Barcelona day 3

27th September, Sunday.

Barcelona

After a good big breakfast, Mary and I headed towards La Sagreda Familia Cathedral – still under construction. Not sure if cathedral is the right word to describe this indescribably amazing building/monster/beast – an attempt to realise Gaudi’s dreams and all consuming obsession/passion. Gaudi was appointed architect in 1883 and was boss of the building’s construction until he was hit by a tramcar going to mass one night after work and eventually died in June 1926 (43 years). Another set back to the building’s completion was the destruction by so-called anarchists of all of Gaudi’s plans and models during the Spanish civil war in 1936. But as Mary observed this building may never be completed. –Gaudi envisioned an impossibly, infinitely beautiful building – everything in and on it is based on the mathematics behind patterns and structures found in nature and so it makes sense that the building itself will became an organic living growing organism – created in homage to God. And the fact the building is continuing to become more outrageous with a verticality to match that of the Eiffel Tower, a presence as grand as, if not more than St Paul’s or the Tate Modern in London or even the Arc de Triomphe. It has a decorativeness which completely satisfies the imagination may be because deep down in our soul we have hitched mankind’s star to this never ending building. The only fear is that Barcelona may be engaged in a gigantic folly, nearly as bizarre as the myth of building a stairway to heaven.

Mary and I took a lift ride to a point about 2/3 up one of the 8 completed tower/spires (approx 70metres up). On completion there will be 13 towers – the tallest at 170m. The view was staggering. Then we perused the museum and walked in and out and around the cathedral a couple of times. And as one does when one discovers something “so just right” we would have been happy just to sit and stay and look in wonder like the thousands of others there, but we eventually headed home for a siesta and prepare to take the funiclar up Montjuic, to investigate the old fortress and gardens and overlook the end of the Barcelona festival fireworks from a highpoint.

The views from the telerific were spectacular and as it got darker there lights of Barcelona began to twinkle and sparkle. We wandered around Castell de Montjuic which has a grim history as a political prison and killing ground, but this evening it was full of families and young people taking part in teh Merce – the Barcelona Festival. There are magnificent views of all of Barcelona and the castell holds a strategic position, with views out to sea. Below the castell are lovely gardens that we thought of walking through, but instead took the telerific – an aerial carriage ride, a skyrail. We went back to near our hotel to seek out a restaurant recommended by Lonely Planet. Well worth the walk through the seedy side of Barcelona (well 50 metres of it) to get to Elche, which has been serving food since 1959. We had paella and fuedos (like paella, but using vermicelli instead of rice). As we left the restaurant we caught a glimpse of the fireworks that conclude the Merce. It was a lovely way to finish our interlude in Barcelona.