Morning in Park Güell

Our third day in Barcelona was a very short one. We had a plane to catch early that afternoon, so we got up and going rather early. Where were we headed?

Park

Güell.

This Park was assigned to Gaudí by his faithful patron, Eusebi Güell. It was meant to be a private urban development in the style of the English gardens that were popular at the time. Today, Park Güell is a short metro ride followed by a fifteen minute walk away from the center of Barcelona. Back in Gaudí's day, it was a much longer trip.

The distance from the city center caused the project to fail. Plots were meant to be purchased by individuals who would then hire an architect to build their estate. Unfortunately, only two of sixty-two parcels were sold. Luckily for us, Gaudí was able to finish his work on the public areas despite the lack of interest.

The entrance is flanked by two small buildings. The one on the right would have served as the porter's lodge:



The one on the left was designed to be the area's administration center:



Both evoke memories of the Gingerbread House from the Brothers Grimm fairy tale Hansel and Gretel.

We walked from this entrance towards the stairway immediately in front of us. This set of stairs leads to the Hipóstila Room, which is full of columns. On the way, we passed what is probably the most commonly known symbol of the park today, the lizard fountain:



At the top of the stairs is the Hipóstila Room, commonly referred to as the Hall of 100 Columns (although there are in fact only eighty-six of them). Each column is supposedly slightly different and each was designed to carry water through a central pipe to a reservoir below. In this way the Hall serves as drainage assistance to the plaza it supports above.



Where there are no columns in the hall, round ceramic collages are present as false keystones within the vaults of the ceiling. These were created by Joseph Maria Jujol, one of Gaudí's preferred disciples who used ceramics and other unused materials in his creations.



In the areas to the left and right of the Hall of Columns, there exist some examples of common natural occurences (waves, caves, trees, etc) that are made out of rocks. This is where we could really see how Gaudí architecturalized nature in Park Güell.

An Ocean Wave:

A Cave:

Up above the plaza: Palm Trees:
(I love how he emphasized his rocky palm trees by planting real ones directly above them.)

Perhaps the most fabulous part of the park - and I could be wrong since we didn't see the whole thing, nor did we go into the Gaudí house or any other building - is the plaza with its serpentine seating.



The collages on the seats were also done by Joseph Maria Jujol and they are fantastic. The park is definitely a place for people of all ages. If we ever make it back to Barcelona, we will spend the good part of a day here exploring the place. How could we not, when the plaza is so inviting?



Hasta pronto,
~ CC

An Evening in Barcelona

I love desserts. We hardly ever have them because we try to be healthy. Okay, Señor CC truly rarely eats them (and if he does it is fruit or sorbet), and I take advantage of our travels to try new ones whenever I can.

Therefore, I just had to have churros con chocolate while in Barcelona. We attempted to find an appropriate restaurant, known for their chocolates and desserts, our first evening in Barcelona, but no such luck. We also attempted to go see the Font Màgica, but due to a Home Depot type home construction show going on, access was denied.

Fast-forward to Sunday evening. We had strolled La Rambla, the main pedestrian artery of the city, a couple of times during our trip and found it interesting. There were all kinds of street performers - people with marionettes, usually skeletons, dancing to music as well as guys dance-performing with a ladder - as well as flower stalls, and some excellent people-watching. While on one of these walks we noticed a sign that said churros con chocolate. Do these people know what tourists want? of course they do!

The place is called Cafè de L'Òpera, and the building has been in its current locations since the 18th century. The business has changed a couple of times, but now it serves churros con chocolate, which was what I wanted.

Just so that we are clear, the chocolate that comes to you is not anything like the hot chocolate from home. Oh, no. This chocolate is simply melted chocolate ready for you eat. It is thick and yummy. So thick, in fact, that your spoon can rest on top of it:



Churros are actually a breakfast food for los españoles. It is basically fried dough in what reminds me of the shape of play-doh when you use the fun factory. It is a very thick and heavy meal and it definitely sticks to your bones. I was only able to eat half of them because we had eaten dinner only a short while ago.



We then took the metro back to the Font Màgica, and this time we were successful! The home show was over and done with, so people were able to walk freely up to the fountain. There is a show that lasts about twenty minutes. It begins on the half-hour and comes complete with music, lights, and (of course) water.



The fountain is huge and the water can shoot up about 100 feet into the air. We were pretty far away from the fountain; I imagine that the people who get up close and personal with it get a little wet. The fountain changes shapes frequently and there were multiple color combinations. It was spectacular and a great way to end our last evening in Barcelona.



Hasta pronto,
~ CC

Sagrada Família

Once Señor CC and I had heard enough from the marathon length audio guide at La Pedrera, we hopped on the metro and headed over to La Sagrada Família.

This building has been under construction since 1883, and Gaudí spent the last forty-three years of his life working on it. He spent his last twelve years working exclusively on this project; he even moved to live within the structure itself, as he had with other projects, to focus all of his time and energy on his passion.

Aside from the sheer size of Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família, the main reason it has taken so long to complete is the resolve of the founding group, The Association of Devout Followers of St. Joseph, that the church be funded solely on donations. Due to this resolve, construction has come to a complete halt multiple times throughout the years. Gaudí even assisted with fund-raising activities when he was alive. What this means for visitors is that the entirety of your entrance fee is used to complete the building.

Upon entering, visitors see the Passion Facade of the temple as well as the current construction efforts on the naves:



Perhaps the most shocking thing about the Passion facade is the sculptures. The facade was designed by Gaudí, but work was not begun on it until 1954. Unfortunately, during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), the church was the victim of a fire that destroyed practically all papers, drawings, and models that Gaudí had kept in his workshop on the premises. The job of designing the sculptures was left to J. M. Subirachs, and many complain that they are not in the same vein as Gaudí's work. People appear to either love them or hate them; his design is certainly a controversial one. Then again, Gaudí is a tough act to follow, and I imagine that imitating his work and falling short could draw even more criticism.



Visitors enter the structure through the Passion Facade doors; from here you can wait in line for an elevator that takes you up into the bell towers (we didn't opt for that as the lines were rather long and we were tired) or you can walk into the main area of the church. It is here where the sheer height of the building interior leaves you in awe.



Each of the columns within the church remind one of a tree with its sturdy trunk that splits into branches and ends with leaves. Gaudí said that the naves and vaults "will be like a forests". These columns provide support, which once again means that the outer walls are free for windows. This allows the church to be naturally lit from sunshine - not a very common thing amongst the old cathedrals and churches in Europe.



It is quite impossible to capture the sheer magnitude of the building in photos or words. One fact that I find a good basis upon which to measure the size of the place is that the choir, centrally located within the sanctuary as it is in most cathedrals, will one day hold 1,500 singers. That's a lot of seats, and that is only where the choir will sit. I imagine that when the temple is finally finished, there will be many thousands of people within its walls and that it still won't feel utterly cramped. It is huge.

The path through the construction leads everyone out to the Nativity facade. This is the side Gaudí completed. There is a striking difference between the sculptures of the Passion facade and those of the Nativity. The amount of detail is amazing; it is impossible to truly 'see' everything.



The four towers seen in the above photo are only four of what will one day be eighteen. One tower, covering the apse, will represent the virgin Mary. There will be four on each facade (twelve total) to represent the disciples. A little taller than those will be four to represent the evangelists. These four will surround the tallest tower (170 m) that will represent Jesus.



The Nativity facade is covered with sculptures representing the life of Christ. There are three vestibules: Faith, Hope and Charity. The Hope vestibule, shown above, contains sculptures of the betrothal of Mary and Joseph, the flight to Egypt, and the slaughter of the innocents, amongst other things. The Faith vestibule contains sculptures of the visitation, Jesus amongst the priests at the temple and Jesus as a carpenter. The central vestibule shows the birth of Christ below the star from the east with the epiphany. This area includes angels announcing the birth with trumpets as well as the three wise men bearing gifts:



I have only covered the building in this post. There is an excellent museum in the church as well. This museum shows some of the (barely visible) drawings of Gaudí's that remained despite the fire...although I admit that there isn't a lot of detail visible on what is left. There is an excellent upside-down model of the temple complete with the little weighted bags that show where structural reinforcement is needed (for more on that, read about Casa Milà). There are a couple of places where one can view the current work on elements of the building, etc. It is fascinating.

Our favorite city that we have visited thus far is Barcelona, and among all of the wonderful places there to see, our favorites were those created by Gaudí. I cannot describe to you, though obviously I have tried, how amazing his creations are. If ever you have the opportunity to visit Barcelona, please do so, and make it a priority to visit and tour as many Gaudí buildings as possible. I cannot imagine that anyone would be disappointed.

Hasta pronto,
~ CC

Casa Milà

Casa Milà was on our list for our second day in Barcelona. Also known as La Pedrera, or (rock) quarry, this building is one of the main Gaudí attractions in the city. When it was first completed, people were not all that impressed. In addition to the commonly known nickname of La Pedrera, the building was referred to as el avispero (the wasps' nest) and la empanada (the meat pie). One of my favorite, more modern descriptions is found on this site where they say "it looks like the perfect dwelling for an urban Fred and Wilma Flinstone." It does look less enchanting than, say, Casa Batlló.

Fortunately, Casa Milà is more interesting on the inside. Gaudí intended this building to be apartments. Now a UNESCO site, it receives many visitors a day. It costs less than a visit to Casa Batlló and as Señor CC and I discovered, one certainly gets their money's worth out of it.

Casa Milà is actually two connected buildings, each with their own central open-air patio. It is in one of these patios that we found ourselves upon entering the building. Here the colors are fantastic. Take a look at the ceiling:



I have mentioned before that modernisme is all about nature - whether it is the architect/artist's (they are both) use of natural shapes or their ability to use architectural materials and make them look like things one ordinarily finds in nature. I have read that Casa Milà is Gaudí's attempt to naturalize architecture, whereas in Park Güell he architecturalizes nature. A perfect example of this is the parabolic shape of the attic:



These parabolas are a natural shape, and although one recognizes that and sees a connection to nature because of it, I don't think anyone looks at it and thinks 'Why, that looks just like a insert well-known piece of nature!' It looks like a parabola and not a leaf, bug, tree or ocean wave. In Park Güell one sees palm trees and ocean waves...made out of rocks.

Aside from support shapes such as these, the entire weight of Casa Milà is supported by columns and metal - not by exterior walls. This is also true in Palau de la Música. Many modernimse buildings were constructed in this manner so that windows could be placed all along the outer (non-load-bearing) walls to let natural light in. The benefit for Casa Milà was that, aside from the apartments having plenty of windows, rooms could be modified to suit the owners with no risk to the structural integrity of the building.

There is one apartment visitors can view in Casa Milà. It is decorated as it would have been at the time of the building's completion - 1910. I have some photographs of the rooms, but they do not do them justice. I am not talking about the decoration of the rooms so much as the shape of them. Each room is completely different in shape, and none contain any right angles. In fact, most walls are simply curved much like the exterior of the building...or they are of a temporary nature so that owners can enlarge or divide the space as they wish. This creates a very open and airy feeling as there appears to be a little extra room here and there that one does not get in a rectangular room. Granted, there is space missing here and there as well, but due to the odd shape of the rooms and the abundance of light from the windows, one doesn't notice.

All of these open areas and lack of load-bearing outer walls could cause one to wonder just how does Gaudí build safe structures. Yes, there are columns and metal supports away from the outer walls, but still - how did he know where to provide support? The answer is simple: he was a genius. That was Señor CC's comment upon finding and learning about this:




This upside-down model (complete with mirror underneath) is how Gaudí determined the load-bearing sections of his creations. Using it, he knew where to place extra support. He used no formulas or mathematical equations. In fact, since there is still work going on at La Sagrada Familia, scientists and mathematicians have checked his methods using formulas and equations and have found him to be absolutely correct. Gaudí would attach chains or strings together in the general, albeit upside-down parabola, shape of the building on which he was working. Everywhere that the shapes intersected was a load-bearing point. He would then attach sacks weighted with pellets (not shown) to determine how much support was needed. He used the mirror to see what the 'building' was going to look like right-side-up. Amazing, indeed.

How do I know this (very general and vaguely described) information? Why, there is an audio-guide tour at Casa Milà. In fact, aside from the information about the model, and a bit from touring the apartments, I don't really remember anything else from it. Why? It was way too much information! As in 'stand here at this one spot for four minutes while we tell you the entire history of this brick' T.M.I. - it zapped us of our interest in many places. If anyone reading this goes to Barcelona, Casa Milà is interesting, and do get the audio-guide (it's free), but don't hesitate to fast-forward or simply stop recordings when they get to be dull...and they will.

Perhaps the big attraction of Casa Milà is the rooftop terrace. It is supposed to be especially fabulous at sunset. It was fairly crowded when we were there, and I think that aerial photographs are cooler, but it was definitely nothing like anything I've seen before.

Think for a moment about what is normally contained on a roof. Granted, this one is a terrace, so it is more flat than sloped, but it does still have to function as most roofs do. It has vents, chimneys, and access points (stairs). One would never know that these things exist on the roof as they are all disguised by the imaginative structures of Gaudí.



These items are the most abundant on the roof and are arranged in mostly odd-numbered groups. A set of three is covered in green ceramics (above) photo, but most are bare and look remarkably like some sort of guard wearing a helmet:



There are also a couple of vents on the rooftop. These take an interesting shape. Some say that for Gaudí's time they are futuristic in shape...a hint of things to come...some even call them a premonition of abstract sculpture. Me? I can't help but think of some sort of plant or coral growing on the sea floor sans brilliant color. Can't you see the fish swimming through the holes? Maybe my impression is just a result of enjoying the fish tank in the pediatrician's office one too many times. Whatever your imagination decides, they are fairly fantastic:



I bet you are wondering how we got up onto the terrace in the first place. If you take a close look at the aerial photo you can't really see any access stairs. Oh sure, there are steps on the terrace itself - to make up for the difference in heights between the two buildings' roofs, but how does one get up there? Here is the answer:



The dollops of cream ceramics hold stairways that take you from the roof to the attic. There are only two open to visitors - one for getting up there and one for leaving. There are about six blobs total, and I imagine that they each contain an access from a different section of the apartments to accommodate all of the inhabitants. These have been likened to the tops of ice-cream cones, and I must say that for the most part I agree.

I can tell you that my favorite things about Barcelona is the modernisme architecture. That said, I do not think that Casa Milà is all that fabulous. Yes, I just wrote a lot about it - and I did learn a ton of information while there. If you are very interested in Gaudí and want to know more about his life and work than you probably need to, then it is a good place to visit. I am glad that we visited there as I doubt we will have another chance to do so. However. I must tell you that La Pedrera is certainly an adequate name for the place; it is no wonder that of all the nicknames, that one stuck. Aside from the patios, Casa Milà is bland and fairly devoid of color. Having been to Palau de la Música, which is an overload of detail and color, and having seen the exterior of Casa Batlló, which is ceramic dragon eye-candy, I was a tad disappointed in the lack of color (and the extra whimsy that it provides) at Casa Milà.

Casa Amatller

We only took the time to gaze at the facade and step into the foyer/lobby of this building, but as I am sure you can tell from these photographs, it is amazing.



Casa Amatller is one of three on the Block of Discord in Barcelona, known for the over-the-top design of each building...and how the aesthetic of one clashes with those beside it.




What amazes me is the amount of detail in every bit of construction. No surface is left to its own devices; all are used in the overall aesthetic effect as well as that of a more minute version for those who take a closer look.




I believe it is this attention to detail and the 'something hidden around and in every corner' feeling it causes that makes Barcelona our favorite place we have visited thus far. We hope to return before we leave Spain.

Hasta pronto,
~ CC

Tapas for Papa

This one is for Dad, since he is always asking what we're eating in Spain.

As mentioned in an earlier post, on day two in Barcelona, between the spectacular church Santa Maria del Mar and Palau de la Música, we were hungry! Luckily for us, just around the corner from the church is a place called Taller de Tapas, or Tapa Workshop.

Tapas are small servings of food, usually just enough of whatever you have ordered for a couple of bites for one or two people. Tapas began as covers (the verb, to cover, in Castellano is tapar) for glasses of sherry. Sherry drinkers used a small piece of bread to cover their glass so that flies would not get into their drinks between sips. It is said that bartenders and pub owners began adding a small bit of meat, most likely jamón, to the bread to make it a snack. This grew from being a free snack with your drink to what is in some restaurants today a whole meal.



I am sure that you can tell from the above photograph of our steamed mussels that this particular restaurant serves tapas for a meal; otherwise we would certainly not have so many. Seafood is excellent in southern Spain and this fact held true for the northeastern coast.



One of the great aspects of eating at Taller de Tapas is that the menu is in Castellano, Catalán and English. This fact certainly makes it easier to know what you are ordering. We wanted to be sure that we were full after our meal, so we ordered something we knew we would both enjoy: pollo a la plancha (grilled chicken).



Another of our seafood treats, and my favorite, is the calamari a la plancha (grilled squid). Yes, those are entire squid hoods cooked in olive oil. Mmm. We also ordered patatas bravas, potato wedges with a pepper sauce. They were okey dokey; a little too much like fast-food potatoes to me.

Speaking of fast, our service was just that. This is difficult to find anywhere in Europe, really, as the culture does not demand it. I do not mean that it was fast like home - I imagine that will seem very strange to me if we ever move back there - but it was fast for Spain.

Our meal was accompanied by a Catalán must: pa amb tomàquet (pan con tomate; bread with tomato). This scrumptious item is easy to make. You can have garlic on it or not; that is your choice. You use very ripe summer tomatoes, cut them in half, give them a little squeeze to get the juices going (and to get rid of them - we don't want soggy tomato bread - eww) and then rub your bread with them. When I say bread I of course mean the stiffer European bread, not your American loaf. Next comes a sprinkling of salt and then at the end you drizzle a little olive oil on there. Yummy indeed!

I have also read here that there is a so-called cheating method. Apparently you can make a batch of the stuff by cutting your lot of tomatoes, grating them into a bowl, adding the salt and olive oil and then serving the bowl with the bread. This way people can spread the stuff onto their bread as they want it and nothing gets soggy by sitting around. Of course, it tastes so good that I find it hard to believe that it ever sits long enough to get soggy!

I will mention that we ordered a pitcher of sangría to go with our meal. This is something I do not recommend because the sangría at Taller de Tapas is not exactly...authentic. It was a whole lot like drinking colored and slightly sweetened rum from a glass. Oh yeah, nothing like straight liquor with your tapas.

Next time, we'll stick with cerveza...or better yet, when traveling, agua sin gas for lunch all the way.

Hasta pronto,
~ CC

Barcelona Overview: Day Two

Our second day in Barcelona began as the first. Once we finished with our breakfast, we headed out to purchase tickets for a guided visit to the Palau de la Música, yet another World Heritage Site. We were very happy that we stopped at the ticket office first because the first English tour was sold out and we had to purchase tickets for a visit later in the afternoon.

Our next stop was the Picasso Museum. Maneuvering the maze of tiny streets in the Barri Gòtic was easy with our mini detailed maps from Rick Steves' Spain 2007 (Thanks BC!). We joined the fast-moving line that snaked down the street and were soon inside.

Señor CC and I both greatly enjoyed this museum. All of the work is presented chronologically and there are guides who ensure that you follow the correct path. It was amazing to watch his work grow...literally and figuratively. We saw small landscapes and village-life scenes painted on wood, some excellent portraits, items from his blue period as well as his more well known modern art. The whole painting exhibit was followed by a small room of his ceramics - now that we'd never even heard of.

My favorites included a portrait of his mother. It was so very real that it appeared as if she could just come off of the canvas and speak to us. I have a postcard of this one, but of course it doesn't do justice to the real painting. Just her ear was so amazingly created...it was unbelievable. I also loved one of the blue paintings - the one titled "desamparats" - of a woman and child. A postcard or photo in a book is interesting, but not nearly as revealing as when one has a chance to view a painting for herself.



Our next stop was the Museo de la Xocolata. I would be surprised if the mouths of all who pass by didn't water from the amazing smells emanating from the museum. One is faced with a cafe selling all kinds of creamy treats upon entering, and once entry tickets are acquired, room after room of eye candy awaits. The history of chocolate is covered amongst displays made almost entirely of, well, chocolate.


In addition to the man above, there are chocolate sculptures of Gorillas, Don Quixote and his sidekick in front of the treacherous windmills, a shoe store display, Casa Amatller, as well as a full model of the Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory...factory. I imagine these will be the main focus for children, but scattered between them is loads of information regarding chocolate. There are examples of the machines used as well as interactive media displays to let you guide yourself through the information. Everyone exits through the cafe when they are finished...and many stop to have a drink and a tasty treat.


Houses of worship are everywhere in Spain and Europe. They are usually most extraordinarily decorated and designed. One of the most beautiful I have seen is Santa Maria del Mar in Barcelona. This church was burned out during the Spanish Civil War; there are still black marks on the ceiling. There are very few furnishings in the church, which makes it quite different from Cathedrals we've seen. Symmetry throughout the sanctuary created by columns that rise up to towering heights coupled with the beautiful light created by the stained glass windows allows for an awe-filled atmosphere.


Windows line the sides of the sanctuary in Santa Maria del Mar. They were much lower to the ground than those in the cathedrals of Seville, Granada, or even Barcelona. Many cathedrals leave you astounded due to details or the opulence of what they contain; this church made me calm and filled me with a certain amount of amazement and respect. It was simply beautiful.

Hunger begain knocking after our inspiring visit to Santa Maria del Mar, so we headed out to Taller de Tapas for a surprisingly quick lunch. We had a lovely meal which I will describe in more detail another time. Excellent place for a lunch, though - and the menu is in at least three languages, which is always beneficial.


My favorite visit of the day was the Palau de la Música. No photographs are allowed inside, and the exterior section was under refurbishment, so I have nothing to show you but this photo. What is it, exactly? I bet if I tell you to think of tropical trees you can guess. Nature is the name of the game with the Modernisme movement, and this is only a conservative example of how architects and artists (one in the same, where Modernisme is concerned) used nature as inspiration.

Designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner, the 'father' of Modernisme, this Music Palace is a sight to behold. If any of you, dear audience, every visit Barcelona, please make every attempt to visit this sight - especially if music interests you even slightly. The 'theme' of the performance hall is nature, and more specifically, a garden. Every piece of every item has been designed to fit within this theme, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant. Flowers are everywhere, but not necessarily obtrusively so, the stained-glass window up above it the sun circled by angels singing. The nature flows throughout the seating area.

The stage, which was increased in size to hold a full orchestra by building out over the first few rows of seats...which are still visible under the stage curtain, is framed on one side by the Ride of the Valkyres (Wagner) and on the other by the bust of Beethoven. I suppose those two big-wigs balance each other out quite nicely. Surrounding the back wall of the stage are maidens who are half mosaic (2-D; tile) and half bass-relief (3-D; plaster). Each holds and plays a different instrument.

The entire room is overwhelmingly intricate and full of light. Windows cover the outer walls, a new architectural feat at the time of its construction that required support in the form of poles and beams a few meters in from the outer walls. The only way to see the Palace is to join a guided visit, which begins with a short video and then a tour of the performance hall, or to attend a performance. Either way, it is a must-see in Barcelona.


Next on our itinerary was Casa Milà, commonly referred to as La Pedrera. La Pedrera means the stone quarry and when looking at the exterior of the building, I am certain anyone can see why the building has such a nickname. Antoni Gaudí designed and built these apartments in the modernisme style. Again, all is based on nature. Here things are not quite so...opulent as at the Palau.


Perhaps the most fun section of the building is the spontaneous rooftop. Sculptures of different shapes and colors, all based on nature of course, rise up. Some look like melting ice-cream on a cone and others look like heads of some creature (perhaps a lizard), but all are whimsical and fun. As you can see above, from Casa Milà one can easily see Gaudí's most famous work, La Sagrada Familia.


Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia is the full name of this structure. Gaudí spent the last years of his life living here while he built it. La Sagrada Familia is still under construction and will be for quite a few years yet. I expect a massive celebration when it is complete. I will share more on this and Casa Milà in another post or two. It is sufficient to say that this place is awesome. That would not be an exaggeration by any means.

For our evening meal, we headed to an Italian restaurant. I know, Italian in Spain. What can I say, we didn't feel like testing the Catalán waters. Regardless, it was very good. Afterwards we strolled Las Ramblas in a search for churros con chocolate. Were we successful? You'll have to come back later to find out!

Sardana in Cathedral Plaza, Barcelona

I love this photo:

I have seen candles in cathedrals before; usually they are tiny tea-lights. These, in the Barcelona cathedral, are fabulous. Once we got past the geese in the cloister (honk!) and entered the rest of the building, a red glow highlighted each area. Tea-lights are still the candle of choice, only here most burn in red glass holders. Each chapel had a set ready for use and most sets had a healthy glow about them. The ambiance was great.

Had there not been such a crowded feeling about the cathedral, Señor CC and I would have spent more time exploring inside. It is fortunate that we did not since we exited the building just in time to see the Sardana. This dance is a Catalán tradition and it is said that wherever there are Catalans, there is a Sardana.

One of the best places to view the Sardana is in front of the Cathedral. Dances occur every Sunday at noon and usually on Saturdays at 6:00pm; we were lucky enough to catch a performance on Saturday.

I say performance, but you should know that the Sardana is more or less spontaneous. Granted, the band, called a cobla, shows up and sets up their music stands and warms up their instruments - giving everyone a hint as to what is about to occur - but there are no professional dancers waiting in the wings to perform. The locals who happen to be around that afternoon form a circle, drop their bags in the center, join hands held high and begin to dance. As more people show up - or pass by, whichever may be the case - the circles increase in size and number until eventually the whole plaza is filled with dancers.



Dancing a Sardana is not very physically demanding; young and old participate. The pride in the Catalán tradition is very evident as heads are held high and all dancers stand tall with hands held unfalteringly above their shoulders. There was a time when Catalans were not allowed to speak their own language or dance their dance. All was forbidden during the dictatorship of Franco. It is a testament to the dedication of the people of Catalunya that their heritage has survived. They fought for what they believed in and succeeded. Now anyone can experience their heritage simply by visiting the city.

In addition to the dance, which originated in the 16th century, there are a few instruments in the cobla that are fairly strictly Catalán in use. The modern cobla consists of twelve instruments played by eleven people. Some of these instruments are easy to recognize: the contra bass, two trumpets and one trombone. Two fiscorns, as they are called in Catalunya, are part of the cobla as well. You may know the instruments better as baritone saxhorns. Saxhorns in a cobla, have their bell turned forward, much like that of a flugelhorn. The following video has a saxhorn (left - without a turned bell) and a euphonium (right) playing the theme music for everyone's favorite plumber:

Aside from the string and brass instruments already mentioned, there are some woodwinds and one small percussion instrument. These are the Catalán instruments. I had to look up the Sardana here when I got home in order to figure out just what exactly I had seen and heard in Barcelona. In fact, most of the information in this post comes from that great site.

The loudest instruments in the cobla are the Catalán shawms. There are four in a cobla, two called tible and two called tenora. Tible means treble and tenora means - you guessed it - tenor. These instruments look and sound much like an oboe. Shawms differ because they have a larger bore that is shaped so as to make it louder and more suitable for outdoor playing. Shawms are also constructed a bit differently in that they are made from one long piece of wood instead of sections. Also, the reed/mouthpiece is a different shape; it fans out quite widely unlike the rather straight shape of the oboe reed. Many shawms have a bell (the bottom of the instrument) that has been reinforced with metal. This makes it louder, and apparently also allows the musician to use it as a weapon if necessary...medieval times must have been very rough and exciting.



The last two instruments in a cobla are the flabiol and the tamborí, both of which are played by one person. The tamborí is worn on the left arm just above the shoulder and the flabiol is held in the left hand. In this way the musician can hit the tamborí with a mallet held in the right hand while using the left to play the flabiol. A flabiol sounds very much like a piccolo and it is this instrument, along with a beat on the tamborí that begins each sardana.

The music itself has a strong two-beat rhythm to it, whether in a 2/4 meter or the more commonly used 6/8 meter. You can have a listen to a version of each of those here and here. I enjoy the latter of the two the best and it sounds more like what we heard in Barcelona when we watched the dance of Catalunya.

Want to know what it was like to be there? Watch this(not mine):

Experiencing the song and dance that is the Sardana was a highlight of our visit to Barcelona. It was fascinating that people simply stopped in the square on their way to or from work, the market, church, or shopping to participate with others in a dance. Perhaps they knew some of the people with whom they were dancing. I imagine that in a city the size of Barcelona, this is not always the case. Instead they are dancing with people with whom they relate for one reason only: they are Catalán. How wonderful for that to be enough to keep this tradition alive for so many years and through such hardship. Amazing, indeed.

Poble Espanyol

This 'Spanish Town' was originally built for the 1929 International Fair which was held in Barcelona. The idea was to create a space similar to that of any town in Spain by compiling buildings of very different and distinct architecture from each region and/or area of the country. The compilation would be like any town in Spain because it would have all of the elements: plaza, church, town hall, living quarters, restaurants, offices, streets and entry gate. It would be different because each of the 117 buildings would come from a different place. It would be a Spanish town, but not any Spanish town in particular.

The concept was not a new one; most countries attempted to represent their whole self in some manner at international fairs and expos. Barcelona was the first to organize the presentation in such a way that it was easily followed and immediately obvious which area or town a particular section represents. The plan was to demolish the area at the end of the fair. Luckily for all of us, the town was so popular that it was decided the town should stay. If I were one of the architects and artists who spent two years traveling to 1600 towns in Spain in order to recreate their buildings and streets to scale, then I would have been mighty upset indeed had they torn it down after only six months.


One enters the Poble Espanyol through a gate, Puerta de San Vicente (Ávila) that looks much like any walled city's fortifications. A brief stop at the audio-guide desk provides each person with a device that contains about an hour of commentary on the buildings. After the desk, the first stop is the Plaza Mayor. This huge area includes a bandstand for concerts, a church in the corner, and even the Ayuntamiento (Town Hall). The audio-guide, though too involved at times, was highly interesting here in the Plaza Mayor. It told of a time when the Poble functioned as a real town does today. There was a saint's day, a mayor, businesses, church services, etc. - the only difference was that no one slept there overnight.



A walk through the Poble Espanyol would be interesting, but the audio guide provides some much needed information for those who haven't traveled extensively throughout Spain. I imagine that is pretty much everyone reading this right now (If not...why are you reading my silly blog?). The area I most recognized was, of course, the tiny white-washed streets from the Andalucian region. It was spot-on with accuracy, which causes me to believe that the whole thing is done with a high level of accuracy. The rose-colored building above is Besalú from Girona. I love the painting on the building for texture.

The whole experience is full of detail and surprises around every corner; this falls right into step with all of my experiences in any town that I have visited. There are secrets in every town; you simply have to wander to discover them. In the Poble, there is no wandering; everywhere you look is a discovery.

I know there are those who think Poble Espanyol is a waste of time and not the real-deal. On the latter I completely agree. What makes a Spanish town come to life is the people living in it; without them it is simply a shell. I do not, however, think that visiting the Poble is a waste of time. Granted, I am speaking only from the young-couple/no children point-of-view, but we quite enjoyed it. There is no way we are going to visit anywhere close to all of the regions of Spain while we are here, and this way we were able to see different architecture, which we enjoy.

As an aside - I am not saying children wouldn't enjoy it; there is a children's program and I've read that they can even participate in hand-craft workshops (that would be cool). We simply have no idea what those things entail because we didn't participate in them or research them.

Apart from being a life-size museum of sorts, Poble Espanyol also houses about forty workshops of various hand crafts. There were some pottery places with workers at their wheel (one even had a small child learning), a couple of weaving shops and a wood-carving place with some fabulous Don Quixote and Sancho statues (a bit pricey, though...El Quixote always is).



Our favorite was the glass blowing workshop. In part because we were able to watch men take blobs of hot melty glass and turn it into something beautiful via an assembly line of sorts, but if we're honest, the best thing about it wasn't the product but the men themselves. Señor CC loved the outfits (the sweatbands especially) and I loved their down-to-(this-hot-mess-of-a-)business attitude about the whole thing. Not once did they look at us to pose for photos or flash even a hint of a smile. No siree; they were busy. My favorite is the man holding the rod with the red-hot glass sliding off; he had a cigar in his mouth the whole time. It was dangerously close to the end, but there it was, in its place, for what appeared to be all time.

One man pulled glass from the oven and held it over a mold for another to 'cut' it once the liquid glass had slowly drooped into the form. The 'cutter' then smoothed the edges a bit before he placed the top half of the mold into the goo. At this point another man (with the sweat band) joined him to push on the mold for a while. This formed a dish. After all of that, a fourth man took a clamp out of a second oven fire and grabbed the dish by its pedestal to fire it. I assume this smooths the entire thing. He then handed this rod to the last man who simply rolled that dish around and around until it turned from red-hot to clear.

Señor CC was so very excited about the glass-blowing workshop that we almost spent the day there watching them make that dish over and over. I suggested we move along and was met with great disappointment. It was pretty fascinating. He enjoyed it so much that we purchased a souvenir which you can see in the above photo. If you live in Spain, I guess you have to have a bull at some point, right? We chose this one (they are all different) because it has the red and yellow from the Spanish flag as well as a ribbon of blue, the accent color in the living room of our apartment here in Sotogrande.

Olé!