A day with Guade

Friday March 18
All about Guade.

My plan is getting tight as l keep overestimating my walks. Luckily I moved my train back to Paris to Sunday. Giving me 4 days instead of 3.

Today I planned to do Guade's Sagrade Familia Cathedral and the Parc Guell. Of course I did not make it to the Parc Guell and will have to it on another day.

I got the Metro direct to Sagrade Familia. After I got over the initial shock of actually seeing the structure I became concerned at how long the queue was. I circled the site and the queue was now 50 meters longer. I decided that I could not miss this visit and waited on the queue for 30 minutes. It was really worth the time.

This rates as the most amazing building that I have yet seen.



The outside was impressive enough, the geometry, the size, the textures, the statues and their placing and stories. The inside was absolutely awe inspiring.
The cartenary arches gave an allusion of incredible height. The dendrobic bifracating columns with their large decorated tree nodes gave credibility to their strength. The self-supporting hyperboloid domes above the columns with their decorative medallions were magnificent. As were the vast number of columns with their different colored rock signifying different meanings.

The sanctuary lighting was enhanced by a clever design involving all the stain glass window's graduated colouring and the direction of the sun.
In the centre, above the alter was a modernist statue of the crucified Christ with Mary and Joseph in the naves at the points of a geometric golden triangle.

There was an extensive museum in the crypt/basement containing many of Guade's structural models which I spent much time examining. I bought some books of course.

After leaving the Cathedral I walked up the Avenue of Guade to the Hospital fe Sant Pau, having lunch on the Avenue. The hospital was designed by Montaner. I took some photos and Decided it was too late to go to Parc Guell as I could not find the bus stop (I was given the wrong bus number by a well meaning fellow traveller at the hostel).
A major reshedule meant I got the Metro directly right across the city to the museum of contemporary art (MNAC) and the gallery of Joan Miro. The MNAC was much better than I was expecting so I spent all my time there studying Catalonian art. There were many impressive paintings from early 14th c to modern times. My photo notes will be the only way these can be shown.

I arrived back at the hostel very tired and had a Tapas dinner in The Rambles. Not as good as the previous night.