One of the benefits of
living in England is that there are several budget airlines that fly from the
smaller London airports to just about anywhere on the European Continent. This past week, John and I
took advantage of one of these cheap airline offers and flew to Barcelona,
Spain, for 4 days.
Easy Jet and Ryanair are
the leading budget airlines in England.
They offer no frill flights all across Europe. For your money you get a seat (in many cases
a non-reclining seat) to your destination and that is it. You pay extra for everything else, including
checked bags, anything offered on board (no free drinks), requested seats,
etc. They don't even offer frequent flyer
miles. They offer a very stripped down
way of traveling and the planes are packed!
Barcelona was a delightful surprise. The architect Antonia Gaudi has left an incredible legacy of his work in the region. Gaudi was a Spanish Catalan architect and figurehead of Catalan Modernism. His works reflect his highly individual and distinctive style that is heavily influenced by themes in nature.
The Sagrada Família is Gaudí's unfinished masterpiece and one of Barcelona's most popular tourist attractions. Construction on this church has been ongoing since 1882 and will continue for at least another decade or two.
I was stunned by its sheer verticality, beauty, and, in the true manner of the great medieval cathedrals it emulates, the fact that it is still not finished after more than 100 years.
The interior of the cathedral looks like a forest of trees with beautiful alignments tree trunks, branches, and clusters of leaves. In this forest of columns, the light filters through the windows like it does from a canopy of a forest.
I can't even begin to describe the incredible details on surface of the cathedral. The light, the design, the space…it defies description. I was in awe.
I especially loved the light, color and design of the windows.
The view of the city and of the continuing construction from the towers is breathtaking.
Gaudi also designed Park Güell, a garden complex situated on the hill of El Carmel. It was built in 1910-14 and well worth a visit.
La Boqueria is the city’s main covered market place, and is located on Las Ramblas. It offers every kind of Mediterranean cuisine products you can imagine -- a Foodie’s paradise!
Barcelona reminded me a bit of Paris with it's graceful city blocks, large tree lined streets and boulevards.
Even the graffiti in the city was interesting.
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Everywhere the proud and independent spirit of Catalonia was on display.
On our last full day we took the train to Montserrat, mountain top monastery situated atop an unusual multi-peaked mountain, it is very popular among Catalans, and Catholic pilgrims come from far and wide to see the Black Madonna.
My favorite wizard and I enjoyed most hiking to the top of one of the peaks and seeing the view of the countryside.
The best for last: Casa Batlló, another Gaudi masterpiece. It is a family home that Gaudi restored in 1904-06 in his Modernista style using the theme of water and ocean throughout the home. This is a photo of a window taken through a pane of glass.
In Barcelona, every block hold surprises and delights in design and architecture.
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