Feb 7 and Feb 8 - Mark's 62nd birthday

Monday Feb 7
Today we were up early (our curse in Barcelona) in an effort to get to the Tourist information 1 hour early to assure we got the Gaudi bus tour. The orange umbrella was right in out face and we were the only participants of the tour… a big bus all to ourselves with our own tour guide. We got there an hour early and went straight to the bus – the old couple in The Amazing Race – scrambling around Placa de la Catgalunya –frogger between the millions of motorcycles and taxes. Thanks to god for the Veinte starbucks mocha. Our guide Nuria was great. The giant bus wended its way past the Passaig de Gracias and Gaudi buildings to Parc Guell. Eustebia Guell bought a mountain outside of town and commissioned Gaudi to design a housing development on the hill just north of downtown Barcelona around 1905-ish. People who were used to living in large apartment buildings couldn’t fathom a separate house so “far” from downtown. Only 3 houses were sold and 1 mile of roads built. When Guell died, his son sold it to the city as a park –couldn’t afford to keep it. Weaving elevated roads with “tree root” supports lead to large terraces surrounded by whimsical ceramic inlaid serpentine benches. The terrace overlays a market area below designed to look as if you are under the sea. – a guitarist doing his best Jesse Cook imitation – like singing in the shower. Each column supporting the terrace channels water from the terrace into cisterns that then flow out of dragons and are used to water the plants. Back onto the bus and off to Sagrada Familia basilica (it may be the cathedral once finished). Still under construction, Gaudi took over the project in its second year, apparently from the architect who designed the house our hotel was in. He ran the project from 1883 until his death by street car in 1926.
Estimates for completion range from another 8 to 30 years. 8 of 18 spires completed now. 2 of 3 facades are completed, the nativity façade and passion are complete. The glory façade is not yet complete. Checkout Wikipedia and the Dec 2010 National Geographic for details. The largest spire will be 550 feet tall, one foot shorter than Montjuic hill to in town. We rode up one of the spires in the nativity façade by elevator, walked catwalks around the top and then walked down spiral staircases in other spires. 100 years ago the stones were handcut one at a time, all the lines , supports ,angles and other supports were determined by upside down models. Gaudi would create chains which hung upside down, with weighted bags providing stress points – catenary arches. He photographed these models and then turned them right side up to figure out how to build it – or hung them over mirrors to see what they would look like. Either a genius or a madman, said his instructors at architecture school. He lived in the crypt of the church for the last 20+ years of his life We think he was both. He worked entirely by models, no drawings. Now, autocad designs the cut stones. His models were destroyed during the Civil war in the 30s and only now are being reconstructed.
We were getting hungry and tired, but one more Gaudi to see, can’t get enough of this crazy guy. Casa Mila (la Pedrera)- 6 floors, each 12000 sq. feet. Owners lived on the first floor and rented out upper floors, typical of the times. Up to the attic to experience the catenary arches first hand, then to the undulating terrace of the roof with too many chimneys to count – toad stools, serpents and monsters. Whimsical to the max. Outside (non-supporting walls were his secret), cascade off the sides of the building like melting ice cream. Every design comes from nature. Love or hate Gaudi, no one is indifferent. We like the whimsy.
Stagger back to the hotel for the requisite4 hour siesta. Then, tapas anyone??? If we must. Purchase of the camera USB cable to add pictures to this blog! Too many tapas, too little time, and off to bed. AVE train to Sevilla early in the morning

FEB 8 – Mark’s 62nd birthday
From the AVE train, after a quick taxi to the Sants train station. Amazing, quiet, 300 km per hour passage through mostly dry farmland and patches of snow in the high plains – nothing but blue sky after the fog lifted. Reclining seats, movies, multi channel entertainment with DeNiro movie and “Nine.” Yours ears pop as you go through tunnels at that speed. All these trains arrive with minutes of schedule or your money comes back to you! Hauled our bags 947 miles on cobblestone streets to our hotel – La Musica (addition to La Amadeus) is lovely. Directions we had were from the bus station … we arrived by train! We have a room on the top (4th) floor of a small house in the Barrio Santa Cruz. We wandered until 1 a.m. after a nap. The area is quite safe and we closed down the town. Did get lost in the Juderia quarter which was designed for that purpose as protection. More tomorrow.