Say hello to Barcelona!
The second largest city in Spain, capital of the province of Cataluña and a commercial port of great interest for Europe as a cultural, social, media and tourist centre. It is home of near 1, 6 million people and on 15 of January 2011 I went there for first time... not to see Antoni Gaudi, who I honestly don't like very much, but to get a demo tour and decide if it is worth all that fuss after all. I was there 4 days, more or less, not quite enough to see all. Prepare a couple of months if you want a deeper picture of this city.
First impression... Gaudi is to be seen. Personally, there on the spot. I was impressed. It was great. He was a genius indeed. That although doesn't change my opinion in general of the Spanish Modernism. But if you can, go and see Sagrada Familia, Casa Mila, Casa Batlo y el Parque Guell.
Other interesting architectural objects there are the Pavilion of Germany from the EXPO in 1929-30 which is one of fundamental buildings of the Modern Architecture- rebuild in 1989 on the original spot, The Gothic District in the centre, Caixa Cosmo and also the park of Montjuic.
The beaches... I have seen better, but the littoral walk is quite nice on bike.
And now some photos with a short comment.
see the lamps. :") i liked those really much, not to say that they were perfectly executed and finished... something that in Bulgaria you won't see this often. the chair was like a bubble. quite nice too.
Sagrada Familia... the light is amazing and the temple is so big. it is like a magical forest of pillars and stone. on the site now work 300 people, the biggest part of them stone carvers. if you want to know how it stands, the answer is so simple- parabolic arcs
the Cathedral's windows. modernistic paintings which give to the interior a magical touch. the artist name is Toni-Vila-Grau. i fell in love with those.
meet La Pedrera or Casa Mila. It is situated on Passeig de Gracia. i really liked the interior of the building. it is still a residential building with people who actually live there in very opulent, decadent, light and cosy apartments...
the roof of the same house. with many stairs and quite strange chimneys
the famous bench in the Park Guell and i doing one of my favourite stuff: writing postal cards
the Botanical Garden on Montjuic. it is a new project and the trees need to grow but it is a wonderful place for a walk. and not to mention the perfectly made entrance and metal bins, and that there is water dispensers everywhere... something that we do not have nowhere in Sofia...
So this is it for now. It is a long post but there are so many new things to tell and the time to write so short. As it is nearing the 14 of February, I want to wish everybody: Честит Трифон Зарезан за втори път!!! as I don´t festive the commercial Saint Valentine´s Day...
One last thing:
Barcelooooona....- it was the first time that we met
Barcelona - how can I forget
The moment that you stepped into the room you took my breath away
Barcelona - la musica vibros
Barcelona - y ella nos unio
And if God willing we will meet again someday
I don't know if there is anybody that doesn't know this song. Apart of my deep love for Freddie Mercury and his phenomenal voice I will say that the text is quite right...
...and I will come again.
photos: me
