After a two-day journey from Prague via Venice and Torri Superiore, I spent three nights in Barcelona, getting to know some of the city by hunting down the architecture of Antoni Plàcid Guillem Gaudí i Cornet. Coming from Central Europe it was a bit of a culture (and weather) shock, but I really enjoyed my time absorbing the art, architecture and vibrant mix of new and old worlds.
There were some bits and pieces of graffiti on show in the center of Barcelona but not as much as I'd expected.
Gaudí's architecture is dotted around the city like churches: wherever you find a Gaudí building and whatever its function, you'll find a queue of worshippers.
The Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família was started in 1882, and in 1883 Gaudí was commissioned to carry on the works. Since his death in 1926 construction has continued, funded wholly through donations. The hope is to finish some time in the first half of this century.
For such a monumental structure there is detail and interest on every level. Windows that give views across the whole of Barcelona also reveal a burst of colour or a piece of sculpture that would be invisible from the ground, and the rough earthy textures of the façades are complemented by beautiful and subtle uses of light in the tall naves.
Parc Güell is a large public space to the north of the city, originally planned as a housing estate of sixty plots for the wealthy. Begun in 1900, initially only two houses were built. When there were no buyers Gaudí himself moved his family into one of them, and by 1914 the project had stalled.
Since converted into a municipal garden, the paths and walkways of Parc Güell are built in a rougher, more earthy style, but again show Gaudí's concern for natural form, weight and structure.
After Barcelona I headed out of the city for a few days. Sitges is a little town about 35 kilometres southwest, close to the Parc Natural del Garraf. In summer it's packed full of tourists, but if you get get up with the sun you can have peace, quiet, a warm sea and the beach to yourself...
