Category Archives: Spain

Barcelona Days Out: Gaudi’s Casa Mila aka La Pedrera

You know you have arrived at one of the more popular tourism sites for art and architecture in Barcelona, Spain when the Barcelona Bus Turistic is parked outside.

The Barcelona Bus Turistic parked outside the very popular Casa Mila, better known as La Pedrera, in Barcelona, Spain.

Casa Mila — which is also known as La Pedrera — is one of Antoni Gaudi’s most beloved architectural creations. Built as a private residence for the Mila family, there was strong objection to Gaudi’s designs and overt religious symbolism at the time of construction and many of the details had to be scaled back to comply with what the governing board deemed acceptable.

We were lucky enough to tour the rooftop area during one of the two ‘golden light’ periods of the day, just before dusk. Although we were jostled constantly by other tourists, I did manage to get several good shots that weren’t cluttered with people.

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A visual link to Gaudi’s masterpiece church, the Sagrada Familia, is available from the rooftop view from Casa Mila – La Pedrera in Barcelona.

My next article will be on the interior of the building including the period furnishings that are in place and the architectural details that Gaudi designed. This building is still lived in on several floors, so although the museum floors of the Casa Mila are open to the paying public, many other places are private and only for the use of the residents.

Hope you are enjoying these glimpses of Barcelona!

Barcelona Days Out: Street Photography

Sometimes a single image says rather a lot and since I started my photographic life as a journalist, street photography still appeals to me.

On a Saturday afternoon in Barcelona, Spain, two women spend their afternoon in very different ways. I stood and watched for several minutes, and neither of them appeared to notice or acknowledge the presence of the other one. It was, however, an interesting juxtaposition of day-to-day action and lifestyle.

One further somewhat surprising note, I noticed quite a few people taking pictures with an iPad on this trip!

Two women in Barcelona, Spain spend their Saturday afternoon in very different ways.

POSTSCRIPT
I’ll be back in 24-48 hours with some stunning architectural shots from Gaudi’s Casa Mila, also known as La Pedrera. The late afternoon light atop the rooftop terrace with its alien-like chimneys and vents was glorious!

Alien-like chimneys and vents adorn the rooftop terraces of Antoni Gaudi’s Casa Mila, also known as La Pedrera.

Barcelona Days Out: Sagrada Familia

The day was gray and gloomy, but we eagerly took the two fast and efficient Metro trains to reach a site we had been longing to see, the uncompleted Antoni Gaudi masterpiece work, the massive Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain.

We emerged from the Metro onto the sidewalk and Mark laughed as I looked left and right and didn’t see the looming structure. “I did the same thing, Sweetie. Turn around!” I did, and here was what was immediately behind me.

Gaudi’s unfinished Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain

The visible difference between the old section and the new additions to Gaudi’s masterpiece Sagrada Famila in Barcelona, Spain

It was quite a shock since neither of us had the excited response to this massive landmark that we had expected to have and we had absolutely no desire to explore further than standing outside and taking exterior shots. The line to gain entry to the interior was wrapped around the entire right-hand block but when I asked Mark if he wanted to go in, he confirmed my ‘neutral’ sensation and said no, he didn’t want to investigate the interior either.

It was an interesting reaction since we had each been looking forward to seeing this place for several months! But my initial sensation as I turned around from the Metro exit was disappointment, not enchantment. There will be many people who read this entry and think that I am daft to say that, but it is a personal opinion. It looked like a vast, blobby mess adorned with cranes and I felt no thrill or curiosity whatsoever as I viewed it.

Sidewalk cafe on the Avinguda de Gaudi with Antoni Gaudi’s uncompleted masterpiece, the massive Sagrada Familia, looming in the near distance.

We ate lunch at a sidewalk cafe and began walking down the Avinguda de Gaudi. As we walked, I turned around and took the photo above which did please me since it clearly illustrates the size and scale of the Sagrada Famila as it sits in the neighbourhood landscape.

The ornate street lamps pictured below were also amongst the more pleasing photos that I took on that very mixed day.

Extremely ornate ironwork and glass street lamps on stone columns line the avenues near the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain.

Come back soon for more sights, suggestions, and truthful reactions from Barcelona!

Barcelona Days Out: Parc de la Ciutadella

Mild temperatures, stunning blue skies, and brilliant sunshine meant it would be a perfect day to visit the Parc de la Ciutadella in Barcelona, Spain. Although it was a school holiday period, no place we visited was as congested with people as it would have been during the summer tourism season.

Entry to Parc de la Ciutadella in Barcelona, Spain

We laughed as we walked along Carrer de Wellington and spotted the very long line of parents and children queued up down the block to gain access to the Barcelona Zoo. Whew! None of that keeping-the-children-occupied for us!

Parents and children lined up to enter the Barcelona Zoo

We passed this stunning building as we walked the length of Carrer de Wellington and it was clear that it had been repurposed. We could see the racks of library books through the windows. But what had it been before that?

When I got home I researched the origins of this massive brick building and discover that what became the Biblioteca Nacional de Catalunya in 1939 was previously the Antic Hospital de la Santa Crue de Barcelona and the foundation stone was laid in 1401.

Biblioteca De Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain

The first thing we spotted as we entered the park was a group of men playing and watching ping pong at dedicated concrete tables that were installed in the park. Who knew that ping pong was that popular?

Ping pong players in the Parc de la Ciutadella in Barcelona, Spain

Glimpsing something shining through the trees, I walked briskly around the corner from the ping-pong players and found this lovely object lurking above the treeline.

Golden sculpture atop the Cascada Fountain

Then as we continued around to the front, we discovered this stunning fountain. This is the Cascada — the fountain constructed in the 1880s for the Universal Exhibition in Barcelona.

Cascada Fountain in the public park called Parc de la Ciutadella in Barcelona, Spain. Built for the 1888 Universal Exhibition, one of the contributing architects on the project was a young Antoni Gaudi.

Finally, we exited the park on our way to our next adventure — but not before passing by this interesting building, the Castell dels Tres Dragons sitting at the edge of the park.

Castel dels Tres Dragons in the public park called Parc de la Ciutadella in Barcelona, Spain houses a very popular zoology and geology museum.

Make sure to come back for more examples of things to do in the wonderful city of Barcelona!

Woolly Headed in Barcelona

Woolly mammoth — right? This huge sculpture, usually covered with children climbing all over it, is in the 30 hectare (66 acre) Parc De La Ciutadella in the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona, Spain.

Huge sculpture of a woolly mammoth in the Parc de la Ciutadella in the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona, Spain

Actually, this ‘woolly headed’ state describes how I am feeling today. Still taking it a bit slow since we returned from Barcelona, I’m dealing with normal household nonsense whilst wading very carefully through hundreds and hundreds of photographs.

Keep coming back — there are lots of pretty things to share in the week (or so!) ahead!

Amazing Architectural Details in Barcelona

Jostled by fast moving lunch-time pedestrians, I felt compelled to ignore the annoyed stares of people walking by and simply stand my ground for a tiny minute as I shot these photos. These carvings were around the entry door of the urban gothic style Casa Amatller, designed by Josep Puig i Cadafalch. This elegant building is right next door to Gaudi’s Casa Batlli (photo essay coming up in another article) on Passeig de Gràcia in the district of Barcelona known as Eixample. This particular block is also known as Illa de la Discòrdia — a reference to the radically different and, at the time, quite controversial style of Modernista architecture.

Sculptural element on front facade of Casa Amatller in Barcelona, Spain

This is a particularly stunning part of Barcelona and should be high on the list of ‘must see’ locations when visiting this vibrant and diverse city.

9 Days In Spain: Intro

Barcelona for 8 days and Figueres for 1 — heaven! From traditional and historic to ancient to cutting edge contemporary, Spain has it all. We have just returned from a 9 day trip to Spain to celebrate our 17th wedding anniversary, so there will be an entire series of posts coming up in the days ahead.

I took over 2,000 photos during that trip — but then again, I typically shoot 3-4 of each scene or item so that I can choose the optimum image afterward. Some might call that a bit of overkill, but I end up with a better stock portfolio that way!

Here’s a few teaser pictures of what you will see in the weeks ahead.

Ruins of the previous Roman city in their excavation site beneath the streets of Barcelona, Spain

Contemporary sculpture to honour the volunteers for the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain

The crossing lights in Barcelona, Spain reflect the fact that there are rather a LOT of cyclists as well as pedestrians crossing at the intersections.

A Wanderful Life

The Neverending Journey