Barcelona

One of the weird things about Barcelona is the street intersections. They are shaped like diamonds, so you have to go a bit away from the corner to cross. I guess that is part of what gives the city its spacious elegance.

Day one we went to the Sagrada Família designed by Antonio Gaudi. Our walk around it was accompanied by a spirited debate. My friend Dara Silberstein--feminist scholar, professor of gender studies, lawyer--said that the brilliance of his work was that it took Catholic architecture away from classical design and made it accessible to common people by using whimsy and humour.

I looked at the bunches of fruit and was put in mind of a Tropicana casino. My opinion was Gaudi was taking the piss, but what do I know. The place has been under construction for 100 years and three architects have been in charge. I think they lost the plot somewhere along the way. The original footprint might have had proportions that made sense, but now it looks like an old house that has had additions during different design eras. I should say we never went inside, which probably prevented me from being properly wowed by the place.
Here is another Gaudi property that better showcased his brilliance. My cousin commented on Facebook: right angles are over-rated.

Probably my favourite thing about Barcelona was how oddball buildings were interspersed with very traditional buildings. I love a city that both has respect for its past but also doesn’t seem to take itself too seriously.

I skyped Joe for his opinion of Gaudi. Joe is my friend the brilliant NY architect. His take: “inspired genius.”
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