A massive matchbook on a hill in Barcelona (2000 Public Papers 2744)

Despite what my first post about Barcelona might indicate, we did actually do some tourist activities besides eating. As much as Catalonia is known for its food, its capital is probably best known for its art and architecture. So as we walked from cafe to tapas bar to market, I often stopped to gawk at the many streetscapes, especially the pedestrian paths whose green balconies and colored facades were exposed by seeping sunbeams.

But of course, the most famous facades are those of Sagrada Familia, one of seven structures by Gaudi in the city that have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The main entrance is through the much-photographed Nativity facade (top left). As you enter the nave, it's hard to ignore the dominating sculpture of Jesus on the cross within the apse (top right). At every point in the tour, natural light bestows color on the basilica (bottom left). Then you exit opposite from where you entered, through the Passion facade (bottom right).

 

 

For an extra fee from general admission, you can get a ticket to visit a facade tower. After an elevator ride up the Passion facade, we emerged to look down upon the Plaça de la Sagrada Familia (top). But we also looked out across the sculptures of the cathedral to other spires, including the Torre Agbar, not to be confused with the Gherkin in London (bottom left). But perhaps our eyes were most trained as we maneuvered back to the bottom via tight spiral stairs (bottom right).

Later in the day, we admired two more Gaudi buildings from the outside: the seashell-like stylings of Casa Mila (left) and the skull-like structures of Casa Batllo (right).

 

During our visit to the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (top left), I learned that Gaudi designed not only the outsides but also the insides of buildings. He was able to create interior masterpieces from many materials, but I was particularly drawn to his woodwork, including a writing desk and some intricately carved doors (top right). The museum, housed in the Palau Nacional atop the Parc de Montjuic, is renowned for its art collection but also the huge organ installed in the palace's Sala Oval, which was a primary space for the 1929 World Exhibition (bottom).

Sixty-three years later, the park's peak would become the centerpiece of the 1992 Summer Olympics. The Olympic Stadium is still used for events (left); as we passed by, families were streaming in for a monster-truck show. In the background, the nearby Montjuic Telecommunications Tower mimics the design of the stadium's flame cauldron (right).

 

From the veranda outside the museum, we and the monuments could gaze back on the central city, including the Sagrada Familia (top left). Alongside the water flowing down to Plaça d'Espanya (top right), we rode escalators to its Magic Fountain, whose spouts are the source of a regular, free, evening light and sound show (bottom left). Fountains are also the central feature of Plaça de Catalunya, the busy square at the intersection of the city's two major streets (bottom right).

One of those streets, La Rambla, leads down to the Gothic Quarter, which envelops the Catedral de Barcelona (left). Unlike the Sagrada Familia, the light inside comes from electricity and reflection, but nonetheless, the atmosphere is illuminating in its own way (right).

Tucked away in a corner a couple of blocks from the cathedral is one of the city's most famous pieces of street art, titled The World Begins with Every Kiss. The close-up smooch is a mosaic made of publicly submitted photos showing "moments of freedom" (left). But of course, to truly appreciate the city's contribution to the arts, it is necessary to visit the Museu Picasso, which showcases the breadth of the artist's talent (right). Something about this city just seems to help people tap the depths of their potential. Who knows whether it's the sliced jamon or the sunlit alleys -- or both.