barTHelona.

Columbus Monument

"I live in a city open to the sea, kind to the visitor, with beaches, with wild boars, with a Sònar Festival; I live in a city made of the sum of little towns and of big cultures; I live in a modernist / contemporary / modern / ancient / gothic city; I live in the city of design, of art, of Mrs. Rose, of the bravas potatoes, of the building works in Lesseps Sq.; I live in the Eixample, in the Montbau, in the Guineueta, in Diputació St., I live in Barcelona."

-Public Relations Advertisement released by City Hall

After driving seven hours from Monaco, with a quick stop-over in Cannes, the station wagon arrived in the seaside Spanish city of Barcelona -- pronounced bar(th)lona in the Spanish accent (hence the catchy post title.) Being the typical American, I became obsessed with Barcelona after seeing the indie Woody Allen flick, "Vicky Christina Barcelona." I became even more obsessed with this beautiful city after visiting it. Let me tell you, three days is not enough and I would have gladly shortened any other part of my trip if I had known how much this city really has to offer.

As an art history nutcase, I may be a little bias with Barcelona because I favor Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi over most other architects and this is where many of his prominent works and projects are situated.

Fact of the Day/Place: Gaudi died in Barcelona when he was walking to church to complete confession and on his way he was hit by a tram. He was only knocked unconscious, but because he was wearing old/torn clothes, he was not recognized and was regarded as a homeless man and left in the street for awhile unattended. By the time someone came to his aid, it was too late.

Casa Milà

Gaudi Must-Sees: 

Sagrada Familia: a large Roman Catholic church that incorporates many different styles such as Gothic, Art Nouveau, and Baroque and has yet to be finished, which has Barcelona's citizens divided on their true feelings about the cathedral.

Casa Milà: picture shown right; an apartment complex with large chimneys that look like warriors and is close to La Rambla. Cool fact: Gaudi wanted the residents to communicate with the other flat owners so he only put elevators on every second floor.

Casa Batllo: a building restored by Gaudi and nicknamed "The House of Bones" for its' skeleton-esque appearance and done in the usual remarkable modernist style used by Gaudi.

It was here in Barcelona that I discovered there was nothing better than sitting at one of the many cafes in the middle divider of La Rambla; just people-watching and listening to the Catalan language and music buzz. Also the harbor was truly a beauty as well, with its' many modern sculptures, Colossal Columbus monument, and harbor bridge, along with of course my personal favorite -- the ocean.

La Rambla

I don't usually favor one place that I travel to over another. I like to think of each place as a separate entity that can't be judged against another, even if Europe is relatively small in size compared to the U.S. 

But in the case of Barcelona, there was something truly magical about this city that has, in my mind, set it apart from most places I've been to. I can't put my finger on it, but I can say it wasn't just the art, architecture, culture, people, or sights, but more a combination of it all that made my short experience here great and left me feeling like I was leaving too soon.

One of the many facades of Sagrada Familia