Spain did not disappoint. Antoni Gaudí’s Barcelona was as magical as I thought it would be. What artist intentionally starts something that he knows he will never see to completion?
La Sagrada Familia
My first stop was Gaudí’s masterwork, La Sagrada Familia. This temple is amazing in so many ways. The highly decorated nativity façade was built first so that people would be amazed and continue to donate funds to support its completion. Here’s a public domain photo of the building.
Inside La Sagrada Familia
As ornate as the façade is, nothing prepares you for entering. I’m sure that no matter which time of day you visit, it’s breathtaking. But to have the morning sun throwing such magnificent light . . . I was speechless.
It is obvious that Gaudí was inspired by nature, but a visit to the museum about his work did a wonderful job of explaining it in words and pictures. Here’s a panel from the museum and what I saw in the temple.
I’m so glad La Sagrada Familia was one of my first stops. I spent the rest of my time in Barcelona thinking about the flora and fauna that inspired Gaudí’s art. At first I saw temple steeples as towers of asparagus, but they were probably lavender flowers and the leave buds of horse chestnut trees.
When I saw this candelabra, I immediately thought of grasshoppers.
One last thing about La Sagrada Familia. Its planned completion date is 2026, the 100th anniversary of Antoni Gaudí’s death. And upon completion, some of the parts that are currently visible will not be (at least from the ground). So I might have seen the fruit on the towers for the last time.
Park Güell
Park Güell was initially planned as a residential community, but lack of interest (the real estate bust in 1914?) stopped the project. Subsequently turned into a private, then public garden, Park Güell is a fantasy-rich universe filled with familiar plants (my part of California also has a Mediterranean climate), crazy architecture, and terrific trencadís (mosaics made with broken tile and ceramics).
Were the designs in the tile of one of the model homes inspired by the chestnut leaves or this plant that I just knew I would remember the name of? (Oh, the joy of getting old!)
Casa Milà
I could have stayed in Park Güell for days just looking and photographing, but there was more detective work to be done. Was this ceiling in Casa Milà inspired by the petals of the pincushion flower?
And the gates inspired by butterfly wings?
If you haven’t visited Barcelona, I hope you have the opportunity. I’m hoping my friend and travel partner does, in fact, move to Spain so I have an excuse to return to this magical city.