Barcelona

Barcelona struck me as a culturally rich and vibrant city, and it seemed like it would be a fun place to live. Of all the cities we saw in Spain, the mix of ocean, hills, and culture likely would have led me to Barcelona had I been born a Spaniard. Also, across the board, the people and service providers seemed much friendlier than those we encountered in Madrid. (Barcelona pictures here.)

We arrived in Barca around 10 am on Monday, dropped our bags at our hotel, and left to see the city. Our first stop was La Sagradia Familia ("The Sacred/Holy Family"), which may be world's grandest construction site. This is a world-famous cathedral that was designed by Gaudi. It has been under construction for over 120 years, and they do not expect to complete it for at least another 20 years. Gaudi was very inspired by shapes appearing in nature, such as the branches of trees, the various shapes and faces of minerals, and the profiles of leaves. All of these influences show up in this relatively modern, abstract cathedral. The inside is quite unique, but there is still an amazing reverence. The crowning touch will be the amazing array of stained-glass windows, most of which have yet to be completed and installed, but those that are already in place are quite stunning. Beyond the city itself, seeing this cathedral in its completed form would be reason enough for a return to Barcelona in 30-40 years. (*Also, I just learned that in November, the site is to be consecrated and named a Basilica by the Pope.)

The cathedral also houses a cathedral museum, which I liked but found ironic for a building that was yet to be completed. The museum explained many of the statues that accompany the cathedral, and I found that while the sculptures were abstract, they were also heartfelt and true to Gaudi's vision. The statue of Christ stumbling while carrying the cross was particularly striking.

Next, Nathan and I headed up into the hills to see the Park Guell, which was also designed by Gaudi and features his home in Barcelona (today a museum). To be honest, this "must see" park was unique, but beyond its nice views of the city below, I did not find it to be particularly striking. Our visit of the home was included in our Sagrada Familia ticket, but at 5€ on its own, I really don't think the home tour is worth it to anyone beyond the most devoted students of Gaudi.

After Park Guell, we made our way down the hill to see the Gothic cathedral of Barcelona and the Church of Santa Ana, where we met up in the Born neighborhood with Berkeley Law classmates Ben Sitter and Karen Gal-Or, who were on their last day of a six-day stay in Barcelona. I really enjoy seeing my classmates over here in Europe because when all of our post-bar trips are over, all of these great people that I spent the last three years with will be spread all over the country. I asked Anna about the Catalonia independence movement, which is a vocal minority in northeastern Spain that would like to secede to form a separate nation. Catalonia does have its own language (Catalan, which is similar to but older than global Spanish) and its own strong cultural identity. Furthermore, it is more economically productive than the rest of Spain, so it feels a bit like Germany does within the euro zone--that it bears the burden of propping up less productive economies. The independence movement is generally nonviolent, and it is not likely to show any results in the near future. Despite the economic and cultural arguments, as an independent nation, Catalonia would not be large enough to wield the diplomatic and foreign trade influence of a united Spain. After our tapas dinner, we went back to our hotel for a much-needed full-night's rest.

I woke up early the next day and walked over to Barcelona's Picasso Museum. This may have been my first experience in an art museum that only focused on one artist, and I thought it to be very well-executed. The museum takes you on a chronological journey through Picasso's development as a student, and then through various periods in his artistic life. At the same time, it explains what was happening in his life, his friendships, and the political and artistic climates that were influencing or shifting his artistic styles during each period. This museum only requires an hour or two, and if you travel to Barca, I would definitely recommend it. I really enjoyed the distinct playfulness of many of his pieces, which made the collection seem more fun than many art exhibits. (There are no pictures in the album because photography was prohibited.)

Next, it was over to Montjuïc (literally "Hill of the Jews"), which houses many of Barcelona's cultural sites as well as its Olympic park from the 1992 summer games. I went to this part of the city to visit the National Museum of Catalonia Art, which had an impressive collection of Renaissance, Romantic, Baroque, and Modern art. In particular, the museum has an incredible collection of church art from the late 1100s and early 1200s. They recreated the architectural features on which these paintings were originally created (arches, semicircles, etc.) and then transferred the paintings to the museum so that they could be displayed in their original shapes. I also enjoyed many of the Catalonian sculptures, both classical and modern, that were scattered about the museum--particularly the crying little boy, the wounded bullfighter, the apostles, the death of Cleopatra (with a loyal Saluki at her side), and an abstract depiction of Don Quixote.

Finally, it was time to grab my pack and catch the train to France. I liked Barcelona quite a bit, and I felt that I definitely could have filled another day or two there. If you go, be sure to leave some time to explore its top-notch cultural offerings.

- R