Sampling Spain - Barcelona

 

Barcelona's Cathedral 

 We stayed within yards of the Barcelona Cathedral.  Unfortunately, the entire facade was covered with scaffolding, but its spire is visible.
La Rambla
 La Rambla is a long pedestrian course adjacent to the Barri Gotik.  And it did seem to be busy night and day.
Potty Mime
 Sidewalk resaurants, flower markets, bird markets and mimes populate La Rambla. 
La Boqueria
 La Boqueria is a huge food market adjacent to La Rambla.  Every kind of food appears here.
Casa Moreno
 Eixample, by virtue of its development around the turn of the 20th century is home to much of Barcelona's Modernista architecture.  This is Casa Lleó Morera, by Montaner and completed in 1906.
Casa Batllo
 Casa Batllo was a remodel job done by Antoni Gaudi between 1902 and 1907.  This is the facade, overlooking Passeig de Gràcia.
Casa Batllo Lounge
 Stepping inside Casa Batllo, we can look out from the principal living room to see the Passeig de Gràcia.
Nativity Facade of Sagrada Familia
 Gaudi's most spectacular work is the Sagrada Familia.  He started working on it in 1884, and this part, the Nativity Facade, was completed in 1904.  At this stage, the church looks like it needs another hundred years of work.  Gaudi was killed in a tram accident in 1926, which didn't help progress, and neither did the Spanish Civil War.

 Lesser Spires at Sagrada Familia

 Gaudi's roof features are almost invariably colorful.  This shot show the scaffolding that filles the unfinished nave area.

Seating at Parc Guell 

 More Gaudi.  This is Parc Guell, and this 500-foot bench snakes around the Gran Plaça Circular.  This park, which opened in 1922, was a component of a much larger project, which was never realized.

 Columns at Parc Guell

 Still in Park Guell, we are looking at the columns defining a walkway at the base of one of the many tiers of the park.  Notice the washerwoman?

 Mies Van Der Rohe

 In 1929, Barcelona hosted an International Exhibition, and one of its components was the Pavelló Mies van der Rohe.  This pavillion included the Barcelona chair as it seating.  What we see today is a 1986 replica, because the original was destroyed after the Exhibition was over.

 Richard Meier

 Another well known architect, Richard Meier (Getty Museum, Los Angeles; High Museum, Atlanta; City Hall, San Jose) designed the Barcelona Museu d'Art Contemporani.  This shows the city's continued interest in vibratn architecture.

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