Getting Giddy About Gaudi in Barcelona

By The Bondi Travel Bug on April 28, 2016 in Other

The Bondi Travel Bug

Barcelona’s skyline is dominated by one architect’s extraordinary passion and his distinctive vision for free-flowing abstract designs, which were greatly influenced by nature.

The revered designer is Antoni Gaudi, who lived in Spain from 1852 to 1926. Brought up and schooled in Barcelona, Gaudi was part of what was known at the time as the Catalan Modernista movement.

His body of work is immense and his abstract geometric creations can be seen right across the city, but his piece de resistance is a large Roman Catholic Church called La Sagrada Familia.

In 1883 Gaudi was commissioned with the construction of the basilica. Plans had been drawn up at the time, but Gaudi’s vision called for a complete change of design to his own ostentatious style and thus it is still under construction today.

If the construction is completed by the target finishing date in 2026, it will coincide with the 100^th anniversary of Gaudi’s passing.

Whilst in Barcelona, some of Gaudi’s must see creations are as follows:

1. Cascada Fountain: As an assistant to the architect Josep Fontsere, a young Gaudi’s influence makes this fountain a standout in Barcelona’s most famous park.
2. Casa Vicens: His first memorable building, built between 1883 and 1888.
3. La Pedrera: One of the most inspirational apartments built in the history of architecture.
4. Parc Guell: A UNESCO World Heritage garden complex containing a series of vibrantly designed buildings. There is also a colonnaded hall and terrace with serpentine shapes. Gaudi lived in a home at the park.
5. Palau Guell: Was the palace residence of the Guell family (Guell was a patron for Gaudi and collaborated in many of his works).
6. 6. Colonia Guell: A Gaudi designed church and crypt.
7. El Drac de Gaudi: Another masterpiece highlighted by an extraordinary cast iron dragon gate.
8. Casa Batllo: A classic creation that contains all of Guadi’s pizazz including colourful ceramics, tiles and stone.
9. Casa Calvet: A stone façade reflects baroque influences containing bay windows and sculptural decorations.
10. La Sagrada Familia: All one can say is that this creation is one of Gaudi’s best. It has to be seen to be believed.

Along with Gaudi’s work, the city of Barcelona today is a showcase of modern architecture mixed in with some of the more traditional Catalan Gothic buildings.

Walking the streets will have you gawking at what is one of the most beautiful and most visited cities in Europe. The gothic quarter is in the centre of the old city and here many of the buildings date back to medieval times.

The main avenue in Barcelona is La Rambla. This was the first street we ventured down on our Catalan adventure. The tree-lined pedestrian mall is full of cafés, restaurants and classically designed baroque architecture. We were there during a rare quiet period through the week and the street had a wonderful peaceful aura. It really hit home once we walked the length of La Rambla and turned into one of the most crowded avenues I’ve ever seen with wall-to-wall people cramming for space.

No trip to Spain is complete without sampling the country’s most recognised dish, paella. Just off La Rambla is one of the city’s famous squares, Placa Reial. In the plaza there are many restaurants and some of the city’s most famous nightclubs. One of the restaurants we discovered served sensational paella that brought us back night after night (along with the local sangria).

Also just off La Rambla is the colourful and lively La Boqueria Food Market. If it’s a bargain you’re after, these are definitely not the markets for you. We purchased some animal shaped chocolates that nearly made us choke when we realised the price, but that didn’t stop us going back for more.

My tip for first time visitors to Barcelona is to get a 24-hour pass for the hop-on, hop-off bus. It’s the perfect way to discover this huge city and it gives you a better idea of what you want to see. My highlight, apart from seeing many of Gaudi’s classics, was a stop at the famous Barcelona Football Club (FC Barcelona) home ground.

Barcelona is an extraordinary coastal city with a wonderful culture, enchanting architecture, and an array of eclectic bars and dining options. It exceeded all my expectations.