Barcelona - Gaudí and Food Primer

 

Our first full day in Barcelona is delivered in two parts: an introduction to Antoni Gaudí and an introduction to tapas. We start with a kind of fly-by along the Passeig de Gràcia, where we see the Casa Batlló and the Casa Mila in the morning light. We plan a deeper dive on these two buildings tomorrow, but today is about getting a broad view of the city, and for that we start up the hill to Park Güell.

 

 

 

Our first big stop is Gaudí’s early masterpiece, Casa Vicens (1883-1888). It’s a bit like the Lego version of a Gàudi house: the colors, the ceramic tile, the invention, swoopy and pointy forms are all there, but delivered as blocky and modular – as if he is quickly cataloging and working out his early ideas using stacking blocks. And still the house is fantastic, and has the brash energy of a young genius making his mark.

 

 

 

  

The uphill journey to Park Güell involves a walk along a palm-lined commercial street, then up the Avinguda del Santuari de Sant Josep de la Muntanya, where there is a convenient escalator to take you much of the way. We make our way through the Park, and up beyond it, where there is a wonderful Mirador. Gàudi has filled the hills with rough stone overlooks and hidden artificial caverns, as well as some fanciful houses.

 

 

 

Our evening stroll includes a food tour, mostly in the El Gòtic. Inside this neighborhood, the scale and order of the city changes: narrow streets weave between small squares. It’s filled with Roman ruins and Catalan pride, and some really great food.