Guade's Parc Guell project and the Joan Miro gallery

Saturday March 19
Guade's Parc Guell project and the Joan Miro gallery

Luckily I decided early to take a 4th day in Barcelona as I now was able to fill in the last day with left-over visits. I just could not achieve my plan for each day. I found myself get extremely tired as the end of each day. I walked huge distances.

Patch Guell I found to be best served by bus 24 which had a stop front of my Hostel. Such as convenient place.

This Park is on the low hills a little west of the main city but it is still in the suburbs.

Guade built this park as commissioned work by the Developer Guell and is yet another of his masterful creations. I got off the bus at the high entrance to the park and walked down to the main entrance. I was able to see his design of the walkway bridges and covered ways in full detail.

I descend to great suspended plaza which is surrounded by Guade 's archetype balustrades and ornamentation. His use of brightly coloured broken tile pieces set into the concrete to form a variety of patterns and designs were very stunning.

Moving down the stairways on either side of the plaza you moved under the plaza and into a cavernous area where large columns are supporting the plaza above. These columns are all done in Guade's bio-mimicking style and the column rise into the roof there tree-like branches forming into arches and support for design on the ceilings. Large medallions covered by this broken tile colouring. It was an awesome place.

The steps lead further down to the entrance gate and beside me were large broken tile, concrete and stone statues of lizards and frogs. Their mouths spilling out water into small ponds in front of then as part of a fountain structure descending with the stairway. At the bottom were two entrance buildings which could only be described as "cute" in the context of their surroundings.

Walking back up to the plaza I was passing a number of street vendors, whom I usually avoid by keeping my transfixed on the distant, when colourful plaster cast of Guade's lizards caught my eye.  The skilled vendor immediately responded and offered me a handful of other objects. I took no notice and pointer to the lizard an request a price. 10 Euros was the quick response. 4 Euro I said. Pause, I showed disinterest, he claimed impossible price. 7 Euro best price! 6 Euro! Done. So I bought my first souvenir. It should find its place happily amongst the other animals statues beside our front pond. (Must think up some Guadean addition to that pond - mmm).
I left the Park Guell and got the metro all the way across Barcelona to the Miro Gallery. Walk 650 meter to
Vallcarca Metro Station Stop ID: 331 Subway L3 Subway direction: Zona Universitària  (12 mins, 9 stops) to Metro stop Paral·lel ID: 322 Walk to Fundaciò Mirò about 16 mins (1.1 km).
I learnt a lot about Miro, in particular that he decided early in his career that he need to learn how to draw (for and abstract painter that is a very significant decision which may who paint abstract would never consider as necessary - I'm convinced it is necessary) and later he refused to join the Spanish abstract society and he insisted that a painting required a connection with reality to make its point. Miro developed a symbolic language of his own which you have to know in order to understand his paintings. It was a worthwhile visit and something I had always wanted to do. It help to clarify my wondering along the line from representational to the abstract.
Saw some buskers on the train on the way back to the hostel and I took their photo assuming I would be committee to pay them. They got of the train before I had time to offer them money???
I did not have to walk back to the metro as i found a cable car close by the gallery which took the metro tickets and went directly to the metro station. An easy end to a long day.

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.

Thursday March 17 - In search of the modernist

Thursday 17 March
The plan today was to see as much of the El Ensancha modernist area as possible and my hostel was already in the area. I began by following Fritz's little guide book and set out along the Passage de Garcia to Casa Batilo and was immediately discouraged but the length of the queue and the entry price. I put off this tour until the evening and proceeded on the walk. It is hard to describe the walk but I'll list the places:
Pau Claris street: Permanyer houses
Arago:church of la Concepcio
110 Bruc street: School of music (Folguera 1928)
302 Valencia: Casa Elizalde
Mallorca street: - Roger de Lluria: Casa Montaner (Montaner)
Casa Thomas (Montanier) - This is a shop and I could go inside as it was a very interesting furniture shop and I came out full of new ideas.

Avenue Diagonal 416-420: Casa de Punix (Cadafalch). I got kicked out for taking photos of the stair well.
373: Casa Quadras (Cafafalch)
318 Corsega: Casa Comalat (Valerie) I was able to go inside this building as well. I walked around the first floor and took photos. Then went all the way to the roof.

Passage de Garcia 113, 112, 96

And finally to Gaude's La Petrera. Here I had a art pass and I got an audio guide and went on the long tour.

We started in the attic under the famous cartenary arches, studying Gaude's brilliance. He was a remarkable architect and mathematician. He was so far ahead of his times. I was fascinated how he researched all his designs by building models. His experimentation using inverted cartenary models with little bags of sand to emulate the roof loads was truly amazing. The effect of this design was similar to pole houses. The cartenaries took all the load and all walls, floors and fasards were free to be any where. This construction also explained the steeply sloped roofs. I am wondering if the roofs of buildings in Paris are a simplified cartenary geometry. His biomimicry was everywhere.

I learnt a lot inside this building and was very tired at the end of the day. I forced my self to do one more art gallery and used my art pass to go to the Antonio Tapes exhibition. This was a complete failure as this guy is totally off the planet. I couldn't even begin to understand where he was coming from. I left knowing full well where I don't want to go in my art.
That night  had a meal at my local restaurant and later that evening a Spanish band had been arranged is the breakfast room of my hostel. I was a very pleasant and entertaining evening. The singer was very expressive and had the room laughing.

Barcelona - the old city and some time with Picasso

Wednesday March 16
Today I wanted to start with old city so I headed back to Catalunya Place, bought a new guide book as I didn't want to ruin Fritz's old copy, then proceeded down the notorious The Rambles. There was a tree-line promenade down the centre of the road and hundreds of tourist were making their way down the street. Many large groups and many more groups of school children. The Rambles is full of temporary street stalls as well as permanent shops of high quality and more expensive wares. It was full of life and activity. There were buildings of interest all the way. At Carme st there is a large and thriving food market. At the street Cardinal Cassnas I turned off to the old city. The streets now became very narrow, short and complex. Most would have just taken a car with no room to spare. The street looked very old but the shops were all the big fashion names. I didn't bother to look at prices as I had no intention of buying anything.


The first church I came to was the Esglesia Dr Santa Maria del Pi and this was a surprise as the ancient door hid its wonderful interior. Huge cloistered ceilings with large stained glass gothic windows and a very large pipe organ. There were many high quality chapels for different saints completely surrounding the inside of the church. A huge stained glass rose window dominated the interior. The 54 meter high octagonal bell tower was under repair. The sanctuary was beautiful with panels of gold base relief icons etc completely surounding the alter.

On the street again I had to navigate carefully as there were many turns and no logic to the layout. I was trying to follow the old city wall. At Place Sant Filip Neri I passed a little school, with the children playing in the Placa, and Shoe Museum. I then ran into a wall where there was an impressive portal. I was suddenly inside an enormous 13th century Cathedral.

I found myself at the side of a square garden containing large date palms above whoch I could see a high bell tower. The garden was
surrounded by high cloistered walkways completing the square. I made my way around the square to the Cathederal entrance and received yet another surprise. This Cathedral was huge. I had entered the main sanctuary and was confronted by a high dome with tall stained glass gothic windows and within the dome they were topped by stained glass rosets. All around, as in the previous church, were elaborate chapels for various saints. 1000s of candels were burning and the church was very active.Poor old St Sebastian was featured, still full of arrows and still looking unconcerned. The central congregation area was walled with many gold icon panels. Again there was large organ.

I left the church by its main entrance and onto the Place de la Seu which was full of tourists. A local approached me for a 'chat' while I was eating my lunch and I was quick to tell him where to go. This has been the only incident where I was hassled.

Beside the cathedral was a small Gaude museum built within an archeological site of the old city wall. This started my education on Gauge. I discovered that the drawing instrument set he used was exactly the same as the set my father got for me from very old engineering friend of his. Liam should value this set more now. We will have to get it all together and clean it up.

I now headed south along the narrow streets to Princesa st and on to Montcada st and the Museum of Picasso. I was able to take photos in this museum so I have photo notes of what I liked or deemed significant to my understanding. It was interesting to see the quality of representative art that
Picasso was capable. His move to modernism started when he left his art school. He was very impressed with the impressionist painter Degas and also the earlier Velazquez. I believe that he put a 4th dimension into his paintings by drawing up to 3 different expressions in his faces. Each face (when discovered by the viewer) were showing different feelings and hence a movement in time (like a short movie). This is advanced stuff. I noticed his ability to show alternative moods in his early representative paintings. In particular, 'Primera Communion' in which both the father and mother have their own different doubts about their daughter's first communion. I learnt a lot here.

After leaving the museum I headed for the port area and at the Placa de Santa Maria I came to the famous St Maria del Mar church (thank God it was closed for renovation).

At the port the marina was packed out with crafts ranging from simple wooden sailing boat to large luxury cruisers. I took photos of the old wooden schooners. I walked along the foreshore promenade through road of tall palm trees with only traditional buildings in view. I really felt I was on old Barcelona.

I went to the Maritime Museum. Some nice models of ship and interesting history.

It was getting late and I headed back to the hostel dropping in on the lively food market in the Rambles area. the 10 euro meal won out again and I sat in the crowded hostel lounge to write for a while.

Tuesday March 15 Arriving in Barcelona

Tuesday March 12

The train trip was ok. I enjoyed watching the scenery go passed. France is very civilized and all the farmland is so neat and tidy. It has many shades of green. All the little creeks are full with recent rain and there are no muddy swamps or piles of abandoned farm machinery. As I was watching a cold front was moving in and snow was predicted in the Mediterranean mountains. As we sped
on south at 300kms/hr clouds began to cover the mountains and by the time we got to the Mediterranean coast there was heavy mist. The sea was rough and all the rivers were in flood.

The city of Nimes was our first stop after leaving Paris and as we moved westward along the coast we were now stopping every 20 minutes or so. Our speed was only 200 kms/hr now. At Filierd-Vict?, just over the Spanish border, we changed trains to a Spanish train which was baby version of the TVG. As we approach Barcelona most of the rivers were full and running fast. The river running through Barcelona was raging and all the hills around were in mist.

We arrived at Estacio de Sants about 3/4 hours late. By the time l exchanged my return ticket to Sunday, then bought my museum pass and a 10 metro ticket pack, there was only enough time to get on the metro to get to the hostel on time.

It was not as cold as Paris when I emerged from the metro station at Catalunya Place. After a short pause to orient myself in a new city, I headed to the hostel at 33 Passage de Garcia. (Google Map link)

I selected this hostel as it was exactly on the border of the old and the modern city. There was a small problem at check-in as they put me in a 12 person room instead of the 4 person room I booked. I now have a 4 bed room to myself.

After settling in I ventured outside and shouted myself a 10 euro all-you-can-eat meal near bye. I then assessed the night streets and secured up my pockets. Given all the warning I had been reading there was no problem at all and the streets looked very safe and civilised. Never drop your guard is the traveler's moto.

I walked up the street less than a block and there, all lit up was the amazing Casa Batllo (Gaudi) and the Casa Amatlier (Cafafalch) . Of course I had my camera ready. Realising how close I was to more features I continued up Passage Gracia to the famous La Casa Mila (Goudi). I glanced down a side street saw the Fundacio museum with Antonio Tapies sculpture on top (Cloud and Chair). All this was a prize as I had planned to do this walk on my way from the train station but I got delayed.

I made my way back to the hostel and made a good contact with a Dutch traveller who lives in Amsterdam and wants to give me some tips when I get there. Hostels have their advantages.