La Rambla
Part of the ceiling of Sagrada Familia.
“Frenetic” - fast and energetic in a rather wild and uncontrolled way. Definitely! That’s the Barcelona we saw.
It was evident in the blur of tourists walking beside, towards, across & through us on La Rambla, the main street lined with PVC covered stalls containing everything from a flamenco dancer frozen mid castanet on a fridge magnet to cafes serving all kinds of tapas and drinks in glasses the size of christening fonts. So, so crazy. So very busy. The curvy, narrow, gothic laneways either side of La Rambla offered some relief but thank goodness for google maps.
With Barcelona comes everything Gaudí. Frenetic still comes to mind. “Is he madman or genius? Only time will tell” said the narrator in a film showing at Palace Güell one of his earliest feats of architecture. I have to give it to him, the Palace was genius. Then there’s Sagrada Familia, a Catholic Basilica under construction since 1882, that’s right, over 130 years so far and it’s still unfinished! To me the exterior is the work of a madman, a melee of religious scenes mixed with seemingly random placement of animals, turtles, snakes, lizards, dogs. Ah, but it’s inside where the genius appears, a huge space vaulted to the heavens filled with dazzling light through the vibrantly coloured stained glass windows. The confusing exterior gives no clue to the glory within.
Frenetic it definitely is. Barcelona demanded our attention with all our senses.
Very crowded. I've heard of Sagrada Familia many times, and have seen pictures (though I can't recall seeing any of the interior), but I suspect I'd have to see it for myself to decide which way he goes- genius or madman.
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