Our second day started a bit early with a visit to La Pedrera, which is considered one of Gaudí’s greatest masterpieces, but frankly I preferred Casa Battló and its aquatic inspiration. Maybe I have no taste. But nevertheless it became increasingly self-evident that perhaps no architect matches his genius. La Pedrera’s rooftop and attic, along with its early installation of elevators and a car park, serve to demonstrate just how committed he was to both function and beauty. It’s crazy to think people actually LIVED here once upon a time.
I think my favorite part of La Pedrera is indeed the attic because it showcases how Gaudí developed some of his buildings. Rarely using plans, he relied on scale models and often made significant adjustments in the middle of the building production process. Even more riveting is his penchant for his hanging, weighted chain models. Once exposed to a mirror, Gaudí could see the building from the right-side up, and adjust features or geometry to his liking.
A quick stop for a delicious tapas lunch at La Salut near the soon-to-be-featured Park Güell left us full and ready for our next adventure. Highly recommend it as a stopover if you’re in the area, the patatas bravas and croquettes were phenomenal.
As if we didn’t receive enough direct exposure to Gaudí’s genius, I foolishly waited until the last minute to buy tickets to La Sagrada Família, which meant opting for a private tour. Our guide Xavier (pronounced Cha-vee-err in Catalan) first took us to Park Güell, a private park system originally intended as an urban revitalization project. Eusebi Güell, the textile industrialist patron, and Gaudí, his foremost recipient of that patronage, envisioned a housing development amid a natural setting that never quite came to fruition.
The solution, then, was to develop the area into a municipal park. And develop Gaudí did. Every time we visited one of his masterpieces, I was blown away by his progression. At Park Güell, Gaudí considers everything through the lenses of nature and innovation, while keeping humanity at the forefront of his designs. Splendidly shaped buildings flank the front gate, which Xavier later told us was Gaudí’s interpretation of the witch’s house in Hansel and Gretel. We entered through a side gate, giving us a perfect chance to view the colonnade path directly under the park’s main terrace.
Our group proceeded through the lush park to another pathway resembling an ocean’s crashing wave, whose columns are angled to reduce the load of the road above. Mastery doesn’t begin to cover it. Few others could think to do this, and fewer still, perhaps none, could make it happen.
The terrace itself is a masterpiece. Held up by The Hall of the Hundred Columns, snaking, ergonomic benches serve as the perfect microcosm of Gaudí’s attention to detail. The easily cleaned tiled mosaic (Xavier’s note to us), the lumbar support, the pooling of water towards the back of the bench to prevent loungers from getting wet. And this was just the beginning.
The terrace is an oval of sand, used today for concerts. When it rains, the water sifts through the sand and into PIPES IN THE COLUMNS BELOW, serving to irrigate the park. Sensational work. We’re playing checkers while Gaudí is doing the scene from Interstellar where Matthew McConaughey sees the world from the outside looking in.
As if Park Güell was not enough of a monumental accomplishment, we proceeded directly to La Sagrada Família. In a year of stunning churches, this one takes the cake. Soaring spires, monumental facades of the nativity and death of Jesus Christ, the use of complex geometric shapes to lay out columns and different sections of the church abound. Glorious stained-glass windows filter cascades of light in naturally.
I cannot glaze this guy enough. When I read Gaudí had a reputation as God’s Architect, and the Diocese of Barcelona began the process for his veneration as a saint, I thought this is some serious homerism — though maybe I just love the idea of religious discourse as a sporting event. What is this guy’s miracle?
But he managed to touch even me, the consummate cynic, with his single-minded dedication. Few people feel so strongly about anything today. Fewer still turn that into power and devote their entire being to the cause.
Painting discourse aside, for me, Gaudí is up there with Rodin as one of the true geniuses of their craft. Many aspire to use nature as an ultimate inspiration for their work, but few transcend their own humanity and produce such unique masterpieces.
After La Sagrada Família, we had a light tapa with the rest of our tour group and made some new friends before heading to our dinner reservation at Compartir Barcelona, a sister restaurant of Compartir Cadaqués and Disfrutar, the latter of which boasts three Michelin stars. And it was absolutely delicious! The food was light, the presentation immaculate, the service swift. I highly recommend this as a stopover should you make your way to Barcelona.
Tomorrow will prove to be another long day as we take a trip up the Catalonian coastline in celebration of my beloved Laura’s birthday!
