Colonia Guëll, Gaudi Crypt and Montserrat

Posted on April 16, 2014 by Tim and Joanne Joseph

Tuesday April 15, Montserrat

Income tax day in the USA.  Normally I’m a procrastinater, but due to our traveling schedule we were forced to plan ahead and we got our taxes done before leaving in March. It was quite nice to not have to worry about the deadline.

Our time in Spain is coming to an end, but before we left we wanted to take a day trip to see Montserrat.  We booked the trip through the local tourist office which was just a short walk from our apartment.  The tour was run by the same company as the hop-on hop-off bus we had used earlier in our stay, Barcelona Bus Turistic.

Colonia Gull

First stop was at a small town, Colonia Guëll.  The entire village was founded by Eusebi Guëll around his textile factory.  Everyone in town worked for him.  Being a bit more charitable than many land-barons of the time, he also provided housing, a hospital, two schools (one for boys and the other for girls), a church, social club (bar) and a theater for his workers.

“The Colonia Güell is one of the greatest legacies in architecture and town planning in Spain today. Built at the end of the 19th century, it comprises a factory area, a residential area and the Gaudí Church Crypt, one of the most representative works of Antoni Gaudí. The whole estate has been declared a Site of Historic and Artistic Interest. Its buildings are outstanding for their spaciousness, formal beauty and simple shapes and volumes.” ~ coloniaguellbarcelona.com

Mondernista or Art Nouveau style

Modernista or Art Nouveau style

Typical row of houses in village

Typical row of houses in village

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Barcelona ~ Two UNESCO World Heritage sites in one day.

Posted on April 14, 2014 by Tim and Joanne Joseph

Monday April 14th, Barcelona

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Palau de la Musica Catalana (photo courtesy Wikipedia)

This was our last full day in Barcelona and we still had a couple of major sites we wanted to get to.  One was a music museum and the other a hospital, both designed by the same architect,  Lluís Domènech i Montaner, both beautiful in their own way, and both UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Continue reading →

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Barcelona Liceu Opera House

Posted on April 14, 2014 by Tim and Joanne Joseph

Sunday, April 13th, Barcelona

It is Sunday and quiet has once again returned to our narrow-streeted neighborhood.  The shops are closed and the streets are empty.  It is hard to believe that just the previous evening it had been crowded with people out laughing, socializing, walking and stopping off in their local bar for a drink and a few tapas.

A young girl was wearing a bridal veil, and carrying a bouquet of flowers.  She wore a sign written in Spanish, or more likely Catalan, that I could not read.  She came up to me and gave me a “free” hug. Continue reading →

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Joan Miro, Barcelona Botanical Gardens, Olympic Stadium

Posted on April 13, 2014 by Tim and Joanne Joseph

Saturday, April 12th, Barcelona

Retracing our path up to Montjuic today to check out the Joan Miro Museum and the larger Barcelona Botanical Gardens.

Joan Miro Art Center

Bold colors, eccentric style and more interested in symbolism than realistic productions, he is another artist that takes some time to acquire a taste for.

Joan Miro was born in Barcelona in 1893 and lived to be 90 years old.  He experimented in a wide variety of artistic endeavors ranging from sculpture, drawing, painting, ceramics and weaving.  Here are a few examples of his work on display at the City Hall building and at the art center bearing his name.

Woman (1983), Statue sculture on display at City Hall, Barcelona
“Tapestry of the Foundation”, a weaving with cotton and wool in primary colors
Titled: Man and woman in front of a pile of exrement

Titled: Man and woman in front of a pile of excrement

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Montjuic, Palau Nacional, Magic fountains

Posted on April 12, 2014 by Tim and Joanne Joseph

Friday, April 11th, Barcelona

We did a bit of housecleaning and laundry this morning, as well as sleeping in, so got a later start.  Catching the Metro and connecting to the funicular took us to the top of Montjuic.

Montjuic

A hill located southwest of town, with sweeping views of the harbor, the name translates to “Jew Mountain”.  The steep western side houses a large jewish cemetery to this day.  There is much to see and do on Montjuic including a visit to the castle, riding the gondola, Joan Miro Museum, the Palau Nacional, several botanical gardens, museums and former olympic venues. Continue reading →

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Sagrada Familia, Arc de Triomf, Park de la Ciutadella

Posted on April 11, 2014 by Tim and Joanne Joseph

Thursday, April 10th, Barcelona

Warning, another long post.  So much to share from today!

I’m rather embarrassed to admit that I really did not “get” Gaudi.  After visiting Park Guell, and walking through La Pedrera, as well as walking past the front of his well-known building on the “block of discord”, I was still feeling ambivalent at best.

I thought I understood his love of nature and his desire to incorporate it into his designs, but I was left puzzled and more like I had visited a hollywood set, or something out of Disneyland rather than a work of architectural brilliance.

When he graduated from his architectural training, his professors summed it up best, “Who knows whether we have given the degree to a madman or a genius: only time will tell”.  I was leaning toward the former.

But that was about to change… Continue reading →

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Barcelona ~ A date for Tapas, Casa Mila, La Pedrera

Posted on April 9, 2014 by Tim and Joanne Joseph

Wednesday, April 9th, Barcelona

Back in 2011 I traveled to Guatemala to study Spanish for three weeks.  It was to be total immersion, staying with a local lady in a boarding house in Antigua.  My travel buddies, Karen and Jan who were WAY ahead of me in learning Spanish, were also with me.

Also staying in the same home was a lady from Finland (Sirpa), a college student from Texas (Dawn) and three young students from Madrid (Anna, Beatriz and Casilda).  Thanks to the magic of the Internet, Continue reading →

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Barcelona ~ Park Güell, Gaudi and Architectural Flair

Posted on April 7, 2014 by Tim and Joanne Joseph

Sunday, April 6th, Barcelona

Sundays are quiet in our neighborhood.  The small stores are closed and the streets are vacated.  You’ve heard the saying about rolling up the sidewalks after dark, well that applies in spades here on Sundays.

Our quiet neighborhood on a Sunday morning

Our quiet neighborhood on a Sunday morning

You can see examples of artistic graffiti on the shop doors.

But just a few blocks away on La Rambla, the city is alive with tourists and a few locals. Most of the stores and markets are closed here too, but people are out and about.  Several ships are in port and an 11K race that starts and ends at Plaza Catalunya is in progress as we work our way toward the main plaza. Continue reading →

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Barcelona – Hop on bus, Picasso Museum and Santa Maria Del Mar Church

Posted on April 6, 2014 by Tim and Joanne Joseph

Saturday, April 5th, Barcelona

The sun came out and once again we are blessed with beautiful weather.  Our first job this morning was to mail a couple of post cards.  Just around the corner from our apartment is this enormous government building (which conveniently houses the post office) with a very surprising interior.  Even the inside of the post office is spectacular here!

Post office interior

Post office interior

Double Decker Tour Bus Continue reading →

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Barcelona ~ Cathedral, Walking and rambling on La Rambla, Mirador de Colon.

Posted on April 4, 2014 by Tim and Joanne Joseph

Friday, April 4th, Barcelona

Our weather cleared up and it was time to get out and explore.  Originally we thought we would take the hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus, but decided to simply walk.  As I mentioned earlier, the Barcelona Cathedral is only a couple of minutes walk from our doorstep.  We had walked past it on our first day in town, but were too tired to go inside. Today we decided to take a look at the interior.

Barcelona Cathedral aka Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia

This is a gothic cathedral that was primarily constructed from the 13-15th century.

Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia (Barcelona Cathedral)

Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia (Barcelona Cathedral)

“The cathedral is dedicated to Eulalia of Barcelona, co-patron saint of Barcelona, a young virgin who, according to Catholic tradition, suffered martyrdom during Roman times in the city.” ~ Wikipedia

St. Eulalia was only 13 years old when she was tortured for refusing to recant her Christianity.  The 13 methods of torture are beyond barbaric (I guess that is really a crazy statement as any torture is barbaric) and included cutting off her breasts, putting her in a barrel that had knives stuck in it and rolling her down a hill and finally decapitation. Continue reading →

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