Or rather, bon dia, Barcelona. And since I never ventured out of Catalonia in Spain, my French actually turned out to be far more useful here than my Spanish pocket dictionary.
In many ways, Barcelona was reminiscent of Miami to me, and it was with nostalgia for my early teenage years that I walked through Les Rambles. There they were again – the bustling streets, the dancing palm trees, the Hispanic heat...
But my favourite part of Barcelona was something that cannot be found in the States. Gaudí’s architecture. God, I have so much love for that man’s work. The Sagrada Família is one of the most amazing places I have ever set foot in (and if all goes according to plan, I will be able to say that again for the completed version in fifteen years time).
The façades, the doors, the pillars, the ceiling, the stained glass windows, the spiral staircases... I don’t even know what to write about first, let alone which words might do them justice. It was just so completely unlike anything I had ever seen. They say that you either love Gaudí’s architecture or you hate it. Well, I guess they’re right, because I never even felt I'd been given a choice.
I loved the way he drew inspiration from nature, shaping the pillars to imitate trees, modelling the ceiling above to resemble a canopy and positioning the windows to let light stream in like sunrays through a forest. A man with an appreciation for music (tick!), Gaudí also took great care in designing the church to produce the best acoustics possible. I cannot wait to hear the voices of a full choir accompanied by an 8000-piped organ ring out from the naves at the top of the temple. Getting goosebumps already...
Later, in the Parc Güell, I fell in love with Gaudí’s mosaics, especially the reptilian features: the serpentine bench and his beautiful mosaic dragon. There were also the magical colonnaded pathways and the “bird nest” terraces lines by palm trees... And a perfect Spanish sky to boot.
Then, on Barcelona’s most famous street, La Rambla, I saw his Casa Batlló – a building that, for me, practically screams Tim Burton. And in case you weren’t sure, dear reader, that is a good thing. A very good thing indeed. The colours, the kookiness, the movement, and just the pure genius of Gaudí’s work – I would go back to Barcelona just for that.
Then, on Barcelona’s most famous street, La Rambla, I saw his Casa Batlló – a building that, for me, practically screams Tim Burton. And in case you weren’t sure, dear reader, that is a good thing. A very good thing indeed. The colours, the kookiness, the movement, and just the pure genius of Gaudí’s work – I would go back to Barcelona just for that. But of course, that’s not all that this beautiful city has to offer. And you know what you have to do to find out, dear reader: stay tuned!
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