So, first things first. For those of you who have been following for a while, and have stayed with me /us, you will no doubt notice the missing element from Barcelona - that's right, the Cathedral is yet to be conquered! So, it was up and at the Cathedral soon after the opening time, to discover that the tower isn't open until 10am - no problem, that meant that there was time to visit the cloister with its 13 white geese (one for each year of life of the city's co-patron St Eulalia)that was somehow missed on Monday's visit, and take some time around the Barri Gotic (Gothic Quarter) - an interesting warren of small and twisting streets.
I am still somewhat amused by the whole ticketing system here - you must get a ticket when you pay your money, even if the same person then simply points you in the direction of the elevator door; but if that's the way it's done, then so be it.
Park Güell is a garden complex with architectural elements situated on the hill of El Carmel in the Gràcia district. It was designed by our old friend the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí and built in the years 1900 to 1914. It has an extension of 17.18 ha (0.1718 km²), which makes it one of the largest architectural works in south Europe. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Now it's an interesting story about how this place came to be. There was a man called Eusebi Guell, who had a very cunning plan: build it and they will come! He bought a large parcel of land and planned to create an estate for well-off families in an unbeatable location with splendid views over Barcelona to the sea. As a master-plan, the estate made provision for 60 triangular plots, with a complex network of paths, viaducts and steps to cope with the steep terrain; there were strict building provisions, with only one-sixth of the plot able to be built on, and with all buildings to be of a residential nature. Antoni Gaudi was appointed to plan the estate.
Unfortunately (but perhaps not surprisingly), the conditions placed on the acquisition of the lots, the exclusive nature of the estate, and the lack of proper transport made the project unviable - it seems that even if it was built, they would not come! Guell halted the work in 1914, and after his death it was purchased by the Barcelona City Council in 1922, and opened as a public park in 1926.
While the overall park is free and has spectacular views over the city to the Mediterranean (particularly from the peak lookout), there is of course a fee to enter the area that Gaudi did create, but the fee is worth the cost, and it was interesting to gain a greater understanding of Gaudi's works, and in a less overwhelming space than the Sagrada Familia - however, still with the crowds of tourists. Drawing from nature for inspiration of form, function, and engineering, Gaudi's work is clearly polarising - and love him or loath him, think he was mad or think he was a trail-blazer, you can't help but admire his achievements.
When purchasing your ticket, you are given a half-hour window in which to enter the Monumental Zone (as it is known, as it is a monument to Gaudi's works), which fortunately was in 20 minutes from purchase, so that wasn't too bad, but I can imagine in summer the wait could be longer - a good reason for buying on-line if possible. Once inside, you can stay for as long as you like, but once you leave, that's it - and I can assure you, there is no getting in before the allotted time.
El Born Centre Cultural brings together three centuries of Barcelona's history, showing the great pride the locals have in being Catalan (from Catalonia) - in fact, Catalans seem a lot like Texans, including having a lone star on their flag - first a Catalan, second a Spaniard!
Below the cast-iron structure of the iconic and beautiful 19th century marketplace lies the Barcelona of 1700, the prosperous city that suffered the siege of 1714 and that put up an epic and heroic resistance before Catalonia's national liberties were eventually lost, yet to be restored three centuries later (there remains a push for independence, which is prevalent on the streets). The centre houses a permanent display of the archaeological diggings under the marketplace building at the archaeological site known as the Ciutat del Born.
Rounding out the day, Barcelona, and Spain (other than the ride to the airport in the morning) it was dinner with Eduardo (from Tuesday morning's session), his wife Rachel, their daughters Ilena and Lucia, and a friend visiting from London (Isabel). A great night with awesome food and lovely company - talk about leaving Spain on a high-note.
Jenny should be happy, as tomorrow we're finally off to Italy - first stop, Naples! See you from across the Mediterranean.