Barcelona – Day Six

This was the day my Australian friends were leaving so I wanted to spend some time with them but neither hold them up nor waste time hanging around when there was still a lot I hadn’t seen. We agreed to meet for lunch leaving me the morning and latter part of the afternoon to see some of the sights we hadn’t covered.

I was keen to follow through on Gaudi’s creations in the city so booked an early admission to La Pedrera – Casa Mila which we had passed on numerous occasions but never felt the queue was short enough to join. Indeed, most places of interest here have needed advanced booking and I wonder if travellers the world over are becoming more organised and planning ahead more.

The day didn’t start well. I had decided to ask the hotel to call a taxi, but after I’d been waiting ten minutes the receptionist said ‘You might be better walking to Pl. Catalunya’. I wish she’d said that ten minutes sooner! Anyway, walk I did and there was a taxi in the taxi rank ready to take me to the impressive building on the corner of Passeig de Gracia.

The house was Gaudi’s final civic construction in Barcelona before devoting the whole of his attention and the final years of his life to creating Sagrada Familia. He was determined to echo the lines of nature in his work and, even with something a simple as a door handle, he held a lump of clay in his hand to find the ideal position before finalising the design.

This house must have been way ahead of its time, with almost every bedroom seeming to have an ensuite bathroom, one even containing a wall mounted water boiler.

But the most fascinating part was the display in the attic showing how his ideas came together, how even the furniture was designed to follow natural shapes.

The fact that this display was in the attic which itself set the various different roof heights made it even more interesting. And the display was not focused on La Pedrera alone. There was information about all of Gaudi’s projects including Sagrada Familia and Park Guell.

“There are no straight lines or sharp corners in nature. Therefore, buildings must have no straight lines or sharp corners.”

“The straight line belongs to men, the curved one to God.”

“Those who look for the laws of Nature as a support for their new works collaborate with the creator.”

These quotes from Gaudi make clear the philosophy which lies behind his architectural designs: he sees himself in partnership with his Creator, designing a better world for his clients to live in.

The rooms flow easily into one another and the attic – where a great deal of the daily tasks were done is amazingly light and airy .

From the roof it’s possible to see for miles and there’s one special arch which has queues of oriental visitors throughout the day waiting for their selfie with Sagrada Familia. I stood in the queue for about ten minutes just to get the view and was the only European there – but, as the view had been mentioned in the very comprehensive audio guide given as part of the tour, I really felt obliged to appreciate it!

By the time I had wandered around the rooftop and enjoyed the views there was just time for a few more photos before getting back to the cathedral square to meet my friends.

The building features two internal courtyards: neither is square!

The juxtaposition of people and the rooftop decoration here gives you an idea of the scale of everything and the image below shows how vibrant the entrance from Passeig de Gracia would have been: much different from most early twentieth century homes.

While my friends were checking out of their hotel, I took the opportunity to visit The Kiss. It’s just around the corner and would save me another trip over there. This wall is described as a photo-mosaic mural. Apparently, in 2014, as part of the tercentenary celebrations commemorating the events of 1714 in Barcelona at the end of the Spanish War of Succession, thousands of citizens donated photos showing the ‘maximum moments of freedom’.

“The sound of a kiss is not so loud as that of a cannon but its echo lasts a good deal longer’. Oliver Wendell Holmes

I sat and watched giggling youngsters and equally giggly older groups dash through with their guides and one or two small groups of friends just come for the required photo – ah, yes, this is one of those Instagrammable places…

We had lunch at a tapas bar in one of the squares near my hotel – a very relaxed hour or so before finding an ice-cream and going our separate ways.

Although I wasn’t totally convinced it was a good idea, I booked a tour of Park Guell for 16.30 as I didn’t think it could be fitted in on my final morning. That was a good move but I left it late to book and had another taxi saga. On this occasion the taxi arrived on time and we set off in the right direction but about ten minutes along the route the driver said ‘Oh dear….my bad luck’ and explained that his tyres (or one at least!) were losing pressure at an alarming rate… He was very good and drove to the next taxi stand and got a colleague there to take me on so that I arrived in good time for the tour.

Gaudi again! This time a number of buildings that were supposed to be the beginnings of a development of 60 residences each with its own garden. But that idea never took off and what remains is a pleasant park area with a few buildings. It’s most famous for the gatehouses and the viewing area, but I was intrigued by the pillars supporting the market and the covered areas generally: the supports reminded me of the splayed feet of a giraffe bending down to drink, though it doesn’t look as obvious in the photos!

And the final excitement of the day? I actually got a regular bus back to Pl. Catalunya and walked back to the hotel via Las Ramblas and the local equivalent of Borough Market, picking up som churros and fruit on the way.

It’s nearly time to say farewell to Barcelona…