01-29-2016, 03:46 PM
Sagrada Familia redeems all of Gaudi's work, and even Barcelona itself. It is a glorious masterpiece, spectacular from every angle, enlightening in its detail, a celebration of parabolic architecture and stained glass. Where the Gothic Cathedrals are oppressive with its grey masonry, ornate dour statues and foreboding gargoyles, heavy flying buttresses, and dark, creepy corners, Sagrada is all love and light. It's such a reaction against Gothic style, only retaining that sense of loftiness that forces you to look to the heavens. It's as if Gothic cathedrals are made by vampires and demons where the Sagrada was made by elves and angels. It's enough to make you convert to Catholicism.
After that, we spent our last Barce day shopping and with a visit to the Palau de la Musica Catalana. That was also an architectural treat, made more so by a tourist performance of Toccata and Fugue on the mighty pipe organ there. Designed by Lluis Demenech i Montaner, our tour guide joked that Gaudi was a more famous architect because his name was easier. But it's important to keep Gaudi in context - there were so many other significant architects in Barce providing the foundation for Gaudi's artistic leaps, and it's a shame that those architects get so overshadowed. That being said, if we were ever to to Barce again, we would be sure to catch a day performance in Palau de la Musica Catalana. Any show (one of the upcoming ones was ABBA Amazons, which sounded too good to be true). It is a shrine to music, the most beautiful theater I have ever been in.
The next day we embarked on our pilgrimage to the first two corners of the Dalinian Triangle.
After that, we spent our last Barce day shopping and with a visit to the Palau de la Musica Catalana. That was also an architectural treat, made more so by a tourist performance of Toccata and Fugue on the mighty pipe organ there. Designed by Lluis Demenech i Montaner, our tour guide joked that Gaudi was a more famous architect because his name was easier. But it's important to keep Gaudi in context - there were so many other significant architects in Barce providing the foundation for Gaudi's artistic leaps, and it's a shame that those architects get so overshadowed. That being said, if we were ever to to Barce again, we would be sure to catch a day performance in Palau de la Musica Catalana. Any show (one of the upcoming ones was ABBA Amazons, which sounded too good to be true). It is a shrine to music, the most beautiful theater I have ever been in.
The next day we embarked on our pilgrimage to the first two corners of the Dalinian Triangle.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse