Gaudi and Modernisme Tour

Sunday March 1 was a beautiful sunny day and our warmest day so far on the trip.  A high of 17C.  We discovered that Banys Vells (our street) means "old baths" and refers to the site of early public baths.  We also found out that the houses date back to the 15th century!  Very cool.

We had lunch at the apartment and then headed out to our rendezvous spot with another Sandeman's Tour called Gaudi and Modernisme.  This tour was not "free", but was only 12 Euros each  (plus tips) and well worth it.

A few minutes from our apartment, we came across a couple doing the tango in a square with an interesting sculpture.

Sunday Tango

As we were a bit early for our meet-up, we wandered in the Gothic quarter.  Bisbe street  (Bishop Street), just behind the cathedral, was very interesting.

Bisbe Street

Our guide was Leon, from England, who has lived in Barcelona for twelve years.  He is a musician and is very knowledgeable about the Modernisme movement.  Our first stop was Palau de la Musica Catalana (Catalan Music Palace), an amazing modernisme masterpiece by Lluis Domenech i Montaner (1850-1923).  It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1997.  The concert hall was commissioned by the Orfeo Carala Choral Society.  It was built between 1905-08.  The facade features red brick combined with colourful ceramic mosaics.  There are many nationalist symbols.  The building was bombed by Mussolini during the Spanish Civil War and had to be restored in part.

Original base of choir tower

                                                                Outside of Palau de la Musica

Rose detail on column- flower of St. George- Catalan Patron Saint

En route to our next destination, Leon pointed out what he considered one of the ugliest buildings in Barcelona.  It is the boutique hotel Ohla which had protrusions like fish eyeballs on both its front and back.  The back with it's blue wall was interesting, but we all agreed the front didn't work too well.

Front of Hotel Ohla

Back of Hotel Ohla

We then went down Carrer  (Catalan word for street) Comtal, a street that divided the old city from the Eixample (Extension) District, where the middle class moved in the 19th century.  There were numerous plaques with pictures of the guilds that used to represent the shop keepers on the street.  Amazingly, most of the shops there today were similar to those shops of old-- e.g. bakeries, pharmacists, trailors.

Baker

Bakery today

Wine shop

Cheese shop with cheese shop tile on column 

Clock maker

Lamplighter (not too many of these today)

Tailor

This was a very interesting street to walk down.  There were also plaques that had comments about how great the neighbourhood was put up by the people who lived and worked there. 

We then started to walk up Passeig de Gracia.  Leon told us that the pavement was designed by Gaudi.  We really hadn't noticed it when we were last in the neighbourhood.  The hexagonal tile was deigned in 1904.  Each of the tiles shows only one third of the symbols which are linked to nature-- honeycombs, turtle shells, starfishes etc.  The spiral pattern is very beautiful and has a religious connotation as Gaudi was very religious.

Gaudi designed pavement on Passeig de Gracia

We arrived at a block on the Passeig de Gracia known as the Mancana de la Discordia (Block of Discord), an allusion to the mythical Judgment of Paris dealing with the question of which of three goddesses is the most beautiful.  The first building we passed was Casa Lleo Morera designed by Lluis Domenech i Montaner.  It was built in 1905 and employed his signature floral designs.  It is sometimes called the house of Lions and Mulberries for the designs.  The owner could not afford pink marble and employed a less expensive pink quartz.

Casa Lleo Morera

Pink Quartz detail

The second house is Casa Amatller, a masterpiece by Josep i Cadalfach.  It was built in 1900.  It made extensive use of ceramics, wrought iron and fanciful sculptures.  The owner was a wealthy chocolatier and pornographer.  Some of the details on the sculptures reflect the owner's occupations.

Casa Amatller- modernisme with reference to Gothic

Monkey with camera  (totally amazing)

Real pink marble column inside the building

Rabbit making chocolate

The third building was Gaudi's Casa Batllo designed in 1905.  There are many curves and the balconies seem to be sculpted ocean waves.  The roof looks like a dragon slain by Saint Jordi (Saint George), the patron saint of Catalunya.

Gaudi's Casa Battle

Rooftop of Casa Batllo-- dragon scales

We then walked up another block to Gaudi's last secular commission, Casa Mila, also known as La Pedrera ( "the stone quarry"), which was finished in 1912.  The widow of the owner did not like the building and called in a stone quarry.  It is an amazing building.  The wrought iron balconies look like seaweed.  Apparently, the director, George Lucas,  enamoured with the building modelled some of the characters in Star Wars after the figures on the roof.

Casa Mila- La Pedrera

Top of La Pedrera--- the figures on the left were the models for Star Wars characters

We then hopped on the Metro and went to Sagrada Familia, which we had visited earlier in the week.  Leon provided more detail about the building and I took some additional pictures.  Leon does not think the Basilica will be finished by 2026, as it is only 2/3 finished.  He also pointed out an apartment building that will be have to be demolished to make room for a section of the church.

Colour on the top of the towers

Tao symbol on top of the Mulberry tree

The Immaculate Conception

Tortoise holding up column on Nativity facade

And to think the building is only about  2/3 complete

After the tour, Alano and I walked back downtown.  We passed a craft fair of local artisans.  The signage is a good example of Catalan, Spanish and English which is found everywhere.  Catalan dominates now and has a lot of French and Italian in it.  Fets a Ma - means made by hand in Catalan.  In Spanish, it is Hechos a Mano.

We walked back to our neighbourhood and decided to visit El Born Cultural Centre which we knew was open to the public on Sunday afternoons.  We passed by the other side of the Mercat Santa  Caterina, which has a beautiful coloured wavy tile roof.

Mercat Santa Caterina

It was then on to El Born Cultural Centre where we had gone for a jazz concert on Thursday. The Cultural Centre used to be a famous market, and was also the scene of key battles in the War of Spanish Succession, which led to the defeat of the Catalans on September 11, 1714.  There is an incredible archaeological site in the lower level of the Centre.  There are remains of houses from the 1700s.   

Outside of El Born Cultural Centre

Archeological dig at El Born Cultural Centre

After our visit, we decided to go to for a drink before dinner.  Catalan vermouth is very popular and is very good.  We stopped at a local bar near the Born Cultural Centre called Bormuth.  I had a vermouth and Alano had a glass of red wine.  We also shared a piece of Spanish omelet and four chicken coquettes.

Toby at Bormuth

It was then back to the apartment for a late dinner and packing for the next adventure.  We flew into Grenada on Monday March 2.  I am posting this late on March 2 and will report tomorrow on our first day in beautiful Grenada.