Barcelona
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La Sagrada Família – Gaudí’s Wondrous Masterpiece – Part 2
Having completed my tour of the Nativity façade and interior la Sagrada Família, as you can explore in Part 1, I exited this holy structure via the Passion façade. And before even stepping foot outside, it was obvious that I was in for yet another shift in design aesthetic. The Passion Façade For, where the bronze doors of the Nativity façade were covered in leafy vines of ivy and rose, these were filled with hard, blocked letters telling the story of the death of Christ. And a glimpse outside revealed a much more contemporary style of statuary. For there in front of me, stood a stylized carving of the whip-scarred…
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La Sagrada Família – Gaudí’s Wondrous Masterpiece – Part 1
Towering over the skyline of Barcelona, stands the wondrous la Sagrada Família. This singular, yet unfinished, edifice is the crowning achievement of Modernista architect, Antoni Gaudí. And I was fortunate enough to visit it after finishing an amazing rowing tour down Spain’s Ebro river. I approached from the east, having made my way down the street from exploring Hopital de Sant Pau: The Other Modernista Wonder of Barcelona. Upon arriving, I was met by the elaborately decorated Nativity Façade. The Nativity Façade Gaudí’s dream for the Basilica de la Sagrada Família was to recreate the Bible story of the life of Christ in stone. Thus, he began with the Nativity.…
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Sant Pau: The Other Modernista Wonder of Barcelona – Part 3
As I continued my exploration of the incredible Modernista complex of Barcelona’s Hospital Sant Pau, the Operations House was the next gorgeous building to catch my eye. Set amongst the fantastic patient pavilions and fragrant lavender gardens, it floated in the Spanish sky like a heavenly mirage when glimpsed from within the incredible Administration Pavilion.Upon closer look, I saw that the cerulean blue of that beautiful sky was reflected in the colour of the mosaics printed on its façade. And the names spelled out in these tiled artworks were those of distinguished doctors. Like the pavilions surrounding it, the Operations House is covered in a variety of symbolic stone carvings.…
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Sant Pau: The Other Modernista Wonder of Barcelona – Part 2
When I first caught a glimpse of the Modernista wonder, Sant Pau, from atop my ‘hop-on-hop-off’ bus tour of Barcelona, I was so taken with its beauty that I immediately hopped off to take a closer look. As I peaked over the wall at the colourfully tiled roofs of the turrets and domes of the red brick pavilions, I made a mental note to come back the following day when I would have time to roam the grounds of this truly unique site. And I’m so glad I did. For the glorious view of its sun-washed pavilions from inside the Administration building alone was worth the price of admission.And once…
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Sant Pau: The Other Modernista Wonder of Barcelona – Part 1
Barcelona is a city well-known for its incredible Catalan Art Nouveau architecture, locally known as Modernista. The Basílica de la Sagrada Família, Park Güell and Casa Batlló are three of the Modernista wonders that come to mind when I think of this amazing Spanish city. So I was more than pleasantly surprised to discover the Recinte Modernista de Sant Pau during my first visit there this spring. Since I was new to Barcelona, I had decided to start my trip with a ‘hop-on-hop-off’ bus tour to get the lay of the land. And it was during this enlightening ride that I happily came upon, what turned out to be, one…
