Nicole schreibt...

Barcelona 2004

For years I didn't care about Spain - too bad was the image I had of the country as a cheap destination for drunk lowlife tourists. But the wonderful time spent in Andalucia last year convinced me otherwise and I decided to take a look around the country. Since so many people had been gushing about the beauty of Barcelona and the town is within easy reach thanks to bargain airline Germanwings, Barcelona was the next destination in my quest to get to know the Spain beyond Ballermann and Lloret de Mar.

Above top is the modern harbour area, recently redeveloped for the Olympic Games 1994 (funny enough it reminded me a lot of Darling Harbour in Sydney, which had also been given a modern overhaul with an Aquarium, museum and shopping mall for the Olympic Games 2000). In the following row we got the Columbus monument by the harbour (funny enough he's still facing east and not west towards America!), followed by the famous Pickpocketing Mile of Barcelona, also known as Las Ramblas and finally the beautiful medieval Barrio Gotic, where not much has changed since 14th century. he whole area with its tiny crooked streets and ancient buildings is so well-preserved that you really expect to bump into a Musketeer behind the next street corner. Left is the inner courtyard of Barcelona's main church, Santa Eulalia, also dating back several centuries.

However, Santa Eulalia may be the oldest church in Barcelona but it most certainly isn't the most famous one - that's the Sagrada Familia, Antoni Gaudi's unfinished masterpiece that also dominates the Barcelona skyline. They've been at it for more than fifty years now and although series of photos document the progress of the work, it's very far from finished. Well, the cathedral in Cologne took more than 500 years, so they shouldn't lose heart just yet. Photos can't document the sheer genius of Gaudi's work here - although the church towers always look quite cheesy on photos, I do believe that Gaudi was the first one in centuries to try a new style for church building, which is documented in so many amazing little details all over the Sagrada Familia. All I can say is - go and see for yourself ;)

My first exposure to Antoni Gaudi was the dreadful musical by Eric Woolfson that only served to turn me off him. It was thus with a lot of sarcasm that I arrived in Barcelona, where most of his famous works can be found. However, it didn't take me long to be bowled over by this man's imagination and creativity. Photos just can't do him justice. For me his masterpiece is Parc Guell, a park Gaudi designed for a rich Barcelona businessman who intended this to become an entire quarter to live in. Today it's mainly the fabulous entrance (reminiscent of Disneyland more than anything else) with his famous dragon fountain that attracts visitors, but you can also stroll around for walks and enjoy the great view over Barcelona from the terraces. Another famous work of his is the Casa Mila, a residential house on Passeig de Gracia, Barcelona's major shopping street.

Finally... our safe haven from the bustle of the city - an oasis of peace right in the centre of Barcelona :)