La Rambla Gaudí

 We began Monday with a walk along Barcelona’s famous Rambla after breakfasting just off the Plaza Catalunya.

The flags you see on these buildings and throughout the city are in support of Catalonian independence. A recent advisory referendum passed by 70% and raises interesting questions in Spain and throughout Europe about the nature of nationalism and the future of the nation-state.

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As we went along we came across the Market St. Josep, which combined genuine food and produce stalls with those more attuned to the tourists who began flooding it at mid-day when we returned to, what else? Eat. Our lunch consisted of meat and veggie pies, olives and some lovely confections for dessert. Yum!  

At mid-morning coffee, I had to take an image of this old fellow, a real "type."

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And that fortified us for our next experience, the iconic Casa Milá, or La Pedrera. You cannot say you know Gaudí until you experience directly his work and through it the man and his genius. I’ll let the images speak for themselves except to note that the house is beautifully interpreted by the foundation that runs it. I understand Gaudí far better now than I would have by just going through Sagrada Familia as brilliant a monument as that is.

The tour takes you first to the rooftop. One of the (many) things that Gaudí objected to were beautiful buildings that stopped with a simple rooftop. This rooftop is famous and it is a photographer’s paradise. Gaudí designed two arches among the other ornamentation (all functional part of heating and ventilation), one pointed to Parc Güell and the other to, of course, Sagrada Familia.

Your humble servant with the pen that was inspired by the Casa Milá, the Pelikan Spirit of Gaudi

This chimney pot inspired the packaging of the pen

Sagrada Familia in the background

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From there you descend to the vaulted attic which served then as a play and storage place, but which now is an interpretive center where Gaudí’s methodology and craft is set forth. I have included a larger number of images than usual, so I am not including any of the attic exhibits, even though I want to!

On the 4^th floor is a exhibit that represents the Milá family’s living quarters. Pere Milá died in 1941, but his widow Rosar Sagamon lived in the building that she had earlier sold until her death in 1964. For the next twenty years the building was effaced until 1984 when restoration efforts commenced.

At ground level there is 1,300 sq m of temporary exhibit space. I mention this only because it was devoted to the work of the Soviet Russian illustrator El Lissitzky, who did some work for Pelikan. I was so excited that I lifted my camera to phjotograph some of his Pelikan work, but could not do so, of course.

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After La Pedrera we were a bit Gaudi’ed out, so to speak, and so we paid only passing attention to the Casa Battlo just up the street, but easily as remarkable a an accomplishment. It is part of the Block of Discord, a row of modernist homes built by wealthy Barcelonians trying to outdo one another architecturally. It was fun, though we were too worn out to give each of the houses the attention they deserved. Next time.

The north part of the block of discord

The ground floor space of the Casa Amatller

Interior of another of the houses on the block

Looking south (I think)

 
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But we were not quite done. Earlier while we were being driven around the city, I happened to note this storefront.

 
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As we left the Block of Discord Sharon insisted we visit the pen shop and who was I to argue? and I came away with a Super T. Who knew there was once a pen maker in Catalunya?