We woke up at 8:30 am having slept for 10 hours. Not wanting to waste anymore time on the morning we quickly got ready and headed down the street, stopping at a bread store to pick up another baguette and cheese and eating it on the way to La Sagrada Familia.
There wasn't much of a line and we paid for the double ticket of La Sagrada Familia and Guadí's house in Parc Güell. My third time in Barcelona, this was the first time I'd been inside Guadí's masterpiece. The interior was incredible with his amazing columns and beam supports looking like tree trunks and the beautiful stained glass windows showering the entrance with colored light. Unlike straight, static, traditional columns, Guadi's columns leaned and spread out in their structural elegance. We got in the line for the elevator, standing behind some obnoxious American teenagers. When it was our turn for the elevator we were let in a group of six and then allowed to ride i up. Looking through the glass window we rose through one of the incredible spires, affording incredible views of the city.
Like the other bell towers I'd climbed in Europe, the spire of La Sagrada Familia towered above the rest of the city. We took some pictures at the top and then descended the vertiginous stairs, stopping to peek at the many details that Guadí had put in. We kept joking that La Sagrada Familia would never be finished and that the workers were fake as we kept hearing construction noises but only saw one guy actually working. Downstairs, we explored the cathedral and the small museum dedicated to Guadí and the construction of the cathedral. Inspired by nature, the Sagrada Familia is pure mathematical and geometric genius.
Deciding to dedicate the day to Guadí, we then took the metro to Parc Güell. We'd been meaning to take the tourist bus, but had been doing so well with the public transportation that it was unnecessary. The difference between Northern and Southern Spain was clearly demonstrated by the in street elevators leading up to Parc Güell. We followed the throngs of tourists to the park's incredible entrance. I think my mom really enjoyed it as we wound through the palm fronds, mosaic tiled benches and listened to sitar playing street artists. We wandered along the paths heading to the Casa Guadí and Museum where we quickly entered using our double ticket. Although I'd seen it before, I still really enjoyed his house and noticed a few new things. Outside we met some of the people my mom had sat next to on the plane. A LA couple and their daughter who was "like studying abroad" in Barcelona. After walking around the park a little more, we ended our visit after watching some more street performers.
Walking down the hill we got a little lost before finding the metro stop. We took it to "Passeig de Gracia," and came out in front of Guadí's Casa Batlló. An incredible facade, the structure was bulbous and radiant in the sunlight. We paid the 15 euros to enter, receiving an audio guide that was almost too in depth. This was another incredible architectural feat by Guadí in which the house itself became a surreal environment. Designed to be an "undersea world," in which the colors (level of blue), shapes and architecture would change on each floor, Guadí elevated simple materials of wood, glass, tile and iron to levels of exquisite art. I loved wandering the different rooms with white arches and influence by nature. The house was his creation, unique in form and shape. The outside patio looking up gave a spectacular view of the house, allowing all of the details to shimmer and radiate. We took the stairs to the roof where we had an even better view of the incredible design. We walked to the end finding a little room with a fountain. Back in the attic we walked along the white hallways, admiring the spectacular arches that Guadí had perfected. We took the glass elevator down to the ground floor.
Outside we decided to continue our Guadí day by visiting La Pedrera, Guadí's apartment building. The line ended up being too long, so we instead went to "La Caixa Art Exhibit," right next door for free. The tribute to the Catalan artist Monpu, who seemed to only paint fish and naked women," wasn't that great but we did get to see the inside of La Pedrera which was the best part.
We took the metro back to Hospital Sant Pau and after buying some fruit, bread and cheese we had a small picnic in the incredible complex. The hospital de Sant Pu was made up of hundreds of beautiful old buildings with glazed tile roofs and glaring gargoyles. We headed back to the hotel to relax before dinner.
During our visit to Casa Battló, I'd received a call form the airport saying our bag was going to be delivered between 7 and 10pm. When we arrived at the hotel, they said there was a bag there for my mom. The bag was red like my mom's but not hers. It belonged to someone from North Carolina. My mom was upset and nervous that something had happened to her bag and we spent the next hour having the helpful hotel receptionist call the airport. Although still nervous about the added stress t our situation we decided to go upstairs, relax and wait.
At 9:00pm we went down to wait in the lobby for Alex and Vanessa who were going to be taking us out to dinner. At 9:10 the baggage came and in the few minutes we had to wait, my mom went upstairs to change into clean clothes. Vanessa came in two minutes later and I talked to her before my mom came down.
We ended up having a great evening as Alex and Vanessa took us to a traditional Catalonian Restaurant where we had a variety of tapas style dishes. We had pan con tomate, pate, lots of ham, bread and egg dishes. They ordered two pitchers of sangría as well. With some convincing from Alex and Vanessa, I decided to not take the job in Barcelona and will be traveling this summer to Greece and Turkey.
After dinner they drove us back to the hotel. I fell immediately asleep, but the heavy chocolate dessert that we had had at the restaurant kept my mom up all night.
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