Hi everyone, Just letting you know I'm having a blast at the venice biennale. Lots here to see and do! Will update the blog when I can get some more internet time.
Ciao....
Mick.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
Bilbao
We left Barcelona early morning on a high speed train. We were both still quite exhausted from the previous couple of days walking so we used this opportunity to try and grab another couple of hours sleep. The spanish countryside is just beautiful. In some areas, it does look quite dry and dessert like, and in others it is quite lush and dense. It wasn’t too long before we started to head up into the hills. The train slowed and weaved its way through some valleys until finally arriving in Bilbao (6 or so hours later)
Immediately the first thing we both noticed was the temperature…. It was cool. Pleasantly cool, a refreshing change from the almost unbearable heat of Barcelona. The Abando station (the main train station in Bilbao) has a spectacular stained glass window visible from all platforms. A little different I thought for a train station.
Immediately we started for the hotel to dump our bags. We got some dodgy information from the ticket booth and headed onto the local metro to a station somewhere up on the hill. We got off at the advised station, and upon looking at the local map on the wall (which looked almost nothing like the one we had printed off google maps) we jumped back on the train and headed to the next station. We were heading blind, as we had no map, only the fact that I had spotted on the way into the train station our hotel, as it had a huge green sign on the top. So this was all we had to go on really. After around 30 minutes of feeling our way around the suburbs of Bilbao, we found the hotel. We then headed straight for the city, I couldn’t wait any longer, I had to at least see the Guggenheim, even if we weren’t going in it until the following day. As we were heading into the main township, we could hear lots of people, lots of drunk people??? As we got closer to town we found that the City had a festival going called the Aste Nagusia. I believe this translates to "the big week" and is supposed to be one of the most vibrant festivals in Spain, as Bilbao celebrates its Basque heritage. Over 100,000 locals take part in the party, which includes the Strongman games, nightly firework displays, live music and lots of eating and drinking. Events are held all over the city in plazas, parks and churches over nine long days in August. This is all fantastic, If you speak Spanish. Everything was closed, all the restaurants, shops etc. Everyone was out partying. This was going to be a slight problem, as the food that was being served at the makeshift tent kitchens did not look all that crash hot, and the smell that was around town smelt like stale vomit. (maybe that was why they were spraying the roads and footpaths with a lemon scented water??)
We wandered down the main street and it was a similar story here also….
Everything was closed. Not a single shop open. God I thought, I hope the Guggenheim is going to be open??. We turned down a street that lead to the museum and low and behold there it was. It stands out as a shining beacon in the city. It really is magnificent. The titanium sheeting which covers the majority of the building reflects in the sunlight. A flower covered bear stands at the main entryway.
The building is extremely complex in its geometry, with twists and curves, some clad in limestone, some in titanium and some in glass, Its is a complex series of spaces with a huge atrium space in the middle. The main entryway is at the foot of an enourmaous glass atrium space.
We walked around the building finding more pieces of artwork scattered around. A huge spider on massive legs sits between the building and the Bilbao River.
We walked along the river back to the hotel through part of the festival. There were thousands of kids all having their faces painted, riding on different attractions and just generally either screaming with joy or screaming with discontent….. We were out of there!! We headed back to the hotel (which was very comfy) and had an early night. Fireworks woke us up at around 11pm and lasted for a good 30 minutes. No expense spared here in Bilbao, they were magnificent! I think we may have had the best view from out Hotel room window!
The next day we headed back into the city… It was much quiter this time. Most people were moving very very slowly….. clearly hanging onto a hangover! We headed down the main street expecting to see the shops open and again nothing, So we heade back to the Guggenheim to visit the artwork. Unfortunately photos are not allowed inside the museum, but you should check out the museum works. These can be seen at: http://www.guggenheim.org/bilbao
Clearly for me, the most outstanding work is the permanent collection from Richard Serra. Here, he uses a complex series of shapes to create sculpture pieces that you walk through and around, sensing the space as it changes…. Very cool!!
For me, the Guggenheim is a very interesting building, but I do find the complex series of shapes confusing at times. It seems like an over complicated answer to a fairly simple problem. But having said that. Its is a truly amazing building.
Our last day in Bilbao saw the end of the festival. This meant the shops were open, So we indulged in a little retail therapy before heading to the airport.
The Bilbao Airport is another remarkable building by Calatrava. I have blabbed on enough about Calatrava in a previous post so I need not say any more.... here are some pics.
We head from here to Venice via Munich. Here we will see the Biennale.
Cheers,
Mick.
Immediately the first thing we both noticed was the temperature…. It was cool. Pleasantly cool, a refreshing change from the almost unbearable heat of Barcelona. The Abando station (the main train station in Bilbao) has a spectacular stained glass window visible from all platforms. A little different I thought for a train station.
Immediately we started for the hotel to dump our bags. We got some dodgy information from the ticket booth and headed onto the local metro to a station somewhere up on the hill. We got off at the advised station, and upon looking at the local map on the wall (which looked almost nothing like the one we had printed off google maps) we jumped back on the train and headed to the next station. We were heading blind, as we had no map, only the fact that I had spotted on the way into the train station our hotel, as it had a huge green sign on the top. So this was all we had to go on really. After around 30 minutes of feeling our way around the suburbs of Bilbao, we found the hotel. We then headed straight for the city, I couldn’t wait any longer, I had to at least see the Guggenheim, even if we weren’t going in it until the following day. As we were heading into the main township, we could hear lots of people, lots of drunk people??? As we got closer to town we found that the City had a festival going called the Aste Nagusia. I believe this translates to "the big week" and is supposed to be one of the most vibrant festivals in Spain, as Bilbao celebrates its Basque heritage. Over 100,000 locals take part in the party, which includes the Strongman games, nightly firework displays, live music and lots of eating and drinking. Events are held all over the city in plazas, parks and churches over nine long days in August. This is all fantastic, If you speak Spanish. Everything was closed, all the restaurants, shops etc. Everyone was out partying. This was going to be a slight problem, as the food that was being served at the makeshift tent kitchens did not look all that crash hot, and the smell that was around town smelt like stale vomit. (maybe that was why they were spraying the roads and footpaths with a lemon scented water??)
We wandered down the main street and it was a similar story here also….
Everything was closed. Not a single shop open. God I thought, I hope the Guggenheim is going to be open??. We turned down a street that lead to the museum and low and behold there it was. It stands out as a shining beacon in the city. It really is magnificent. The titanium sheeting which covers the majority of the building reflects in the sunlight. A flower covered bear stands at the main entryway.
The building is extremely complex in its geometry, with twists and curves, some clad in limestone, some in titanium and some in glass, Its is a complex series of spaces with a huge atrium space in the middle. The main entryway is at the foot of an enourmaous glass atrium space.
We walked around the building finding more pieces of artwork scattered around. A huge spider on massive legs sits between the building and the Bilbao River.
We walked along the river back to the hotel through part of the festival. There were thousands of kids all having their faces painted, riding on different attractions and just generally either screaming with joy or screaming with discontent….. We were out of there!! We headed back to the hotel (which was very comfy) and had an early night. Fireworks woke us up at around 11pm and lasted for a good 30 minutes. No expense spared here in Bilbao, they were magnificent! I think we may have had the best view from out Hotel room window!
The next day we headed back into the city… It was much quiter this time. Most people were moving very very slowly….. clearly hanging onto a hangover! We headed down the main street expecting to see the shops open and again nothing, So we heade back to the Guggenheim to visit the artwork. Unfortunately photos are not allowed inside the museum, but you should check out the museum works. These can be seen at: http://www.guggenheim.org/bilbao
Clearly for me, the most outstanding work is the permanent collection from Richard Serra. Here, he uses a complex series of shapes to create sculpture pieces that you walk through and around, sensing the space as it changes…. Very cool!!
For me, the Guggenheim is a very interesting building, but I do find the complex series of shapes confusing at times. It seems like an over complicated answer to a fairly simple problem. But having said that. Its is a truly amazing building.
The next day we headed up the hill from the hotel to check out hte city from above.
Not far from here we sore the tops of what looked like huge umbrellas. Upon closer inspection, it was a petrol station. Very cool!!
Not sure who the architect is here, but I believe there is a similar one in Barcelona too.
We also took a walk past the still under construction basketball arena in Bilbao. Again, cant find the architect for this one at first glance, Will get back to you on that one.
We jumped onto the metro again to head out to the Bilbao Exhibition centre, just outside of town. Designed by Norman Forster, each matro station is quite similar, with precast concrete elements and feature structural stainless steel elements. The stations were clean and easy to use, although left you feeling a little dull. Some colour was needed fo me??
Still very nicely detailed!
The bilbao exhibition centre by ACXT was our next destination. This is a huge building, containing 150,000 m2 of exhibition space distributed between 6 halls, all without columns.
The 18,000 m2 congress centre is the perfect venue for conventions, seminars,presentations, celebrations, gala dinners, etc. Unfortunately the centre was closed and I was only able to walk around the building (which took around 30 minutes) It truly is massive.
Formore info on this building, check out: http://www.bilbaoexhibitioncentre.com/portal/page/portal/GRP_BEC/P_BEC_PRINCIPALRECINTO
Our last day in Bilbao saw the end of the festival. This meant the shops were open, So we indulged in a little retail therapy before heading to the airport.
The Bilbao Airport is another remarkable building by Calatrava. I have blabbed on enough about Calatrava in a previous post so I need not say any more.... here are some pics.
We head from here to Venice via Munich. Here we will see the Biennale.
Cheers,
Mick.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Barcelona - Day 2
Our second day in Barcelona was going to be a little slower than the last. This is such an enormous city, it is an absolute must to find some means of transport. Again, the metro is excellent… Just watch your belongings as we were warned by the metro attendants about pickpockets. Although we have not yet encountered any.
Hot Tip #10: If the attendants are telling you to watch your belongings, You definately look like a tourist!
First on the list is Meis Van der roh’s Barcelona Pavillion. This was at first constructed as a temporary building for the International Exposition in Barcelona of 1929. Though temporary, it was still made of permanent materials consisting of steel, glass, marble, and travertine. The single story building has no real function, although there is a small bookshop in one of the small rooms. The plan is asymmetric and fluid with a continuous flow of space. Wall partitions are made of both transparent and opaque glass as well as highly polished marble. The low flat roof is supported by delicate metal supports. It is a surprisingly simple space made more beautiful by a large reflection pond in the centre. It feels like a fabulous space, made by a simple, elegant building made from quality materials. A must see in any Barcelona Trip.
Heading up the hill from the pavilion lies the Barcelona Olympic site. Again we wandered up the hill to find more external escalators….. Thank you to whoever put these in!! It wasn’t long before we were at the top and starring at yet another Calatrava installation. The tower was built for Telefonica (the spanish version of Telstra) to transmit television coverage of the 1992 summer Olympic games in Barcelona. The tower I believe represents an athlete holding the Olympic flame.
Another unique feature of this tower is that due to its orientation, it can be used as a giant sundial which uses the Europa square to indicate the hour. The tower is typical of Calatravas work I have seen so far. Using the two elements of concrete and steel to create seemingly impossible structures. The base of the tower is again covered in a mosaic of tiles creating a reflection pool around the base. (although when we were there this was dry)
From here we headed back down the mountain past the National museum of art and back into the metro to head out to the western end of the Diagonal where I belived that some new work was being done by architects including Toyo Ito’s new Porta Fira Towers. I was wrong. I could not find it anywhere and had no internet access to find out where the hell it was. I could see it from the calatrava tower, so we jumped on the tram and headed further west. Every now and then, I could see a glimpse of it in the distance…..Here is a glimpse of what we didnt get to see.... :(
Hot Tip #11: Always check where you are going, before you try to go there!!
It was getting late in the afternoon, and we still had not had any lunch, so we abandoned this trip and headed back into town for some lunch. Whilst we were there, we took the chance to look through some shops before heading back to the hotel to freshen up. I particularly wanted to back to the torre Agbar to see its colourful illumination at night. At around 6pm (still very light) we walked down the Diagonal past the tower itself to some newer developments to the east. Here we found a couple of finds:
CAM FRAMIS Museum by Jordi Badia,
Indra Corporate Building by b720 + R&AS
The ME Hotel (Habitat) by Dominique Perrault, 2008
But of most interest was the Media-TIC by Enric Ruiz Geli. The entire building hangs from a portal frame structure creating a completely column free space at ground level.
The building is clad in a unique form of inflatable panel called ETFE. This is a hybrid material (Ethylene Tetra Fluoro Ethylene) with very special characteristics. ETFE cladding is inflatable, with up to three air chambers. This not only improves thermal insulation, but also makes it possible to create shade by means of a pneumatic system. I found an excellent PDF from from the architects website explaining the building, its structural system, design and sustainability characteristics. It includes a full explanation of the ETFE product. I have never seen this type of system before. Its worth the look!
Check this out at: http://www.ruiz-geli.com/media/.../Mediatic/mediaticpdf/PresentacionMEDIA-TIC_web_EN.pdf%20-
We grabbed a Gelato to fill in some time and soon enough (at around 9:30) it was dark enough to see off in the distance the Torre Agbar in illumination. Check out the pics!
On the way back to the Hotel we stopped by the Sangrada Familiar also to take a few night shots.
We are off to Bilbao next, Primarily to check out Frank Ghery’s Guggenheim.
Hope you are all well..
More on Bilbao to come shortly.
Mick.
Hot Tip #10: If the attendants are telling you to watch your belongings, You definately look like a tourist!
First on the list is Meis Van der roh’s Barcelona Pavillion. This was at first constructed as a temporary building for the International Exposition in Barcelona of 1929. Though temporary, it was still made of permanent materials consisting of steel, glass, marble, and travertine. The single story building has no real function, although there is a small bookshop in one of the small rooms. The plan is asymmetric and fluid with a continuous flow of space. Wall partitions are made of both transparent and opaque glass as well as highly polished marble. The low flat roof is supported by delicate metal supports. It is a surprisingly simple space made more beautiful by a large reflection pond in the centre. It feels like a fabulous space, made by a simple, elegant building made from quality materials. A must see in any Barcelona Trip.
Heading up the hill from the pavilion lies the Barcelona Olympic site. Again we wandered up the hill to find more external escalators….. Thank you to whoever put these in!! It wasn’t long before we were at the top and starring at yet another Calatrava installation. The tower was built for Telefonica (the spanish version of Telstra) to transmit television coverage of the 1992 summer Olympic games in Barcelona. The tower I believe represents an athlete holding the Olympic flame.
Another unique feature of this tower is that due to its orientation, it can be used as a giant sundial which uses the Europa square to indicate the hour. The tower is typical of Calatravas work I have seen so far. Using the two elements of concrete and steel to create seemingly impossible structures. The base of the tower is again covered in a mosaic of tiles creating a reflection pool around the base. (although when we were there this was dry)
From here we headed back down the mountain past the National museum of art and back into the metro to head out to the western end of the Diagonal where I belived that some new work was being done by architects including Toyo Ito’s new Porta Fira Towers. I was wrong. I could not find it anywhere and had no internet access to find out where the hell it was. I could see it from the calatrava tower, so we jumped on the tram and headed further west. Every now and then, I could see a glimpse of it in the distance…..Here is a glimpse of what we didnt get to see.... :(
Hot Tip #11: Always check where you are going, before you try to go there!!
It was getting late in the afternoon, and we still had not had any lunch, so we abandoned this trip and headed back into town for some lunch. Whilst we were there, we took the chance to look through some shops before heading back to the hotel to freshen up. I particularly wanted to back to the torre Agbar to see its colourful illumination at night. At around 6pm (still very light) we walked down the Diagonal past the tower itself to some newer developments to the east. Here we found a couple of finds:
CAM FRAMIS Museum by Jordi Badia,
Indra Corporate Building by b720 + R&AS
The ME Hotel (Habitat) by Dominique Perrault, 2008
But of most interest was the Media-TIC by Enric Ruiz Geli. The entire building hangs from a portal frame structure creating a completely column free space at ground level.
The building is clad in a unique form of inflatable panel called ETFE. This is a hybrid material (Ethylene Tetra Fluoro Ethylene) with very special characteristics. ETFE cladding is inflatable, with up to three air chambers. This not only improves thermal insulation, but also makes it possible to create shade by means of a pneumatic system. I found an excellent PDF from from the architects website explaining the building, its structural system, design and sustainability characteristics. It includes a full explanation of the ETFE product. I have never seen this type of system before. Its worth the look!
Check this out at: http://www.ruiz-geli.com/media/.../Mediatic/mediaticpdf/PresentacionMEDIA-TIC_web_EN.pdf%20-
We grabbed a Gelato to fill in some time and soon enough (at around 9:30) it was dark enough to see off in the distance the Torre Agbar in illumination. Check out the pics!
On the way back to the Hotel we stopped by the Sangrada Familiar also to take a few night shots.
We are off to Bilbao next, Primarily to check out Frank Ghery’s Guggenheim.
Hope you are all well..
More on Bilbao to come shortly.
Mick.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Barcelona
We boarded the train for Barcelona around 10:30 and sat in blissful air conditioned comfort after the sweltering heat in Valencia. The train trip took only a couple of hours and meandered its way up along the coastline toward the city. It is worth noting that a vast majority of residents here live in apartment blocks. Even in country areas, it seems that very little single dwellings exist. Odd I thought considering the amount of land available. Anyways, we pulled into Barcelona’s Sants Estacion just after lunch and boarded the metro to our hotel. We soon after arrived at Sangrada Familia station and headed out to the most spectacular view, where overhead was Gaudi’s most famous work…. Still under construction I might add.
We still had our bags with us, so we dumped them at the hotel and headed off toward the city. As soon as we got to La Rambla, unknowingly we began to head in the wrong direction… It took us nearly 6 blocks to work this out! However, this wasn’t all bad as we did stumble across another of Gaudi’s works, the Casa Batllo
And also one of Toyo Ito’s apartment buildings a few door up with an interesting screen facade protecting the glass from the sun behind it.
We then jumped on another of Spain’s excellent Metro systems and got off at Catalunya Station, at the top of La Rambla, the city's main street. Here, thousands of people stroll along a central pedestrian accessway as a single lane of traffic either side crawls along the perimeter. Junket stalls, restaurants, cafe's and street mime's make the walk along La Rambla quite interesting! At the end of La Rambla lies Barcelona’s Harbour. Again, hundreds of people line the shoreline. We headed out over a pedestrian bridge to a shopping mall in the centre of the harbor, along the way, mysteriously two men… stark naked walking amongst the mixed crowd of young families, tourists and locals.
Hot Tip #8: Don’t forget to check you have your clothes ON before you leave for a stroll on Barcelona’s busy harbour…. Lucky I had remembered to wear my clothes.
At this point, I think it is important to emphasise the enormity of this city. It is like no other city I have ever been to. It is so spread out, to try to walk around it is futile. Whilst you must walk through the older part of the city (this section is far more compact, like a typical European style city containing narrow streets weaving their way through the densly compact buildings surrounding them. The newer, planned section of the city in its regular grid pattern sprawls out from the old town over an enormous distance. Block after Block, all looking rather similar with each intersection having the corners chopped off at 45deg to create a mini plaza where cafes and restaurants set tables along the street creating a brilliant atmosphere all along the street frontage.
It was beginning to get dark, so we grabbed some dinner and headed back to the hotel for a much needed rest. (We must have walked at least 10km back to the hotel… We were exhausted!)
24/08/10
We rose to another spectacular day in Barcelona and headed out after breakfast back to the Sagrada Familia for a good look. By the time we got there it was around 10am and the line to get in went around the block. It seemed to be moving very slowly so we decided not to go in. Again, words can not describe this building. There is nothing even remotely like it. I will let some pictures do the talking here.
For more pictures and information, Go to:
http://www.sagradafamilia.cat/docs_instit/images.php#
.JPG)
.JPG)
Work on this Church began in 1882 by architect Francisco de Paula Del Villar. At the end of 1883 Gaudí was commissioned to carry on the works, a task which he did not abandon until his death in 1926. Since then different architects have continued the work after his original idea. It is expected that work may finish on the building in the first third of the 21st century.
The next destination of our visit to Barcelona was another of Gaudi's works, On top of a hill, overlooking the city of Barcelona the Park Guell. We jumped off the nearest Metro station and headed up the hill to find conveniently a series of outdoor escalators heading up the hill. They weren’t all the way up, but they were very much appreciated in the heat.
At the top was a magnificent view of the city.
From here, we headed down into the park itself. Park Guell was commissioned by Eusebi Güell who wanted to create a stylish park for Barcelona’s aristocracy.
At the top of Guell park is a terraced area where you get a wonderful view of the park and of Barcelona City. Here we found multi-coloured tiled mosaic seats surrounding a gravel open space. Even though it was very hot, It was a wonderful place to sit and watch people meander through the park. Up above the gravel area was a tree lined terrace where a small café served cold drinks in the shade. It was quite a magical place.
We headed down underneath the open space, where we could see hundreds of people congregating. Under the open area itself, was yet another magical mosaic tiled space, in a forest of columns supporting the garden above. A dragon mufti fountain adorns the steps which proceed the temple like space. Again, here, I think the division between art and Architecture has been blurred.
We headed down the steps to see a walkway supported by twisting rock pillars that seem to be growing out of the ground like tree trunks. Although these are rather irregular in shape they do feel strangely natural too. Gaudi was strongly influenced by natural shapes and used them in his work.
Park Guell also has a small house in the park which Gaudi lived in at one stage. The house has now been converted into a museum and contains interesting furniture also designed by Gaudi.
From the park, we headed back into the city, and walked through some of the older sections of the town to the Mercat de Santa Caterina. This building as I understand is a restoration and upgrade of an existing marketplace by architect EMBT. Under a very distinctive colourful roof which reflects the fruit and vegetables sold under it, the market reveals a patchwork of Barcelona’s history. Along with the various ruins, three of the original building’s facades have been retained. The roof itself is the main focal point of the architecture. It is beautifully detailed, yet is very functional. The soffit is lined with warm timber shaped in arch forms open at each ends allowing hot air to be flushed through with natural ventilation. It is a jewel nestled in amongst the old city, yet its flamboyant rooftop seems to sit well within its surroundings.
We then went back into the city along the La Rambla for Lunch. Here we sat in the window of a café watching the locals trying to sell there junk to unwilling tourists strolling by. It wasn’t until we sat and watched them for around 20 minutes that we realized how well they were actually doing. For example, one man was selling fans for 1 euro each. He wasn’t the only one, there were many stalls, each with the same fans selling them on the street for the same price. He sat on the ground with about a dozen fans in front of him and soon a couple stopped to look. Onlt 30 seconds later another couple stopped, then another…. And within a few minutes he was completely surrounded by people and had sold all but a couple of fans, so he gets up and walks away. Only 5 minutes later he comes back with a bag full of more fans and sets about laying them all back out on the ground, and again another couple stops, asks a couple of questions and buys a fan.. Then…. All of a sudden a different man comes along and grabs all of the fans, puts them into a bag and walks away whilst the first finishes up with a customer.
WEIRD??? The first man seems to be looking up the street anxiously?? No sooner does 2 policeman walk down the promenade….. Im guessing that they are not supposed to be selling these items off the street??
Not far down the road, some more men are selling bags, but this time they have there items layed out on a sheet. But not just a sheet. All 4 corners have a rope on them to which they are holding, as soon as they see a policemen, they pull on the ropes, bundle up there items and hightail it out of there.
Hot Tip #9: Don’t buy dodgy stuff off the street. Its quite obviously illegal and I would think that you could also get into trouble for purchasing it.
The final destination for the day was at the end of another metro ride back toward the hotel. The Torre Agbar by Jean Nouvel. This building can be seen for miles around, it stands out due to both its unique shape and also the colour of the façade. The building is quite simple in its design, utilizing a double skin, it allows itself to regulate the ventilation and light into the building. It looks fantastic against the blue sky, its façade glistens in the sun. As you get closer to the building you realize that it is in fact made up of thousands of small glass louvers both frosted and clear. Behind this lies a simple skin containing square shaped windows in a brightly coloured mini orb façade.
A great website to visit to explore more on this building is:
http://www.torreagbar.com/home.asp
Here contains a more detailed description on how the facade works with detailed sections, plans etc.
Will be posting more soon on our second day in Barcelona.
Feel free to post any messages or comments on the blog.
Hope you are all well.
Mick
We still had our bags with us, so we dumped them at the hotel and headed off toward the city. As soon as we got to La Rambla, unknowingly we began to head in the wrong direction… It took us nearly 6 blocks to work this out! However, this wasn’t all bad as we did stumble across another of Gaudi’s works, the Casa Batllo
And also one of Toyo Ito’s apartment buildings a few door up with an interesting screen facade protecting the glass from the sun behind it.
We then jumped on another of Spain’s excellent Metro systems and got off at Catalunya Station, at the top of La Rambla, the city's main street. Here, thousands of people stroll along a central pedestrian accessway as a single lane of traffic either side crawls along the perimeter. Junket stalls, restaurants, cafe's and street mime's make the walk along La Rambla quite interesting! At the end of La Rambla lies Barcelona’s Harbour. Again, hundreds of people line the shoreline. We headed out over a pedestrian bridge to a shopping mall in the centre of the harbor, along the way, mysteriously two men… stark naked walking amongst the mixed crowd of young families, tourists and locals.
Hot Tip #8: Don’t forget to check you have your clothes ON before you leave for a stroll on Barcelona’s busy harbour…. Lucky I had remembered to wear my clothes.
At this point, I think it is important to emphasise the enormity of this city. It is like no other city I have ever been to. It is so spread out, to try to walk around it is futile. Whilst you must walk through the older part of the city (this section is far more compact, like a typical European style city containing narrow streets weaving their way through the densly compact buildings surrounding them. The newer, planned section of the city in its regular grid pattern sprawls out from the old town over an enormous distance. Block after Block, all looking rather similar with each intersection having the corners chopped off at 45deg to create a mini plaza where cafes and restaurants set tables along the street creating a brilliant atmosphere all along the street frontage.
It was beginning to get dark, so we grabbed some dinner and headed back to the hotel for a much needed rest. (We must have walked at least 10km back to the hotel… We were exhausted!)
24/08/10
We rose to another spectacular day in Barcelona and headed out after breakfast back to the Sagrada Familia for a good look. By the time we got there it was around 10am and the line to get in went around the block. It seemed to be moving very slowly so we decided not to go in. Again, words can not describe this building. There is nothing even remotely like it. I will let some pictures do the talking here.
For more pictures and information, Go to:
http://www.sagradafamilia.cat/docs_instit/images.php#
.JPG)
.JPG)
Work on this Church began in 1882 by architect Francisco de Paula Del Villar. At the end of 1883 Gaudí was commissioned to carry on the works, a task which he did not abandon until his death in 1926. Since then different architects have continued the work after his original idea. It is expected that work may finish on the building in the first third of the 21st century.
The next destination of our visit to Barcelona was another of Gaudi's works, On top of a hill, overlooking the city of Barcelona the Park Guell. We jumped off the nearest Metro station and headed up the hill to find conveniently a series of outdoor escalators heading up the hill. They weren’t all the way up, but they were very much appreciated in the heat.
At the top was a magnificent view of the city.
From here, we headed down into the park itself. Park Guell was commissioned by Eusebi Güell who wanted to create a stylish park for Barcelona’s aristocracy.
At the top of Guell park is a terraced area where you get a wonderful view of the park and of Barcelona City. Here we found multi-coloured tiled mosaic seats surrounding a gravel open space. Even though it was very hot, It was a wonderful place to sit and watch people meander through the park. Up above the gravel area was a tree lined terrace where a small café served cold drinks in the shade. It was quite a magical place.
We headed down underneath the open space, where we could see hundreds of people congregating. Under the open area itself, was yet another magical mosaic tiled space, in a forest of columns supporting the garden above. A dragon mufti fountain adorns the steps which proceed the temple like space. Again, here, I think the division between art and Architecture has been blurred.
We headed down the steps to see a walkway supported by twisting rock pillars that seem to be growing out of the ground like tree trunks. Although these are rather irregular in shape they do feel strangely natural too. Gaudi was strongly influenced by natural shapes and used them in his work.
Park Guell also has a small house in the park which Gaudi lived in at one stage. The house has now been converted into a museum and contains interesting furniture also designed by Gaudi.
From the park, we headed back into the city, and walked through some of the older sections of the town to the Mercat de Santa Caterina. This building as I understand is a restoration and upgrade of an existing marketplace by architect EMBT. Under a very distinctive colourful roof which reflects the fruit and vegetables sold under it, the market reveals a patchwork of Barcelona’s history. Along with the various ruins, three of the original building’s facades have been retained. The roof itself is the main focal point of the architecture. It is beautifully detailed, yet is very functional. The soffit is lined with warm timber shaped in arch forms open at each ends allowing hot air to be flushed through with natural ventilation. It is a jewel nestled in amongst the old city, yet its flamboyant rooftop seems to sit well within its surroundings.
We then went back into the city along the La Rambla for Lunch. Here we sat in the window of a café watching the locals trying to sell there junk to unwilling tourists strolling by. It wasn’t until we sat and watched them for around 20 minutes that we realized how well they were actually doing. For example, one man was selling fans for 1 euro each. He wasn’t the only one, there were many stalls, each with the same fans selling them on the street for the same price. He sat on the ground with about a dozen fans in front of him and soon a couple stopped to look. Onlt 30 seconds later another couple stopped, then another…. And within a few minutes he was completely surrounded by people and had sold all but a couple of fans, so he gets up and walks away. Only 5 minutes later he comes back with a bag full of more fans and sets about laying them all back out on the ground, and again another couple stops, asks a couple of questions and buys a fan.. Then…. All of a sudden a different man comes along and grabs all of the fans, puts them into a bag and walks away whilst the first finishes up with a customer.
WEIRD??? The first man seems to be looking up the street anxiously?? No sooner does 2 policeman walk down the promenade….. Im guessing that they are not supposed to be selling these items off the street??
Not far down the road, some more men are selling bags, but this time they have there items layed out on a sheet. But not just a sheet. All 4 corners have a rope on them to which they are holding, as soon as they see a policemen, they pull on the ropes, bundle up there items and hightail it out of there.
Hot Tip #9: Don’t buy dodgy stuff off the street. Its quite obviously illegal and I would think that you could also get into trouble for purchasing it.
The final destination for the day was at the end of another metro ride back toward the hotel. The Torre Agbar by Jean Nouvel. This building can be seen for miles around, it stands out due to both its unique shape and also the colour of the façade. The building is quite simple in its design, utilizing a double skin, it allows itself to regulate the ventilation and light into the building. It looks fantastic against the blue sky, its façade glistens in the sun. As you get closer to the building you realize that it is in fact made up of thousands of small glass louvers both frosted and clear. Behind this lies a simple skin containing square shaped windows in a brightly coloured mini orb façade.
A great website to visit to explore more on this building is:
http://www.torreagbar.com/home.asp
Here contains a more detailed description on how the facade works with detailed sections, plans etc.
Will be posting more soon on our second day in Barcelona.
Feel free to post any messages or comments on the blog.
Hope you are all well.
Mick
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)