And of course, it was significantly warmer than le Nord!
Unfortunately, I'd had a cold for days, so traveling all day + lack of sleep made me feel absolutely miserable by the time we reached the hostel. After our first free dinner at the hostel (and my first plate of paella in Spain!), I decided to just take some cold meds and sleep, hoping that I wouldn't be sick throughout my whole stay.
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| Yvonne & I at the Plaza Real |
The next day, I was feeling much better, but still congested, so after popping more pills, Yvi and I headed to Plaza Real to meet up for a free walking Gaudi tour. To be honest, the only time I really remember hearing about Gaudi before looking up things to do was from an episode of How I Met Your Mother (Ted was teaching about Gaudi and how La Sagrada Familia is unfinished), but a lot of the spots to see in Barcelona are Gaudi-related, so we figured, why not take a walking tour so we can see things and also learn (without having to pay to enter each building to learn stuff about it). On the tour, we saw the Palau Guell, the Caso Batllo, La Pedrera, and La Sagrada Familia. I haven't decided if I think Gaudi was crazy or a genius (I think I'm leaning more towards crazy), but his architecture style is definitely eccentric, unique, and kind of amazing. I don't know much about art or architecture history, but I do appreciate all sorts of works and I have to say that these buildings by Gaudi are definitely pieces of art. If you look at all the buildings on the same block, Gaudi's houses definitely stick out.
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| Palau Guell |
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| Casa Batllo |
Casa Batllo was the most interesting of the houses for me and I wish I'd had the opportunity to go back and see the inside. My first thought when I saw the house was creepy, all of it just made me think of bones and skeletons-- the thinner columns, the balconies (although more masks made out of bones).
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| La Pedrera |
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| La Sagrada Familia - the Nativity façade |
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| La Sagrada Familia- the Passion façade |
I have to admit that when I first saw a picture of La Sagrada Familia (the Nativity facade, which I assume is the most popular), I didn't think it was very attractive. It reminded me of something that been underwater for years, eroding, with things growing on it. Seeing it in person changed my mind-- it's amazing with all the details in the façade. The contrast between the two façades is crazy. The Passion one is so simplistic and cleaner, but since it portrays something so serious, it doesn't need tiny details to send the message.
The inside of the church is just as amazing (it was the one place that Yvi and I decided to enter after our tour). I love cathedrals and am always amazed by them, this one just trumps them all because it is so different, with thin columns and a completely different design concept, which allows so much more light in. I don't think I'm even doing a very good job of describing it, but it's just crazy- in a good way.
After wandering around in awe, Yvi and I then decided to head towards the Arc de Triomf and walk to the Parc Citadelle, which has a beautiful fountain (not Gaudi related), before heading back to the hostel for dinner.
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| Font de la Cascada |
... And that's my attempt at making a short post?
Bis,
N
