Quatro Dias a Barcelona (Four Days in Barcelona)

One of the major perks about living in Europe is the ability to travel to other countries quickly and cheaply. Tom and I had been hoping to visit Barcelona ever since we moved to Rome and so, when my plans to run the Rome marathon were derailed by a training injury, it seemed like race weekend would be the perfect time to go.  Of course, in a cruel twist of fate, my plans to avoid the marathon didn't work out quite perfectly since it turned out that the Barcelona marathon was on the same day (and our airport bus literally dropped us off on the race course).  But, luckily, I fell in love with Barcelona so quickly that I hardly had time to feel bad about not getting to run.

Overlook at Montjuic

Perhaps part of the reason that I love Barcelona so much is that it somehow manages to combine the best of all worlds. From a US perspective, it's basically San Diego meets San Francisco meets Washington DC meets Candyland (that last bit will make more sense shortly!).  It's full of beautiful Gothic buildings, but it also has funky looking modern skyscrapers.  It has a hippy/Bohemian vibe, but is still very sophisticated and classy.  It's beach town, but still has a very urban vibe. Because of all of this (and despite the fact that I hear it's completely overrun with tourists in the summer), I'd happily jump at the chance to live there if I could!

Catalonian Flag

Barcelona is also interesting from a cultural standpoint because it's part of Catalonia (an area in the northeast region of Spain).  Catalonians speak Catalan, (as used in the heading of this post), rather than Spanish (although most do speak Spanish as well), fly their own flag, and many regularly assert a desire to secede from Spain.  (We saw one such protest while we were in town.)  The sense of cultural pride is fun to see, but I'd certainly hate to be caught in a Madrid soccer jersey in the streets of Barcelona!

In the four days of our trip we saw and did so many amazing things that it's really not possible to describe it all in one blog post.  However, I'll hit a few of the highlights below and will post more pictures on facebook for those of you who are interested.

1.  Sagrada Familia

The Sagrada Familia From a Distance

When traveling, it's normally a bit of a bummer if one of the sites you plan to see is under construction and surrounded by scaffolding and cranes.

You can't take this view with the Sagrada Familia, though, because this Basilica has been under construction for over 130 years (and likely won't be completed until at least 2026)!  Although a different architect originally undertook the project, Antonio Gaudi took over a couple of years later, and completely reconceptualized the space.  Gaudi is known as the main figure in the Catalonia Modernism movement, and he drew out careful plans for much of the building, knowing full well that it would not be completed during his lifetime.

Nativity Facade

I had a hard time understanding how the project could take so long until I saw the Basilica in person.  "Insane" is probably the best way to describe it.  Even in its uncompleted state (about 60% is finished at this point), the structure is massive.  It basically takes up a city block, and its eight spires are so tall, that you can see them from quite a distance.  When completed, the Basilica will actually have eighteen spires, and the central one (adorned with a huge cross) will be 560 feet high!

But it's not just the size that mandates so much time and energy- it's also the extremely intricate design and statuary covering every centimeter of the building.  Three sides of the building have (or will have) grand facades. The Nativity Facade (which was largely designed by Gaudi himself and built between 1894 and 1930) looks to me like a massive melting candle or a fancy decorated cake.

By contrast, the Passion Facade (which was built in the later part of the 1900s, long after Gaudi's death in 1926) has a much more sleek and angular feel.  The statuary surely accomplishes Gaudi's goal of striking fear into the onlooker, but there is some debate as to whether the modern style of the art is truly reflective of Gaudi's vision.  The third facade, the Glory Facade, is still under construction, and is intended to be the most "striking" of the three (which is frankly hard to imagine after seeing the other two!).

Passion Facade

Of course, the inside of the Basilica is equally crazy and impressive.  An intricate canopy of columns give the interior a natural/woodsy feel, and all of the light pouring through the stained glass windows almost makes you feel as though you're walking around inside of a rainbow.  It was such a strange and unique experience that it's really just not possible to do the place justice in writing.

Inside Sagrada Familia

Unfortunately, it was too windy to take the elevator into the towers the day we were there, but we still had a fantastic time admiring the building (the line to get in moves much quicker than you'd think and, in any case, it's well worth the wait).  However, the  best part is that the fact that it's not finished just gives us a good excuse to go back someday!

2.  Park Guell and Other Gaudi Architecture

Candyland or Park Guell?

Gaudi's influence in Barcelona extends even further than the Sagrada Familia, though.  His distinctive style can be seen in various buildings around town, as well as in Park Guell (pronounced like "Parkway").

Park Guell is situated on a hill on the north side of town.  It was designated as a park space after a planned community project failed.  Before visiting the Sagrada Familia, Tom and I made the pleasant (but uphill) walk over to the park to enjoy its funky Candyland-esque design and to take in the fabulous views of the sea and the city.  The Park was extremely crowded with groups of school children and Swiss tourists (the latter of which wore matching hot green vests and carried hiking poles), but as we climbed higher and higher on the park's many stairways, the tourists did become a bit less numerous.  Unfortunately all of the people made it feel a bit more like a theme park than a nature experience, but we did enjoy visiting such a unique place.

Park Guell

Park Guell

Gaudi Architecture

At other points in our trip, we also had a lot of fun just looking for (and then looking up at) Gaudi's other colorful and whimsical buildings around town (which are incredibly easy to pick out of a lineup). Often they inspire comparisons to food, nature, or the types of themes you might find at a ten year old's birthday party such as "under the sea."  

Even apart from Gaudi, though, Barcelona is generally known for its architecture for good reason.  It really seems like many of the buildings there are more creative and innovative than those in many other parts of the world, and Barcelonians don't seem to have any qualms of mixing drastically different styles of architecture in the same area.  In the end, though, it really works to create an interesting, eclectic urban environment.    

3.  Biking Along the Coast

"Biking" (with the kickstand down, apparently)

On the second day of our trip, Tom and I rented bikes and spent half a day riding north along the sunny coast.

It's funny, after spending our first day and half entirely in the city, I had almost forgotten that Barcelona was on the sea, but once we went just a half mile or so in the opposite direction from our vacation apartment, the scenery completely changed.  Suddenly, instead of small windy streets and Gothic buildings we saw sandy beaches, tons of boats (mostly docked, since it was still a bit chilly for sailing), and bikers, rollerbladers (that sport is still big in Spain, apparently), and joggers galore.  

Downtown

We also rode past the more commercial/downtown center of Barcelona, which many office workers commute to every day.  Here, too, the architecture was especially unique and interesting, and it seemed like we were stopping every few minutes just to take in all of the views.

The highlight of this day, though (possibly the highlight of the whole trip for Tom), was  our discovery of some adult-sized playground equipment along the coast (or, at least, if it wasn't intended for adults, then Barcelonians must really not worry about child safety the way Americans do). Tom and I had a blast climbing up the twenty (or so) foot roped structure and then sliding down the (very fast) slide, before running back to climb up again.  Someone really needs to develop spots like that in the Midwest.  (I guess I'll have to keep that in mind for when the whole lawyering thing gets old.)

A Chilly Day at the Beach

It's true that one general criticism of Barcelona may be that it's a bit lacking in green space.  For a city of its size, the parks are limited (and crowded), and many areas that appear "green" on the map are really just open squares filled with gravel. However, the extensive trail system along the coast does help make up for this, and you do have to hand it to Barcelona for creating many opportunities to get additional exercise (on various pieces of public play and exercise equipment) along the way.

It was much too cold to contemplate a dip in the water, but we did enjoy the fact that the beaches were less crowded than they otherwise would have been.  I have rarely rented a bike when on vacation, but I really think it's something I should be doing more often.  It's such a great way to see a lot more of the city in a limited amount of time.

4.  Montjuic

Olympic Stadium

On our last day, Tom and I hiked up to Montjuic, a hilly area on the west side of town.  Over the years, Barcelona has used this area to hold world-class events, most notably the 1929 World's Fair, and, more recently, the 1992 Summer Olympics.  The area is also home to several museums (none of which we had time to visit, unfortunately), including the National Art Museum of Catalonia.

It was a lot of fun to wander around the Olympic Park and imagine what it must have been like filled with athletes and spectators in '92.  The main square was quite beautiful and contained several water features, as well as the communications tower (which apparently also functions as a sundial).  If I lived in Barcelona, I'd totally run around that area while blasting the "Rocky" theme song on my iPod.  In other ways, though, it was a bit depressing to see that there is now little purpose for much of the space. Much of it seems to regularly sit unused, and some of the facilities are quite neglected.  (As a sad example,  we saw lots of trash floating around the diving pools.)  But, on the whole, our experience there was still a positive one.

Olympic Square

We definitely saved the best for last, though, because the area around the National Art Museum was really spectacular.  The Museum building itself was beautiful, and from it, there were sweeping views to the north of the city.  Unfortunately the large fountain at the bottom of the hill wasn't yet turned on  for the season, but we didn't miss it much with so much else to see.

View from National Art Museum

National Art Museum

Of course, over the course of our trip, we did lots of other fun things, including exploring different neighborhoods, checking out the local markets, visiting other (less grand but still beautiful) churches, and eating tons of delicious non-Italian food.  We also had the opportunity to meet up with an old friend (who just happened to also be vacationing in Barcelona), as well as a family friend (who lives there).  All in all, we had a completely amazing time and already can't wait to go back in 2026 (or whenever they finally finish that crazy church)!

Alla Prossima,
Erin

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Sat. Mar 23:  The weather in Barcelona was similar to how it's been in Rome.  Party cloudy, highs around 60, but still cold enough at times to need a coat of some sort.