After months of slogging with your work, one definitely needs a vacation. It was July and summer just knocked on our door. What followed was weeks of over 30 degree temperatures in Munich and it was hard to sit in your desk and look at the warm sun outside. It was time I took a break.
And what better than the Mediterranean? Me and a friend of mine decided to go to Barcelona, the Catalan capital. A city adorned with the artworks of Antoni Goudi. A warm humid air graced my skin the moment I got out of the airport. For the first time I was experiencing a Mediterranean climate and it did not disappoint me. We took an airport shuttle bus which drops you right at the center of the city. After a nice shower at the hostel and a bit of rest, we set out to explore this city.
Barcelona does not have an old city like the cities I have seen in Germany. The attractions are rather spread around, though in most of the cases, you always end up at Passeig de Gracia, a long street with a few Goudi buildings, numerous cafes and museums and one of the prime inter-change stations for the underground metro. Most of the cafes here serve fresh orange juice, something you do not usually get in Germany. Although the streets are well organized in Barcelona, I do not have the same opinion about the metro. And Passeig de Gracia is just the example. To change from one line to the other, you literally have to walk for ages and change a number of stairs. Somehow, most of our energy went into these changes at most of the stops.
The street ends in Placa de Catalunya, a giant open space with fountains and numerous statues. Most of the important streets in Barcelona meet in this square. And one of those is the very famous La Rambla. It is basically a long stretch of street market. As a person coming from India, I did not find this much exotic. Street markets are a common thing in India, but for Europe this seemed to be a big deal. Nevertheless there was an amazing display of "Human Statues" at the end of this street. I have seen such statues in Munich as well, but people here in Barcelona just take it to an another level. They were more creative and I was amazed at the effort they put in this show.
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| Fountains and sculptures adorn the central square, Placa de Catalunya |
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| A rainbow appears over Placa de catalunya |
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| One of the amazing displays of Human statue at La Rambla (Credit: +Shruti Patel ) |
The old touristic town of Barcelona is very close to La Rambla. A complex web of small streets filled with shopping stores and restaurants. It reminded me of Italy a lot. One of the main attractions here is the Barcelona Cathedral. This beautiful Gothic style cathedral was made in the 14th Century. The main hall has an exit to an open atrium with a fountain, home to a bunch of geese.
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| Like in other European cities, this was an entertainment for kids in the old town of Barcelona |
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| The old town is full of architectural gems |
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| Coming across this old door in one of the squares in the old city, it was a very relaxing and quite area with very few tourists. It served as a nice spot to take a small nap ;-) |
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| The facade of the Barcelona Cathedral |
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| Numerous chandeliers and stained glass windows inside the Cathedral |
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| Gothic architecture of Barcelona Cathedral |
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| The atrium outside the cathedral hall |
After walking the entire afternoon in the old city and exploring every corner, we left for Arc de Triomf, a gateway made for 1888 exhibition here. People are more familiar with Arc de Triomple in Paris which is very similar to this. The arch is situated at one end of Parc de la Ciutadella, a great spot to relax and enjoy the recreations of the garden. To our surprise, a man was selling samosas and he insisted us to buy some because we looked like Indians. Both of us were very tempted but let it go as a warm weather like that demanded ice creams more than spicy, yet delicious samosas.
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| Arc de Triomf |
If you come to Barcelona, there are two main Gaudi attractions: La Sagrada Familia and Parc Guell, both of which require booking the entrance tickets in advance as they are completely booked. La Sagrada Familia is under construction for the past 133 years and it is still incomplete. The entrance money is used for the construction of the remaining part of the cathedral. The Nativity facade (one of the three facades) is adorned by a set of sculptures depicting the life story of Jesus. There is a fusion of modern architecture and natural elements when it comes to Gaudi artwork. The columns supporting the main structure of the cathedral is in the form of a tree with branches coming out at the top. The colors of the windows signified the different elements of nature : Fire, water, forest etc.. In all, an amazing piece of architecture and a style I have never seen before.
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| Nativity facade at La Sagrada Familia |
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| The support columns of the cathedral designed in the form of a tree trunk |
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| A bright cathedral from the colorful stained glass windows on all directions |
Parc Guell is another such work by Gaudi. One gets a beautiful view of the city of Barcelona and the coastline from one of the viewpoints in the park. Its entrance has two buildings which house an exhibition of the history of Barcelona. Gaudi often used broken tile pieces in his art work. The roof of these buildings, the salamander at the front steps and numerous other locations are decorated with such broken tiles. Apart from the artwork, it provides nice recreations.
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| Parc Guell |
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| A view of Barcelona from Parc Guell |
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| The Mananers: One of the bands we loved to listen to. These guys really put a lot of effort in entertaining their audience. And they definitely enjoy their job. Their tag line: "High Everyday" |
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| Red clouds blanket the skies over Parc Guell. Yes, it rained a lot that day |
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| The Pavilion at the entrance of the park overlooking the city of Barcelona |
And of course, there's a beach in Barcelona and we had to go there. As a child who was born literally 500 m from a beach, I miss it a lot in Munich. Though the beach in this city is not that pretty, it is still something and a lot better than the city beaches in India. Walking along the shore, feeling the waves splash against my feet, the waves which just erased our footprints on the wet sand, staring at the ships at the horizon until they disappear, feeling nostalgic looking at kids trying to make sandcastles and in the end brushing off sand from various places once you are back to the hostel.
Barcelona was a treat we were waiting for. Until the next time when I am back to the Mediterranean.
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