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Travel : Cava in Catalonia

For the second May Bank holiday of 2004 Matt and I set off for bustling Barcelona. From the airport we took the bus into the city centre which dropped us off at Placa de Catalunya. Our hotel (Hotel Inglaterra) was conveniently situated about 250 metres from Placa de Catalunya, so after checking into the hotel Matt and I found this delightful tapas bar and settled down to some tapas and our first beer and sangria of the long weekend.

We had heard that the presence of the wildly eccentric architecture of Gaudi can be felt more or less wherever you go in Barcelona, most notably in the mask-shaped balconies of Casa Batllo, the Casa Mila apartment building, the pillars and pavillions of Parc Guell, the lamp posts on the Placa Real and, of course, the magnificent Sagrada Familia Cathedral. So the next day we set out from the Universitat metro, which was right on our doorstep, to visit the Sagrada Familia Cathedral which was only a few stops away.

As we emerged from the Sagrada Familia metro we could certainly see why Barcelona's jewel in its crown is the (as yet) unfinished temple of "La Sagrada Familia". It is a supreme irony what has become the emblematic symbol of the city and Gaudi's masterpiece (or monsterpiece, depending on your point of view) was neither begun nor finished by the great man. The project was initiated in 1882 by another architect, Francisco del Villar, and Gaudi's involvement did not begin until 1891. He did, however, transform the design completely and dedicated over 40 years of his life to the building - the last 18 years exclusively - often sleeping on the site. Only the crypt, the apse and the four towers of the Facade of the Nativity were completed in his lifetime. The architect died in 1926. He was hit by a tram and is buried beneath the nave of the basilica, and steps towards his canonisation have been taken by Catalan bishops. Work on the temple was resumed in 1952 by some of Gaudi's assistants, who drew up plans based on some of his sketches, and on what they remembered of the great man's ideas (he never used detailed plans).

In the bowels of the Sagrada Familia itself is a museum which depicts the past, present and future of the Temple through scale models, photographs, plans and decorative objects. We enjoyed climbing the towers and marvelling at the fantastic view of the city but by then we were starving and had worked up a bit of a thirst so went in search of breakfast.

After breakfast we strolled up Diagonal street passing Casa de Les Punxes for Casa Mila which is situated on the Passeig de Gracia. Its structure is said to be inspired by the mountain of Montserrat and the inhabited flats resemble eroded cave dwellings hence the name, La Pedrera (rock pile). Casa Mila which begun in 1905, was his most complete project. It has an aquatic feel about it: the balconies resemble seawood, and the undulating facade the sea, or rocks washed by it. There was a long queue so we decided to come back and visit the interior the following day but took some lovely snaps from the outside as it was such a beautiful day.

While walking down Passeig de Gracia towards the Casa Batllo we noticed an intriguing building (Fundacio Tapies) with wire on top of it. We later read up that the winding tube sculpture on the roof is entitled cloud and chair and reflects the painter Antoni Tapies fascination with eastern mysticism. We enjoyed a fascinating audio tour inside the Casa Batllo which was an existing building remodelled by Gaudi in 1905-7. We were enchanted by the extreme design of the staircase to the main floor and the fireplace room and discovered that from a very early age, Gaudi manifested a great interest in shapes, colours and the geometry of nature, and sought his own particular resources and solutions from artisan crafts. At the same time, he took advantage of the innovative techniques of his day, such as the use of iron and pre-manufactured elements in structures, although he also employed traditional techniques and styles like brickwork. He understood architecture as a complete art form, for which reason his creativity extended to each and every one of the elements that make up his work, from balustrades to door knobs and handles, which set an unmistakable precedent in ergonomic design. When we climbed onto the roof we saw how it resembled a reptillian creature perched high above the street. There was also an interesting room in the corner which contained a ball in the middle with raindrops falling down the side which reflected onto the walls -very cool and calming.

By this time our thoughts had shifted to food again and so we took a leisurely stroll down La Rambla which begins at Placa de Catalunya and is a magnificent mile-long, tree-lined walkway that cuts through the middle of the old city and leads down to the port. There were many street performers providing entertainment along the way as well as flower stalls and pet shops selling rabbits, birds, rodents and reptiles which we thought was rather unusual. La Boqueria, the city's largest market is situated just off the Rambla so we entered this paradise for food lovers and were amazed by the beautiful displays of fresh fruit, vegetables and fish. It really was right up there with the Borough Market in London. Our mouths were now watering so we found a great tapas bar just across the road from the market and settled down to some delicious paella and San Miguel beer. We noticed that if we asked for bread it came with a spread of tomato - this was known as Catalan-style. The sightseeing and afternoon meal had suddenly caught up with us so we enjoyed a lovely afternoon siesta before venturing out that evening to the Gothic Quarter. This quarter is a maze of twisting streets and little squares with honey-coloured stone houses, merchants' mansions and the dominant 13th century cathedral. We enjoyed a delicious dinner on the Placa Reial that evening and watched a bit of acrobatic entertainment. We finished off our evening with a creme catalan (typical Catalan dessert similar to a creme brulee), coffe and liquor at the same tapas bar which we had visited the night before.

On the Sunday we re-visited Casa Mila and explored one of the apartments which had been recreated as an apartment of a Barcelona bourgeois family during the first decades of the 20th century and was decorated with period furnishings and household appliances. We also visited the roof which was like an imaginary landscape inhabited by mysterious figures. We then took the metro to Lesseps and walked up the hill to Park Guell. In 1900 Gaudi's patron Eusebi Guell commissioned him to oversee the design of a garden city development on a hill on the edge of the city, which he envisaged would become a fashionable residential area. Gaudi was to design the basic structure and main public areas; the houses were to be designed by other architects. The wealthy families of the time, however, did not appreciate Gaudi's wilder ideas, scarcely any plots were sold, and eventually the estate was taken over by the city as a park. Its most complete part is the entrance, with its Disneylandish gatehouses and the mosaic dragon that's become another of Barcelona's favourite symbols. At the centre is the great esplanade, with an undulating bench covered in some of the finest examples of trencadis or broken mosaic work - much of it not the work of Gaudi but of his assistant Josep Maria Jujol. The park has a wonderfully playful quality, with twisted pathways and avenues of columns intertwined with the natural structure of the hillside. We enjoyed strolling through the park to Casa Museum Gaudi which is the house that Gaudi lived in - now a museum. It contains a collection of the architect's personal work and memorabilia: furniture, projects and drawings by himself and his assistants. The house is surrounded by a garden featuring many of the gratings designed by Gaudi, as well as sculptures and a bypass walk with a parabolic arch pergola designed by the architect.

After freshening up at the hotel that afternoon we headed off to dinner at the Port Olimpic which is a 743-mooring space leisure marina built from nothing since 1988, now lined with bars and restaurants. Along the way we enjoyed browsing through an antique market at the Old Port and strolling along the beach and admiring Frank Gehry's sculpture of a copper Fish at the Vila Olimpica. The stroll to Port Olimpic was a rather lengthy walk so by the time we got there the Cava (Spain's sparkling white wine) was calling. We enjoyed sipping our cava and tasting some clams while the sun went down and being entertained by bootleggers peddling their stock of fake goods. One moment they had laid everything out on the pavement, the next they were hurriedly sweeping up their stock in a cloth and running away from the police who were patrolling the area. Later we enjoyed a delicious seafood dinner at Posit restaurant which was situated right on the beach.

We had allocated Monday as our shopping day as Barcelona certainly has the most wonderful shoe shops. Alas, little did we know that Monday was a public holiday in Barcelona and all the shops were closed. So we never got to visit the department store called El Corte Ingles or purchase the boots that Matt had been eyeing. Instead we headed off down Las Ramblas to catch a glimpse of Palau Guell from the outside. This vaguely medievalist palace was built in 1886-8 as a residence for Gaudi's patron Guell. It was Gaudi's first major commission for Guell, and one of the first buildings in which he revealed the originality of his ideas. Next stop was Placa Reial where a stamp and coin market was taking place. The time soon came to stop and admire the world around us and part-take in the sport of people watching. So enjoyed a coffee and some cheeses on the square near the cathedral and were entertained by some people who were dancing the traditional folk dance called the sardana. Basically everyone stands in a circle, holding hands, and bob lightly up and down on the balls of their feet in time to the music, taking the occasional step to the left, followed almost immediately by another one back. The music is played by a traditional band called a cobla, consisting of 11 musicians who were positioned on the steps of the cathedral.

We had hoped to visit the Picasso Museum but this was also closed. Definitely a must for the next visit as Picasso spent much of his early life in Barcelona and the museum houses his works from his famous Blue Period. We decided to stroll to the La Ribera and Born area for a lunch spot. Here we saw the Santa Maria del Mar Gothic church, known as "the people's cathedral". There were lovely restaurants and pottery shops here especially near the Placa des Olles. We had hoped to visit the restaurant called Cal Pep which Kevin and Chika had suggested but it was unfortunately closed so we enjoyed more tapas on Placa Santa Maria. This too was full of many delightful pavement cafes.

Before we knew it, it was time to head back to Londres!