Saturday, October 30, 2021

Barcelona: Born Area Beautiful Flat Old Town Centre (Airbnb), Day 8 of 8

Walking Route: Apartment to Casa Vicens and back, 5 miles

It poured and poured and poured. But it was warm (around 70 degrees), and this was our last day in Spain, so we went out anyway.

We walked to Casa Vicens, the first house designed by Gaudi in Barcelona. Ken opted to explore the neighborhood while I explored the house. Airbnb offered Casa Vicens for a one-night stay in October, and I tried to sign up for it but didn't get it. Staying here would have been delightful, but just touring it was too. Even in this very first commission, Gaudi's style was already clear and beautiful. I loved the hour I had to myself with the audio tour (and a small number of other visitors).

We got drenched on the walk back to the apartment. Several times, we ducked into store fronts (with other pedestrians) to wait out particularly heavy and windy deluges. We went about 6 blocks out of our way to return to a gift store where I had seen a figurine I wanted to buy our grandson Josh. Luckily, Ken, with his excellent sense of direction and memory for places, was able to get us to it.

Back at the apartment, we put our clothes in the washer/dryer and took hot showers, then packed, checked in for our flights home, messaged our drivers for the airport transfers, taped up the bike boxes, tidied the apartment, took out the recycling, and cleaned out the refrigerator.

For dinner, we had reservations at our favorite neighborhood tapas bar, Casa Lolea. We enjoyed another delicious meal with sangria (for me), dessert, and espresso.

That is it. Our driver arrives at 7:30 Sunday morning (Barcelona time), and if all goes well, we will be home by 11:00 Sunday night (Northfield time). Another awesome adventure behind us. Many more ahead (we hope!).

Casa Vicens was built between 1883 and 1885. Manuel Vicens commissioned Gaudi to design a summer home for his family in the village of Gracias, then just outside the Barcelona city limits.

The entrance hall opens onto a small terrace, and wrought iron fences and gates link the terrace to the street. The coffered ceilings and two-tiered walls appear throughout the house, with different finishes, colors, and species of flora featured in the various rooms.

The entrance hall opens to the dining room, which in turn leads to a covered porch, accessed through doors on either side of the fireplace.

The covered porch has comfortable wooden benches, wooden screens to filter the sunlight, and a fountain. The weblike wheel atop the fountain constantly circulates water. When the sun shines through it, rainbows sparkle in the light. (The sun was not shining the day I was there.)

The center of the ceiling is detailed in blue.

Behind the dining room is a very small smoking room, where men would retire to talk and smoke after dinner.

Windows and doors from the smoking room lead directly to the main terrace. The terrace is also accessible from walkways around the house and from the hallway that connects all the rooms on the ground floor.

The daughter's bedroom and bathroom, main bedroom and terrace, and women's sitting room are on the first floor. The daughter's room is a pink lower tier, with a textured floral upper tier.

 

Ceiling detail in the daughter's room.

Daughter's room.

Ceiling detail in bathroom.

Wall detail in bathroom.

Most homes did not have indoor plumbing in the bathrooms. Gaudi not only provided indoor plumbing; he designed the bathroom as three separate rooms. One room was for the tub and sink...

...one was for dressing,...

...and one was for the toilet.

The main bedroom has two doors to a terrace. Looking back at the house and up to the second story, you can see the care Gaudi took with detailing the exterior.

Planters on the terrace are decorated with tiles illustrating flowers and plants common to the native gardens around the house. The benches are the same design as those on the covered porch below.

The main bedroom was originally two bedrooms--one for the husband, one for the wife. In later years, the wall between them was removed. You can see the different designs and colors used for the two bedrooms. Both bedrooms had the same dimensions and the same ceiling design.

Detail at corner of first-floor terrace.

Ceiling of women's sitting room on first floor.

The women's sitting room on the first floor is the same dimensions as the smoking room below.

The sitting room is lighter and airier, with wooden screens that are similar to (but not the same as) those on the covered porch.

Before Gaudi began his design for the house, he visited the site and took note of the native flora. He then incorporated those flowers and plants in his design. One element that he used was a palm fern. He cut a frond, made a mold of it, and cast metal fronds for use in the house.

Chimneys.

Rooftop walkways. Even in a simple family home, Gaudi created easy access to rooftop views.

And it poured all the way to Casa Vicens and back to the apartment.

Friday, October 29, 2021

Barcelona: Born Area Beautiful Flat Old Town Centre (Airbnb), Day 7 of 8

Walking Route: Apartment to Picasso Museum and back, Montjuic to apartment, about 5 miles

Taxi Route: Apartment to Montjuic

The Picasso Museum is just a few blocks from our apartment, in a block of six interconnected townhouses. The buildings date from the 13th to 15th centuries, with the oldest features displaying the Catalan Gothic style of architecture. The galleries in the museum have been laid out with beautiful examples of the early architecture exposed, including views of the light-filled interior spaces. 

The permanent collection is arranged in chronological order, with placards in Spanish, Catalan, and English outlining the various periods of Picasso's development as an artist and a man. I really appreciated seeing the progression of his work, the many various media he used, and the ways he was influenced by other artists, nature, spirituality, light, world events, his own relationships and aging.

Picasso was born in Malaga, Catalonia, in 1881. His father was a painter and art teacher. His family moved to Barcelona when he was 14, in 1895, and he returned to the city often throughout his life. He donated a large block of works to the Picasso Museum in the late 1960s. The museum expanded to include those works, and planned a celebration to open the new space in 1970. Picasso asked them to cancel the celebration because he felt it was inappropriate after the sentencing of six ETA members to death that year. The museum expansion opened quietly.

Picasso died in 1973.

I was in high school and college during the last years of his life, and during the height of the ETA civil unrest and violence in Spain. I lived in a small town in central Minnesota--about as safe and conservative as could be. Spain seemed dangerous, its artists and activists extreme. I'm amazed to wander among the works of Picasso, Dali, Gaudi, Maso--and enjoy them so much, in such a welcoming environment. I love that life can bring light and joy in ways I would not have expected, and connections can reach across time and space and thoughts and movements.

Later in the afternoon, we took a taxi up to Castell de Montjuic, a military castle atop a hill at the edge the city. We walked around and through the castle, took photos of the city and harbor below, and then hiked down the mountain and back to our apartment. On the way down, we passed one of the 1992 Olympic swim venues--the diving pool. We also passed the Magic Fountain. Before Covid, the city held light shows at the fountain, with a view down over the city. We were disappointed the shows have not yet started up again.

Montjuic has been occupied since prehistoric times. The first known fortification was a lighthouse or watchtower, built about 1031. A fort was constructed on the site in 1640, and updated to a castle in a series of renovations throughout the 17th century. It served as a fortified castle throughout the 18th, 19th century, and 20th centuries. It's last strategic use was during Franco's regime, in 1939-1940. From 1940 to 1960, it was a prison. In 2007, the fort was turned over to the city of Barcelona and its citizens.

Studio (Pigeons) (Velazquez), by Picasso, 1957. While working on a different, large piece (I've forgotten the name of it), Picasso took breaks by completing a series of studies of the rooftop terrace of his studio.

Port Vell, as seen from Montjuic.

Container ships and containers in the harbor.

Ramparts at Castell de Montjuic.

The parade grounds.

Port Vell and the gardens leading down to it from Montjuic.

The old castle moat is now a formal garden.

A large plaza in Barcelona.

Thursday, October 28, 2021

Barcelona: Born Area Beautiful Flat Old Town Centre (Airbnb), Day 6 of 8

Walking Routes: Apartment to clinic for Covid tests and back, apartment to restaurant in Barceloneta and back, 6 miles.

We are officially Covid free (our tests came back negative), the bikes are in boxes, and we are almost ready to go home! We celebrated with a seafood dinner in the Barceloneta neighborhood, down by the harbor. Lovely.

Barceloneta is a neighborhood wrapped around the harbor and beach.

Sunset from the jetty.

A cable car connects Barceloneta with Montjuic, the hill in the background. Montjuic is known for a fortified castle, Olympic facilities (Barcelona hosted the summer Olympics in 1992), a contemporary art museum, and the Magic Fountain.

The beach was active but not crowded in the chilly off-season evening.

Frank Gehry's stainless steel fish sculpture was built for the 1992 Olympics. It appears gold in color and serves as a canopy for a casino and restaurants connecting the Hotel Arts with the coast.

A street near our apartment. I think this is the only time we were out after it was fully dark and the lights were on! The lamps were originally gas, later refitted for electricity. It is easy to imagine the passageway in the 1800s, with a lamplighter, workers, and gentry making their way in dusky, flickering light.

Wednesday, October 27, 2021

Barcelona: Born Area Beautiful Flat Old Town Centre (Airbnb), Day 5 of 8

Walking Route: Apartment to Casa Mila and back, apartment to Mercato de Sant Antonio and back, 6.5 miles

Still on the hunt for Gaudi properties, we hiked to La Pedrera (Casa Mila) mid-morning and absorbed more art for a couple hours.

Casa Mila was commissioned by Pere Mila and Rosario Segimon, designed by Antoni Gaudi, and built in 1906-1912. The Mila family lived on the main floor and rented out apartments on the remaining floors. Retail space occupied the ground floor. Unusual for its time, the structure also included an underground garage.

The building was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1984. The rooftop opened to visitors in 1987, and from 1987 to 1997, the building underwent renovations to turn it into a cultural center for the general public. Since then, the attic has opened as a gallery space showcasing Gaudi's major works in Barcelona, and an apartment decorated with period furnishings has opened to visitors.

Again, we were enchanted by the artistry and skill of Gaudi. It is easy to see the influence of the Art Nouveau period that trained him, as well as the natural and religious motifs that inspired his work. Experiencing the results is uplifting.

On our way back from Casa Mila, we walked along the high-end Avinguda Diagonal and passed another Gaudi work, Casa Batllo. If we have time, we may book a tour of that home or Casa Vicens.

After a short break at the apartment, we headed out in the opposite direction and explored the art district, with shops highlighting Catalan artisans, and then went to the Mercato de Sant Antonio to buy local foods for dinner. Another good day.

Gaudi's father was an ironworker, and Gaudi teamed with artisans who designed and constructed unusual balconies and other elements for his buildings.

The rooftop of Casa Mila is as beautifully designed as the rest of the structure. Gaudi included four stairwells; the taller white structure is one of them.

Chimneys resemble soldiers, guarding the residents.

Walkways allow visitors to flow through the rooftop features. Sturdy chain-link fencing keeps visitors safe. I wonder why Gaudi did not include artistic iron guardrails.

Even the rain gutters are works of art.

Two of the stairwells are each flanked by two arches. Three of the arches frame views of churches.

One set of chimneys is topped by green mosaic.

Inside the attic, with Gaudi's characteristic vaulting.

A scale model of Casa Mila.

Gaudi even designed pieces of furniture, capturing the essence of nature and ergonomics. 

Below the attic, an apartment has been decorated with typical period pieces. The rooms are somewhat plain, not large, not opulent. This is a children's room, situated in the servants' wing because maids would have looked after children during the night.

Typical of Spanish design, a central courtyard provides light and fresh air to inside rooms.

The kitchen was considered large and well-designed for its time.

I loved the white marble countertops throughout the kitchen and servants' dining area. I don't usually like white kitchens, but I did like the warmth and life that comes from hundred-year-old stone, scratched and cracked a little from use. 

The study was the only slightly dark room in the apartment.

Tall windows and spots of color brought life to the simple designs.

The bathrooms were surprisingly large and well-appointed for the early 1900s.

The views from the windows brought the streets and parks of Barcelona inside the rooms.

The iconic shapes and natural flow of Gaudi's designs are evident even in the door and window shapes and frames.

Simple ceiling designs continued the motif of nature.

The main door of Casa Mila uses the butterfly motif that inspires many of Gaudi's entryways.

The pillars and ceiling in the main vestibule use shapes and colors from nature.

On our walk back from Casa Mila, we passed Casa Batllo.

The facade of Casa Batllo is colorful and playful. It made me smile.

The play of sunlight and reflections on the curving surfaces and windows makes the surface of the building dance.

The building to the left of Casa Batllo is also interesting. On its own, I think it would be very appealing; next to Casa Batllo, it seemed clunky.