 Barcelona - The Gaudi City
Sunny is not the word one would describe the city of Gaudi, Barcelona, at this time of the year. But warmer it was compared to the rest of Europe, perhaps the warmth of the people there permeating the atmosphere of this Mediterranean city. As we toured its length and breadth for four days, we could see how beautifully the Spanish city had blossomed at the masterful hands of the great architect, Antoni
Gaudi. Our first day went by as we roamed around Passage de Graci, the shopping street, to get a feel of the city. It was on the second day, like a couple in love discovering each other with time, that the city revealed herself to us as we landed bang outside the majestic ‘Sagrada
Familia’. For a minute we just stood and watched in amazement, stopping to question whether this monument was actually man-made or was another of Nature’s creations. A question that one would often ask when one sees the Pyramids, when one sees the Eiffel Tower or when one sees a masterpiece. Gaudi was diagonised with psoriasis. And his varied emotions as a sick person on death’s door woven intricately with the death of Christ have been masterfully crafted in the various levels of this temple, the Sagrada Familia. The temple has been built on the principle of suspension and is so vast that it is still being constructed long after the death of the genius. It has grown under Gaudi’s eyes for 43 long years and still does and reportedly will take some more time. A monument handed down to generations with the responsibility of making it even greater than it was meant to be… The second half of the day was spent very well to get an overview of the city. And what better way to see a city but from a rooftop and also enjoy the rooftop itself at the same time. Yes, little knowing the surprise that would behold us, we landed on the rooftop of Casa Mila, only to be stunned by the varied architectural delights of Gaudi that decorated the roof. It was simply a very different experience. The Casa Mila also has an apartment designed by Gaudi for the family Mila, where one can see the intricate details that Gaudi has taken care of. When one is in Barcelona, how can one miss the Olympic stadium, so off we went to the stadium, which had witnessed the wonderful event. Seemed a little small to have held such a mega event (1992). The sun slowly set on day three of our trip as we slowly pushed our way through the crowded La Ramblas, in between Dunkin Donuts and coffee and a nice dinner at an Iskon restaurant. After viewing another of Gaudi’s masterpieces we set off to Park Gaull, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. We roamed the park which is definitely how a park should be. As one lounges on the porcelain benches which border the large open space, the overview is also a very pleasing site, with a small church in-laid with porcelain rooftop, a nice artificial fountain surrounded by various animal figures. With such serene memories we rounded off our trip to Barcelona. Please feel free to write to me at
manikanaka@yahoo.com Kanakadhara Subramanian
|
