12/1/14-12/7/14 I had the opportunity to spend almost a week in Barcelona, primarily for work, but also with some time for sightseeing. It was a great chance to explore Las Ramblas, La Sangria Familia, plenty of Gaudi, the Mediterranean, and more.
1 Las Arenas. The bullfighting stadium in Barcelona built in the 1800’s and used all the way into the ‘90s. Bullfighting was officially outlawed in Catalonia in 2012.
2 Fountain at Placa d’Espanya.
3 Venetian towers at Placa d’Espanya.
4 Fira de Barcelona, one of the large convention centers in the city. I missed the group bus from the hotel one morning, so I decided to make the 45min walk to the convention center (I preferred exploring on foot rather than taking a taxi). After arriving at the center, there was an auto show going on!? Where the heck was the HP conference?? Only then did I realize that there were two convention centers, and I had walked 45min to the wrong one! I then walked another 30min to Fira de Barcelona Gran Via, which is the one I really wanted. I ended-up missing a meeting, but got a great tour of Barcelona.
5 Palau Nacional. A palace from the early 1900’s that now holds the National Art Museum of Catalonia.
6 On my fourth day in Barcelona, I was able to take an organized tour of the city. This is Casa Batlló, a famous house designed by Antoni Gaudí for a wealthy family in 1904. It’s an amazing work of Art Nouveau. It looked to me like something straight out of a Dr. Suess book though. It’s meant to depict the battle of Saint George (patron saint of Catalonia) fighting the dragon.
7 The fireplace. The structure of the house has almost no straight lines, giving it a very whimsical feel.
8 The wood and glasswork are amazing.
9 The atrium silo in the middle of the house that brings natural light into the rooms that would otherwise not have windows.
10 More dragon imagery on the roof.
11 Next stop was La Sagrada Família, probably the most famous site in Barcelona. It's a large, active Roman Catholic church located in the heart of the city. Construction started in 1882 and is still continuing today. It's most well known for highlighting the architecture of Antoni Gaudí. Construction is scheduled for completion in 2026, the 100 year anniversary of Gaudí’s death.
12 The Nativity façade, depicting the birth of Jesus. This side was actively designed by Gaudí before his death.
13 Inside the Basilica. Amazing, but very, very different from Santa Maria de Montserrat.
14 The altar. Unfortunately, it was a rainy day, so the stained glass windows probably didn't have the full glow they normally would.
15 Lofty ceilings.
16 The other side of the church, the Passion façade, depicting the death of Jesus. Designed by architects after Gaudí’s death.
17 Model of what the completed Basilica will look like in 2026.
18 One more look at the church construction as we moved on to el Museo de Picasso. No pictures were allowed there, so nothing to show for it here.
19 That night, our group ate at Torre d’Alta Mar, a fancy restaurant at the top of a tower built in 1929. It has amazing 360 degree views of Barcelona and the Mediterranean. We had a six course meal complete with an appetizer of duck liver. Definitely an experience.
20 My last couple days in Barcelona, I moved to a hotel near the Mediterranean at the beach near Nova Mar Bella. Unfortunately, the temperature was in the 40s, so not exactly beach weather. Here’s the morning view from my hotel room.
21 Another view from my room looking South down the Mediterranean coast. It amazed me how late sunrise was here. It was pitch black until about 7:30am. These pictures were from around 8:00.
22 Down on the beach looking North up the coast. Nice, but definitely not like SoCal beaches.
23 One last beach picture. Whether it was the mountains or the beach, I consistently enjoyed the outdoor locations more than the tourist spots (with the possible exception of the Montserrat basilica). With that, I rushed to the airport for the flight home, and ended an amazing 9 days in Spain.