Gaudi´s not gaudy

Here I am, back to blogging and almost recovered from the weekend. My last two days in Barcelona have gone by too fast, but I managed to see almost everything on my mental list, so it´s all OK (plus the festival experience makes up for anything I missed).

Yesterday I somehow managed to drag myself out of bed by 10:30 (the Brits and I had stayed out until almost 4 a.m. at the festival wrap party that just happened to be around the corner from our hostel - much more fun dancing time was had), said a sad goodbye to my soon-to-be-former roommates and new friends, and met Max to head out towards the Park Guell. After a number of outdoor escalators and some grueling (for my tired legs and achey feet at least) steep streets we entered the park with a throng of other tourists. Like his other work, Gaudi´s design draws from nature to create grottoes, benches and buildings that blend organically with the surrounding flora. I walked in wonderment through strange halls of rusty rock that seemed to be growing roots down into the ground under my feet and that spread into weirdly liquid-looking flared columns as they rose to the curved roof above me.

Curves are everywhere in Gaudi´s work here, from the crazy Seussian house where he lived for the last 20 years of his life, to the wild and sinuous mosaic bench with its explosion of bright colours and mixed patterns. I finally got to ´meet´ Dragu, one of Barcelona´s most popular figures - its silly smiling face and spreadeagle, lizardy posture was everything I hoped it would be, and I loved seeing the statue, even if it was near-impossible to slip in and take a picture between all the other folks who were hanging off its colourful body.

The rest of yesterday (Monday) was mostly spent recuperating, though I did get to hang out with some fun Californian guys who were on their way to Paris this morning - I started talking with them when I butted into their conversation to elucidate them on the glory of crepes (they weren´t so sure whether they wanted to try them).

After almost catching up on my sleep (I´m sure there are still a few hours missing), I was able to properly sightsee today. First Max and I grabbed some churros (deep-fried, doughnut-like traditional Spanish pastry) for breakfast, and once we were fortified we headed out to immerse ourselves in more Gaudi gloriousness.

Casa Batllo came first, a weird and wonderful creation that sits tucked comfortably between some slightly more pedestrian (but still beautiful) apartment buildings. This is the house that looks a bit like a dragon has decided to land on the roof, its scales just the beginning of a structure that doesn´t look like it´s from this world. I really do wonder where Gaudi got his vision from - nearly all of his work, even the more subdued stuff, has this alien tinge to it, as if he was from another dimension where surreal spires were expected to pop out of rooves and interiors often reminded one of being under the sea.

Walking into Batllo is like sinking below the surface of a strange ocean where urchins do double duty as lamps, spines of giant whales curve themselves into bannisters, and ribcages of ancient, mysterious beasts become soothing white hallways. The water theme continues throughout the building, with cool blue and white counteracting warm wood doors and windowframes, and panes of rippled glass giving the illusion of waves as you walk up the central staircase.

Actually, maybe it´s more like being inside the dragon I mentioned earlier, seeing its watery insides and rising up and up through its body, past spine and ribs and entrails, until you emerge onto the roof and see its colourful skin sparkling in a rainbow of colours, its tail standing up as one of those fantastical spires.

We reluctantly left that magical house and made our way to the second neccessary Gaudi site, La Pedrera, an apartment building just up the Passeig de Gràcia from Batllo. This is the one with balconies that appear to be made of seaweed (again with the oceanic imagery) and an almost sensual concrete exterior that curves like plump flesh all the way up the building. Since it was just starting to rain we raced up to the roof, which happens to be the most incredible part of the building. The one apartment that´s open for viewing is gorgeous, designed with few right-angle corners and laid out in a circular design that allows you to flow through its main rooms and admire the immensely detailed design - like my beloved Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Gaudi was concerned with the minutiae of the interior, not just the grand architectural perspective.

But back to the roof. The moment I stepped out the door I was blown away by the fantasy world I´d somehow fallen into. Perhaps I´d gone through a rabbit hole and into Wonderland? The figures that stood all around me certainly looked as if they could be giant knights from a delirious game of chess, and a number of confectionary spires contributed to the surreal landscape before my eyes. I didn´t see any Red Queens or talking flowers, however, and when I looked past the edge of the terrace it seemed as if Barcelona was still laid out all around me, so I was forced to conlude that it was just another one of Gaudi´s delicious flights of fancy (frankly, I was a bit disappointed - I´d been looking forward to bantering with Humpty and playing some flamingo croquet).

Our souls all full of Gaudi´s genius, Max and I floated home to the hostel and are now packing (our train for Lyon leaves at 8:45 tomorrow morning) and have the supplies to make a delicious omlette (with tomato, avocado and cheese!) for dinner. Yum.

Speaking of food, I´ve recently fallen deeply in love with gazpacho. A cold vegetable soup, its pureed goodness is kind of like V8, but much thinner and based on cream and (from what I can tell) tomatoes and peppers, plus the seasoning makes it much more refreshing. So maybe it isn´t much like V8 at all, but that´s still the closest thing I can come up with to compare it to. I have plans to find a really good recipe and start making the stuff all the time, along with those baked croque monsieurs from Marseille. This trip is giving me a wealth of food ideas and I can´t wait to get cooking when I´m home again.

It´s sad to leave Barcelona, but Switzerland and PARIS await, as well as our upcoming quick visit to Lyon. Onwards, always onwards!

P.S: One more Barcelona tidbit - I had no idea how Art Nouveau this city was! Everywhere I look there are bits of glorious design that thrill me with their Art Nouveau beauty. I´m really going to miss this city, I feel it already.