I am going to try to tackle today's blog post a little earlier today, because the last two days' have kept me up later than I would like. Today was a good day, although with a frustrating transportation trial in the middle of it. My plan for the day was to visit the Casa Milà, head up to Montjuïc, take a walk around Las Ramblas, and then have dinner at a recommended paella restaurant. I decided to try to get to Casa Milà as early as possible, as I had read that crowds can be heavy there. I also decided to reserve an entry time the night before to make sure that I wouldn't have to wait in line. So I was up fairly early (for me) and out the door by 8:30, skipping breakfast.
Even though I wasn't able to print out my reservation for Casa Milà, entry was simple and easy; I just had to show the confirmation email I had received with my reservation number on my phone, and they waved me through. The Casa Milà is an acclaimed building designed by Antoni Gaudí, who you will remember from my Sagrada Família post. The building was designed in the same Modernisme style which characterizes the Sagrada Família and which you see here and there all over Barcelona. The Casa Milà is (I am told) a particularly good and iconic example of the Modernisme style. From the exterior, the building is clearly a Gaudí creation, with the playful, nature-inspired lines that you see in other Modernisme works.
 |
| Casa Mila Exterior |
 |
| Casa Mila - looking up from the interior courtyard |
When you enter the building they send you up to the rooftop terrace first, and then you work your way down from there. The rooftop was more of the same; funky shapes, rolling lines, colorful tile work, and excellent views of Barcelona in all directions. Making your way down through the building and its various rooms and exhibits, you learn more about Gaudí and his thinking and technique. He utilized many shapes and structures found in nature as inspiration for his designs, and the exhibits showed some of his inspirations, such as hanging chains forming parabolas, fractal patterns in tree branches, natural curves in sea shells, etc. Viewing these things and learning about Gaudí, he seems like little more than an interesting architectural eccentric until you realize that he was designing these things in the late 19th century. The Casa Milà began construction in 1906. In their historical context, his ideas and accomplishments seem much more impressive.
 |
| Casa Mila - rooftop terrace |
 |
| Casa Mila - interior (note the very Gaudi trim around the door) |
 |
| Casa Mila - interior |
My tour through the Casa Milà took about an hour, and the next stop on my itinerary was Montjuïc, an area in southwest Barcelona with a few sights I was interested in. I never made it there though (which may ultimately have been a good thing, as I later found out that the X-Games are being held there at the Olympic Stadium right now). I carefully followed my guidebook's advice and took a bus from near the Casa Milà which I thought would take me to Montjuïc. It actually took me in exactly the opposite direction. I knew I was on the bus my guidebook had told me to get on, so for the first half of the trip I figured it must be bound to make a turn somewhere and head for the Montjuïc area. After about a half an hour on the bus, however, I began to worry that I had made a mistake. As I rode longer, things started to look less city-like; before too long, I was out in the suburbs and the bus had stopped and I was the only person left. The driver was giving me a quizzical look in his rear view mirror. I approached him and asked in Spanish if the bus was ever going to go to Montjuïc. He gave me a grave look, advised me that it was not because the route had changed (that bus used to go to Montjuïc, but no longer), and then gently told me to get off the bus. I was pretty angry at my guidebook by that point, although if the route changed very recently then I suppose it couldn't have been avoided. That didn't change the fact that I was marooned on the outskirts of the city though. Thankfully I have sprung for international data service on my phone on my last couple of trips because it has been pretty useful, so I spent the next ten minutes sitting alone at the remote bus stop with my phone figuring out where I was and how I could get back. I could have rode the same bus back, but I wanted something faster and more direct (I had already wasted a full hour at this point), so I made my way to the nearest Metro stop, which luckily was fairly close. I was so far out that the Metro ride back to the city center took about 20 minutes (which was by far the longest subway ride I've ever taken), but once I got back I was happy to be in familiar territory again. I decided at that point that Montjuïc wasn't a good idea, so I didn't make a second attempt to get there.
Instead I had lunch there at Plaça de Catalunya, which was much nicer without the monsoon which accompanied my first visit there. The remaining items on my itinerary for the day were both evening activities, so I decided to return to my hostel to organize my luggage for my departure tomorrow, organize and edit photos, write this post, and take care of some other miscellaneous trip business. I'm just about done with that now, so I think I'll head out soon to walk around Las Ramblas, and then my plan is to find a restaurant that serves paella which was recommended to me for dinner. Tomorrow I'm flying to Madrid, so I may not have much to post about. So until then, hasta luego amigos.
 |
| Plaça de Catalunya in more agreeable weather |
 |
| Plaça de Catalunya |
No comments:
Post a Comment