Just a hop skip and a jump from Paris, here we are in Barcelona! Oh, how I love EasyJet. Until we have such a brilliant airline in the states, I think I'll just stay here, thanks.
First up on the itinerary: visiting the legendary buildings of the Catalan architectural wonder, Gaudi.
Being inside Casa Batlló is like being underwater. Not only do the
gradient blue walls mirror the colors of the sea and the glass stairwell
distort your vision like the surface of a pool, but there is the
strange sense that every visitor seems to be holding their breath,
awaiting with expectation the next extraordinary bend in Antonio Gaudi's
marvelous creation. Traditionally, Art Nouveau is about following
forms in nature, best seen in winding floral decorations reminiscent of
Islamic arabesque, or Celtic knot work. Never before have I seen work
of this era that follows, so intrinsically, the patterns of the natural
world.
Emerging at the top of the famous apartment building felt like tumbling out of a wave. Everyone seemed to breathe sharply, and deeply, like they were coming up for air. From the top, we looked out over Barcelona. In front of us was the ocean, behind us, Parc Guell and the pine green mountains, and to our right the sun sank behind Mount Juiic, throwing the palace profile of the Catalan history museum and the iconic communications tower into sharp relief.
Bon dia, Barca.
