9 comment(s) for "First Impressions of Barcelona – Gaudi and Pintxos":

  1. Pat in Toulouse

    Oh, I’m so glad, we’re going next week-end! I’ll be writing all this down!!!

  2. Janes’s cousin

    LIke you, I’m not sure whether I like Gaudi’s unfinished cathedral though I have only seen it in pictures. We grew up with a simple parish church actually designed by my grandfather. I tend toward simplicity and minimalism in design. I don’t know how much it is in the genes or culture we grew up in. I found Milan cathedral to be an overdecorated wedding cake (gasps of horror!!) whereas my late husband who was of Italian heritage marveled at it and how it was still being added to after several hundred years.
    However I’m not sure if my minimalism goes to the extent of St Barnabas on Broadway in Sydney. http://www.barneys.org.au/page/117/Raise+the+Roof
    I would like to check it out when I am next in Sydney visiting my youngest daughter but from the photos it appears very stark and cold – not what I expect a church to be.

  3. Pamela

    Dear Rosemary
    Have just seen your posts on Barcelona and Gaudi. The Sagrada Familia looks fantastic! We visited a long time ago back in 1970 – it’s amazing to see what they’ve accomplished since then.
    Love all your Gaudi pics, he was a true original. Having read the comments above would just like to suggest that there are so many ways of worshipping God and so many inspirational churches and cathedrals. The world would be a disappointing place if they were all pretty much the same. I love Milan Cathedral and also especially some of the truly gorgeous Sicilian churches and cathedrals, all so wonderful and such greaty variety from Baroque, Spanish and some more like eastern orthodox in style, the paintings, mosaics, glass etc, but I also love simpler styles too, like little old grey parish churches in England with a couple of glowing windows.
    Sounds as though you had a wonderful holiday in Spain. When we were in Madrid in 1970 Franco was still in power. The underground railway stations were dim, gloomy and dirty, the only brightly lit spaces were the station masters’ offices with large black and white photos of Franco that you’d see just as you were about to disappear back into the darkness of the tunnel. In every carriage there were seats that were reserved for the wounded from the Civil War. Madrid back then was a police city as Spain was a police state. Armed police and the Gardia Civil everywhere. People so downtrodden and the city looking in great need to TLC. When I returned to Madrid to attend a conference in the 90s it was completely transformed, the beautiful city that was always there had emerged from the shadows. Best wishes, Pamela

  4. […] he decided to call in Gaudi who, at 52, was at the height of his popularity, having started work on Guell Park in […]

  5. […] received several refusals but Pep, who lives outside Barcelona and has a one-bedroom flat near Sant Pau Hospital and the Sagrada Familia, fortunately agreed to the swap, although he wasn’t sure until the last […]

  6. […] still goes to Seville which we visited at about the same time several years ago and loved and Barcelona which we really enjoyed as well, especially anything to do with Gaudi. We also enjoyed San […]

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