Archive for the ‘la pedrera’ Tag
To quote my guidebook “Barcelona’s Modernisme buildings arose during La Renaixenca, a period of great artistic and political fervour that was deeply connected to Catalan identity, and which transformed early 20th Century Barcelona into a showcase for Avant Garde architecture”
Most people associate this with Antoni Gaudi but he wasn’t alone. He had many contemporaries all of whom followed the same principles that Gaudi is so well-known for. It was also not confined to Catalonia, the same moves were seen across Europe where it was just given a different name such as Art Nouveau in the UK.
The style is very much about curves or at least using the curve to bring everything together. Unifying architecture with nature was also a key theme as seem in the branching tree-like columns of the Sagrada Familia. Despite the name seeming to indicate a rejection of older styles, in fact the reverse was true and many inspirations from Gothic, Islamic and Renaissance can be seen. It was also responsible for reviving many traditional artisan trades especially in stone-work, stained glass and tile-work, especially Trencadis (the use of ceramic fragments to create mosaics, best seen in Park Guell)
I wrote a post about the Sagrada Familia, the incomplete pinnacle of Modernisme but we saw many other of their creations on our wander through the city so I thought a post dedicated to them was in order. So as Rafael McTell once sang “Let me take you by the hand and lead you through the streets of Barcelona”
I chose our apartment on the basis that it had a roof terrace and overlooked La Pedrera (“The Quarry”) and its very odd chimneys on the roof
They reminded me of chess pieces and they have the trademark Trencadis mosaic effect again
Its one of the most striking buildings and gleamed white in the sunshine
As with all these buildings the balconies and their railings are a central, eye-catching feature
It also looked pretty fine lit up at night
Just down the road and perhaps the weirdest of all these buildings is Casa Batllo. The photos don’t really do justice to the colour and the decoration. Due to its position and the trees that screen it its hard to get a decent photo
It’s a bizarre combination of resinous curves, blues, greens and purples. Supposedly even weirder on the inside but like all things Barcelona, costly to visit
It looks especially fine at night. In fact it was the very first building we saw when we emerged from the train station after our flight
The usual “the photos don’t do it justice” remark applies
I think eclectic sums this one up. Not sure I’d want to live in it but its stunning regardless. Me and the kids loved it, TBF was less certain
Next door is Casa Amatller, designed by Pui i Cadafalch, one of Gaudi’s contemporaries. A heady mix of gothic, dutch and other styles
This dormer window and balcony caught my eye
And a couple of doors down is the Casa Lleo Morera by Domenech i Montaner. Together with the previous two buildings it forms the Manzana de la Discordia (block of discord!)
I’ve no idea what this roof decoration is but many buildings in Barcelona have them
Nearer the centre of the city is the Palau de la Musica Catalana. The exterior decoration is amazing, but it’s squeezed into a really narrow collection of streets and almost impossible to get a decent photo
As with all these buildings its stunning on the inside as well and expensive to tour. Must be a fab place for an evening concert
I’d also chosen our apartment as it is right in the heart of the L’Eixample district where most of these Moderniste gems reside.
We had an hour or two to kill on our last full day so we took a wander around the streets to look at some of the lesser known buildings. This one is the Palau del Baró de Quadras
The front of this building was interesting, La Casa Comalat
It was the rear of the building that was really eye-catching
It reminded me of the resin secretions that you see in the “Alien” movies or more possibly bones, muscles and sinews, again linking back to Gaudi’s use of the curves of nature
Considering its tucked away on a back street it’s quite an extraordinary sight
This one is Casa Serra with its fairytale feel and ornate balcony. Its home to some vague and meaningless government department of street light maintenance or some-such.
This bizarrely roofed example is the Fundacio Antoni Tapies
The Palau Montaner is less weird than the previous one but stunning on the outside. Apparently its even more stunning on the inside but it was always surrounded by barriers and police so I assumed it must be home to some important Catalan person involved in the recent situation
I liked this one because of the name, Casa Thomas. I have a mate with the Thomas surname so I was pleased he had a building named after him and so was he when I sent him a picture!
They really do put a lot of effort into bay windows and balconies in these buildings
I think this one is the Conservatori Municipal de Música de Barcelona
A more modern style design, the Casa Manuel Llopis Bofill
This one came as a surprise, a very fine church tucked away in a residential zone. The Parròquia de Sant Francesc de Sales
My personal favourite was the Casa de les Punxes (House of Spikes)
Probably down to my childhood love of fairytale castles and their pepperpot roofs
As well as the roof, the decorations, window boxes and balconies are all very striking
It seemed to catch the sun whenever we walked past it hence I took lots of photos
Its red brick facade and roof caught the sun and contrasted beautifully against the blue sky
An (admittedly not terribly interesting) fact, it’s the only fully detached building in L’Eixample
I’m going to borrow a phrase my good friend Mark used when he was Barcelona last year. I don’t know very much about architecture but I like what Gaudi and his colleagues did in Barcelona. All of the buildings were unique in some way and almost every other building bears their influence. Turns a wander around this area of the city a real stroll of discovery
Just when you thought I was back in the hills and outdoor life and I’m back on the city trail again. We don’t normally holiday at October Half Term as we’ve always preferred an early summer break. Last few years (and the next few), exams have got in the way at that time of year so we’ve looked at alternatives. Fuelled by the joy of winter sun in December I originally looked at Sicily but TJS didn’t seem all that keen. It was his 18th birthday just before the half term week so I gave him the choice (within reason) and he chose Barcelona. No arguments from me. We know several people who have been and they all raved about it.
A real weather contrast for this trip. We staggered up the steps of the plane at Bristol in the howling gale that was Brian. We sauntered down the steps in Barcelona on a warm, sultry evening as the sun went down. A couple of days earlier they’d had heavy rain floods but the long range forecast was looking set fair. We were very excited. We took a train from the airport into the city and emerged into a hot evening on one the city’s best known streets, Passeig de Gracia. A few minutes walk and were outside one of the more famous Moderniste Buildings, La Pedrera, looking stunning lit up.
Another few minutes walk and were in our apartment for the week. A stylish, spacious and comfortable pad, up on the 4th floor (quaint old lift to reach it) and two sun terraces on the roof front and back
We had views over the northern part of the city on one side
And a view of the roof of La Pedrera with its weird chimney pots from other terrace
We spent many an hour up here resting our weary feet, drinking beer and listening to the sounds of the city below
A view of our apartment building from the street below
We were in the heart of the L’Eixample district, home to a whole host of the city’s more famous buildings and architectural gems. To be honest almost everywhere was stunning architecture all influenced by one of the city’s most famous sons, Antoni Gaudi. More on this in later posts. I assumed most of these buildings were simply apartment blocks often with many decorative features like this one. We soon learned that you need to keep looking up in Barcelona (the ground floor tends to be taken over by plate glass of shop displays and restaurants).
This is the famous Passeig de Gracia, one of the city’s most expensive shopping streets, all Gucci and Prada. No prices on the goods here, if you need to ask you can’t afford it! We did find one shop with prices. It had a dress for just shy of twenty thousand Euros!
Our street was reputed the one of the most expensive streets not only in Barcelona but in Europe. I haven’t seen the credit card bill for the apartment yet. It was a fabulous spot though. Within a few blocks (Barcelona looks not unlike a US city from above, all grid squares of streets albeit at a jaunty angle) we had shops, supermarkets, architectural wonders and countless restaurants and Tapas bars. The old centre was twenty minutes walk away and everywhere else an easy bus or metro ride. A great location.
The sunsets from the terrace weren’t bad either
As you can see we settled into Barcelona life rather well. I don’t think I’m giving too much away before the barrage of posts to say I absolutely loved Barcelona.
An apartment view across the rooftops to a lively and vibrant city with one of its architectural treasures in the foreground felt rather special
Our first day at large we took a stroll down Passeig de Gracia to La Rambla and the old part of town. Our first glimpse of the strange and bizarre Casa Batllo and Casa Amatller
This building didn’t seem to be noted anywhere and isn’t really in the Moderniste style but I liked it anyway
The hub of activity in the city, Placa Catalunya, respectfully quiet on a Sunday morning
La Rambla is renowned as the street in Barcelona. Its a bit tacky and rammed with tourists to be honest, but still has a strangely likeable atmosphere
And its fair share of intriguing buildings and styles. This one used fans and umbrellas by way of decoration
We carried on walking through the town down to the harbour past some fun scuptures and more stylish architectural gems
I’m always fond of an image that compares old and new styles
We eventually ended up on the beach at Barceloneta where we sat on the rocks in the sun and ate a sandwich. It had been quite a walk after all and I thought the family looked hungry! More on the splendid city beaches in a later post
We caught a metro back to the apartment for some R&R and then headed out again to try and catch the sunset from the castle at Montjuic. We used the staggeringly expensive gondola to reach the top with some great views through the window.
By the time we reached the top though the sun had already set
We caught some final glimpses of the city with a plan to return and explore the castle on another day
A bus back to the beach for a friendly meal and then back to the apartment. We already felt completely at home and at ease in the city. Its an easy city to walk in and travel through. Its an easy city to like. Lots more to come