Upon arriving in Barcelona, I sensed that this truly would be an electric, eclectic experience. The first thing I noticed when exiting the airport terminal was the complete lack of a skyline, save for a blue bullet-shaped building in the far distance. This was the only visible building that stuck out like a giant blue thumb in the dark Barcelona night sky. The stars and moon were very clear, and I could tell that light pollution was not a major problem for this bustling city.
Over the course of my month long stay I began to notice how art played an important role in the architecture of many buildings. Art could be seen in all buildings, some sectors more than others. Overall, one could get the sense that there really were no straight lines, and it constantly called into question one’s concept of modern architecture. The big name most associated with the artistic architecture of Barcelona is Gaudi. And none of his creations seemed to top the magnificent Sagrada Familia Catedral.
The Sagrada Familia Catedral, as it so happened, was a 10 minute bee-line walk from my host pad. The cathedral is very unique in its use of both gothic and modern architecture, depending on which side you were standing in front of. The backside is very gothic, while the entrance is very modern. I could spend the next couple paragraphs describing in thousands of words the incredible beauty of this structure, but instead, here are a couple of pictures to do it for me:
There was also a festival going on when I went to the Sagrada. I have no idea for what, but it looked rather festive. Here's a video of the Catalans dancing:
Also near my pad was the big blue building I had seen exiting the airport. I learned from my host that this was called the Torre de AgBar (Tower of Barcelona’s Water Company)
Explanation: Ag = Agua (water) and Bar = Barcelona. This too was a convenient 10-15 minute walk away. I wandered down there to take a closer look, and was amazed by its giant blueness. Again, hard to explain; here’s a picture:
The main drag in Barcelona is a street called Las Ramblas. It is here where all the bars and tourist traps are located. Wandering down it one would find the many street artists who stand like statues for change. I’m not entirely sure how they can make a living doing this, but I suppose it has something to do with a state subsidy. At the very end of the Ramblas there is a traffic circle (ingenious traffic device that confuses most Americans, but really is efficient in use) and right in the center is a statue of Christopher Columbus. Located across the street on one side is the Department of Defense: Navy. Not entirely sure if this building was around back when Spain had a navy to talk about, but it was there nonetheless. Down one street of the circle were these crazy arches. I was thankful that they were not yellow and indicative of McDonald’s effort to be blatantly present in the public arenas (placas, as they are called here. Pronounced like plazas.) In the distance I could also see a suspended cable car that went to a tall tower located in the middle of the harbor. I assume it was a point in which tourists could look down upon the entire city.
Getting around the city was incredibly easy. Barcelona has a very advanced underground metro system that runs from 5AM-12:30AM Sun-Mon, till 2:30AM on Friday, and all night on Saturday. It also has a bus system, cabs, etc. What struck me as incredibly novel was a bike rental service offered by the city for residents. Essentially, a resident would register with the city and pay a fee in exchange for a card that could access a number of bike racks that were scattered across the city. One could then use this card to access the bikes at the bike rack and ride them for a maximum of 2 hours before needing to return the bike to the rack without incurring additional fees. This was a great idea in my mind, but most likely impractical in America because of the car culture and utter laziness of people to choose environmentally friendly alternatives of transportation. Barcelona really is not that large of a city in terms of land area, and thus this idea is both practical and cheap. Bike lanes accompany every major thoroughfare and one must be on the constant lookout in order to not get run over! And of course there is walking, of which I did my fair share.
When my travel companion Mike finally arrived to Barcelona at the end of my month stay, it was a mad dash to get him to see most of the cool stuff in the city in the day we had before we embarked on our long journey to the Beijing Games. Sagrada Familia was the first stop, and after wandering down Avenue de Gaudi ran into Hospital de St. Pau. This was a conglomeration of medieval hospitals that looked like an art park. Walking through the place it seemed like there were more tourists taking pictures than patients. Here are a few of its more pleasant buildings:
After that we made our way over to Gaudi’s Parque Guell. This park, conveniently located at the top of a very large hill, was accessed by an escalator that I had assumed was built to accommodate tourists to the 1992 Summer Olympics. Otherwise, there simply is no easy way to get to this place. The park was nice, consisting of more of Gaudi’s beautiful buildings, was bustling with people on casual strolls, either with loved one’s or an adorable mutt. The only picture that seemed to survive my camera from here was a house just outside the park that apparently housed the only anarchists I was able to find in the entire city. In the early 20th century, Barcelona was home to the highest concentration of anarchists in the world. However, following the Spanish Civil War, Franco had all the anarchist ringleaders rounded up and shot, and dispersed the followers to work camps across the country. Anarchism in Barcelona has not been the same since. Asking the locals “Where are all the anarchists?” I was met with responses that indicated that the modern anarchist in Barcelona was no more than posers, and consist of the transients in the streets or the squatters in the parks, constantly seeking loose change and, in Barcelonans‘ eyes, being a complete drain on the local economy. Needless to say this lulled my spirits for the entire month I was there, until finding this one house. It is good to know that at least somebody has kept the spirit alive.
Overall I was impressed with Barcelona as a city. It was the perfect blend of classical architecture with a modern twist. It is run very efficiently for a city of just over 2 million people. I was impressed by its dedication to sustainability, through the use of its bike system as well as large recycling containers lining every street. I came away from the city with plenty of ideas to bring back to the US, in the hopes that we too can run things a little better, and in a more perfect harmony with the environment.
No comments:
Post a Comment