Bonjour, Kelly!

barcelona, pt. 3: gaudi goin' on

One of the main tourist attractions in Barcelona is the architecture of Gaudi. Indeed, it really is something to see all of these works in person. We set out one day to see all of the buildings, but quickly realized that some of the 'minor' ones somewhat blended in to the surrounding structures. Here are the most interesting ones we saw.



You know what - these pictures are kind of crappy. If you want, just look up gaudi + barcelona, and you'll find more interesting shots.

The Sagrada Familia:

The construction on this began in 1882 as a temple for the royal family. Actually, Gaudi died when we was hit by a car while walking home from overseeing construction one day in 1926. The temple is still under construction -- it's estimated that it won't be finished for another 30 years. It's really amazing to see something like this - that will plausibly last for hundreds and hundreds more actually being built. Even the postcards for the Sagrada Familia are outdated, since it constantly keeps growing.


Finally, Park Guell:

Unfortunately, pictures really don't do this justice. Entering the park is like stepping into some little fairy land overlooking the city. It's tucked up on the north end of the city, in the charming Gracia neighborhood. There's open spaces for kids to play soccer, benches to look out to the sea, areas to sit for picnics (which, of course, is what we did), paths for walking. The scrubby-yet-green hills mixed with the sunshine reminded me of California - and made me think that maybe my brother wasn't so crazy to move there, after all...






It is a beautiful day today - bright sun, no clouds or fog, pleasantly brisk. It feels like spring, which, I'm told, actually does begin in March here. The thing is, I've forgotten exactly what to do with this good weather. Should I go outside? And do what? There's a line in a Bonnie Prince Billy song that goes, "When you live like a hermit, you forget what you know." That's really the only way to explain it, I suppose...

I guess I'll start by going to the market.

posted by kelly @ 10:52 AM