Day 1
There were 2 really nice things about the hotel we stayed.
1.) Their Location: They were located right above one of the main stations - Sants Estacio and were well connected to the rest of the city and even to other cities.
2.) Their Breakfast: What a spread! Varieties of fresh fruit, vegetables, dried fruit, jams, spreads, cheese, breads, pastries, croissants, eggs cooked in varied ways, yogurts and I don't even remember what else. And all of it was of such good quality! I have never ever eaten such breakfast in my life before. There, now I don't have to drool afresh in each new post!
There were some not-so-nice things about the hotel we stayed as well - such being charged 4 Euros for a 500ml bottle of drinking water - but why think of the negatives?
Having read that the Metro was the best way to travel in Barcelona, we were determined to give it a try. Besides, we simply couldn't afford to take cabs everywhere. So armed with a Metro map and directions from the hotel, we walked downstairs to Estacio Sants, where we almost boarded a train to some different city (Mistaking platform 5 for Line 5). After some adventure trying to communicate in gestures with different kind hearted but non-English speaking people, we discovered the right place to board the Metro.
Our first destination was the top-must-see attraction of Barcelona - Temple De Sagrada Familia - Antonio Gaudi's unfinished masterpiece - a cathedral still in construction. From outside the building looked impressive and was even better inside (though unfinished). The entrance fee was 8 Euros and well worth the cost. The interior had these columns with supports branching out and looking up I felt as I were looking at a forest canopy supported on the branches of really tall trees with light filtering in through imposing stained glass windows. Opting not to climb the hundreds of steps to the see the towers, we shelled out 2 Euros more per person and took the elevator instead. We waited in line for almost an hour to get into the elevator. Again, this was made worthwhile by the view from the top - a view of the city as well as a closer look at the towers with all their wild decorative forms. We took the stairs walking down, pausing to look through every little window and click yet another image.
My husband went back to the hotel after that, since he had better things to do like attend his conference on Computing. I headed meanwhile in search of my next destination: Casa Mila, also known as La Pedrera, designed by Antonio Gaudi. Upon getting down from the Metro at Diagonal Station, I promptly headed in the completely wrong direction. I wasn't in a hurry to find the place though and I wandered around happily in the sunshine, feasting my eyes on the surroundings and the wonderful facades around. People were eating outside, lingering in public squares and enjoying the company of family and friends. The buildings were wonderful - 3 or 4 storeyed apartment buildings easily a hundred years old if not older. They all looked similar with their balconies and wooden shutters. Yet they each looked different with different colors, decorative motifs and styles to tell them apart. I completely fell in love with this place - which I later learnt was part of Gracia, and spent hours wandering around taking photos of facades.
After some time I finally realized that something was wrong and that Casa Mila had still not shown up in spite of my walking for quite a while. Looking at my map and at the streets around, I realized I was headed the wrong way and turned around to start my long walk back.
I knew I had reached the right place, upon seeing the curvaceous building that stood out from rectilinear ones that surrounded it. Of course I instantly fell in love with this place just looking at it from outside - The cast iron of the balconies and the doorframes, the organic forms of the building itself and the sheer exuberence of it all...
The inside was beautiful as well, especially the arched loft with 240 brick arches, acting as a structural support for the undulating roof. There was a 'Making of La Pedrera' museum there. arches. Nothing prepared me for the experience of stepping out on the roof though. The only word to describe it is 'Wild!'. I had to wonder what he smoked to come up with those chimney stacks! The entire roof surface varied in height and walking around the roof once every day would have kept the occupants fit and healthy.
There was also a temporary exhibition on the paintings by Spanish Artist Ramon Gaya. I hung around for a while admiring the art and trying to make sense of the captions and other info written in Spanish, before I gave up and decided to get something to eat.
The dinner was served at Montjuic el Xalet, a fancy restaurant at Montjuic - a hill with several places of interest. The restaurant occupied multiple levels and offered spectacular views of Barcelona and the sea. The level we were on was a revolving area, where every group at every table got a chance to look out onto the city below. Food was good or so I was told. There were limited options for vegetarians - namely a huge leafy salad, some Paella that didn't smell quite right and really good dessert. We watched in some frustration at all the others tucking into their multiple courses of seafood and carnage. The wine was good and abundant and the ambience was great.
The evening ended with the spectacular fireworks from the conclusion of La Merce, the local festival of Barcelona. The fireworks went on for almost an hour and we had a grand view from where we were perched. A great end to a wonderful day!
No comments:
Post a Comment