High Above Barcelona

If there was one city to end our trip on that would throw a completely new perspective into our view of Spain, it was Barcelona. After the commercial Madrid and the typically southern and Andalusian Granada, Barcelona proved to be the most European feeling city of the trip, with large boulevards and stone buildings reminiscent of Paris. However, the culture could not have been more different from other cities in Spain, or Europe for that matter.

Barcelona is on the Mediterranean coast of northern Spain in a region called Catalunya. Catalunya stands out as an area of Spain very distinct from the rest of the country. The primary language here is Catalan, not Spanish, so all signs are either bilingual (Catalan and Spanish) or trilingual (Catalan, Spanish and English). One of Barcelona’s most striking features is its architecture, which was heavily influenced by the work of Antoni Gaudi. Gaudi’s buildings can be found throughout the city and are actually the center of several very touristy bus trips in Barcelona, but his (almost) crowning achievement is the temple of the Sagrada Familia, or Sacred Family. I say almost because Gaudi died in 1926 after being unexpectedly hit by a tram during the construction of the temple (as if anyone expects to be hit by a tram). With the creative genius behind the structure now gone and work still to be done, construction continued for a time under the direction of other architects but ultimately ended long before its completion. The task has been taken up once again by the city of Barcelona, so the temple is constantly under construction as visitors go to and fro admiring what currently stands.

I could probably write a novella about the symbolism and genius behind the architecture of this church, so I’ll attempt to keep it short. The inside of the church takes the columns necessary for roof support and models them after the trunks and branches of trees that reach up to the ceiling, which itself resembles the leaves of a forest canopy. The outside features three façades, all detailing different stages of Jesus’ life: the Nativity, the Passion, and the Glory. The Glory façade is the only of the three still unfinished. Biblical scenes and moments in the life of Jesus are carved into the stone on the outside of these façades, including the arrival of the three kings to the manger, Judas’ betrayal of Jesus, and Jesus’ death. The current plan is to have the remaining work finished on the church by 2026, the 100^th anniversary of Gaudi’s death.

As I mentioned in the previous entry, my quest in each place I visit is to make it to the highest point the city has to offer. In Barcelona, the obvious high point is Mount Tibidabo, lying just north of the city center (Friends fans will know this name from “The Story” used often by Joey). After a metro ride, a walk up a winding road (which could have been a bus, but we were on a budget), and a rickety funicular, we arrived at the top of Tibidabo. To be found here: an old church perched atop the summit and an amusement park. How those two things seemed like logical next-door neighbors is beyond me. Nevertheless, stepping inside the old church, hearing the winds high above the city swirling outside around the dome and realizing that I was the only person towering above a city of over a million people was a pretty cool feeling. The views from the mountain were well worth the journey as they gave a glimpse of all of Barcelona’s major buildings and neighborhoods stretching all the way to the shores of the Mediterranean.

Another great moment for me, the eternal Olympics fan, was making it to the Montjuïc Park, site of the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics. The facilities set atop the hillside park are still in use for a variety of other events, sporting and entertainment alike, including European football (soccer) championships and Bon Jovi concerts (who knew?).

So there we were, 10 days, 3 cities, and more than a handful of adventures later and our grand tour of Spain was coming to a close. Exhausted but satisfied, we returned to Montpellier to get some sleep and let our bank accounts recover for a while. At least until the next trip.

Check out the entire collection of my pictures from here and the rest of my time in France on my Picasa page: http://picasaweb.google.com/johncmcgowan