Monday, July 11, 2011

The Evolution of a City - Barcelona with Paula and Lawrence

This morning I picked up Paula and Lawrence at the hotel and off we headed to the most famous market in Spain: La boqueria. Getting there first thing in the morning means that you can still savor the smells and sights of the market before it gets crowded around midday. And as today was shaping up to be a hot one, it was nice to be able to wander freely through the stalls, pointing out local produce and hams, spices and commenting on the history and role of markets in Spain.

A visit to the world of modernisme followed, with the obligatory visit to the Sagrada Familia (lines of more than an hour outside, luckily we had our tickets already!). As an engineer, Lawrence was particularly interested in Gaudi's use of geometry and figures in his building techniques. It was nice to be able to see the front doors with te Pare Nostre imprinted on it. The progression of the building can be slow sometimes, but sometimes it feels like it's making leaps and bounds!

A quick stop for lunch along the majestic Passeig de Gracia and we were once more into modernisme, this time taking in La Pedrera and the Block of Discord. It is always interesting to see what people take from these architectural gems, and both Paula and Lawrence were more than willing to explain what they liked more and less about the various  buildings. As the day winded down, we talked about the evolution of Barcelona from a Roman town up through the 21st century. A visit to Montjuic with a view of the city from the Mayor's Lookout brought an end to a lively, entertaining and informative day. Tomorrow Figueres and Girona await!

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