A day in Barcelona (part 2)

We had enjoyed our day in Barcelona and we knew there was more to see, but with a 6-hour drive down to the Costa Blanca ahead of us the following day, we didn’t want to overdo it: that’s when a perfectly lovely day can easily be spoiled by trying to do too much, and that’s when it stops being enjoyable and it starts feeling like work.

Still, we did want to take a peek at a few more of Barcelona’s notorious spots, so after dinner we set out – by car this time – to see the Sagrada Familia, Barcelona’s most famous church, the unfinished opus of Anton Gaudí, the architect still celebrated as one of the most brilliant visionaries of Modernism.

The Sagrada Familia (full name: Temple Espiatori de la Segrada Familia, Espiatory Temple of the Sacred Family – cheerful, isn’t it?) is a still-unfinished, monumentally large and incredibly detailed church. My husband saw it while on a school trip some 25 years ago, and he was still impressed seeing it now, especially because he had thought it was already huge the first time around.

Personally, I am not into modern design, but there is something about Modernism and Art Nouveau, and about Gaudí’s work in particular, that speaks to me. It’s interesting, original, never boring. There are no straight lines, no sharp corners, nor minimalistic details here – on the contrary, his work is so detailed and has so much going on that one could say it’s kind of over the top. But somehow it works.

Between the cranes, the construction materials and the dark, it was tricky to get a proper photo of the Segrada Familia, but here’s a peek:

We then headed to Montjuïc, for the water/light show at the Font Màgica (Magic Fountain), in front of the Palau Nacional – the real reason why we had waited until dark to head back out in the first place.

It was a beautiful sight: the avenue (Avinguda de la Reina Maria Cristina) was lined with lighted fountains, and despite the crowd of tourists and locals alike, it was, as the name said, kind of magical. It’s impossible to convey just how lovely it was. But… I tried anyway by shooting a little video Here’s a taste of the light show:

After this, I would have loved to see more of Montjuïc, the hill that seems to have the highest concentration of historical artefacts and art in all of Barcelona; but we just woulnd’t have enough time on the following morning, so we drove up the hill to at least take a quick look at the Montjuïc Castle, then back down the Avinguda de la Reina Maria Cristina, crossing Plaça d’Espanya (which again, the Fodor guide didn’t seem to like, for some reason – what is wrong with this guy?) on our way back to the hotel.

The following day we decided to check out one more spot before heading South – we didn’t have a lot of time, what to choose? Montjuïc would have been my first pick, but exploring it would have required at least half a day; and since what I had seen of Gaudí’s work had left me wanting to see more, we picked Park Güell.

And so we ended our visit to Barcelona on a fun and colorful note, to everyone’s satisfaction.

While driving out of the city, on our way to the Costa Blanca, we talked about the mix of architectural styles. In any other place, you’d define it a mish-mash or hodge-podge, but not in Barcelona. Here somehow the Roman ruins and neoclassical buildings of the Old Town mix seamlessly with the Gothic, Medieval feel of the Barri Gòtic, and the Modernism (Art Nouveau) that is sprinkled around the city, with the Eixample having the highest concentration). And to top it off, the blue waters on the harbor and the green of La Cittadella and Montjuïc create a perfect frame to it all.

I realize that spending only one day in a city like Barcelona is almost unfair, because there is no way you can see it all, nor give everything the attention it deserves. I hate missing out on something special, and I know there was a lot more to see. But because of the sheer abundance of art and incredible architecture, we felt like we saw a lot even in such a short time and really enjoyed our brief stay in Barcelona!

I do hope to be back one day, both to see what I have missed this time around, and to see again what I have already enjoyed. But until then, I have great memories and some nice photos to fall back on… and 10 blissful and relaxing days on the Costa Blanca, which you will hear about later

Until then,

Tagged as: Barcelona, Spain, summer 2010