Bad Case of Loving you (Barcelona)

Well, dear reader, for those of you who are long standing devotées of this blog, you will know that we've spent some unhappy holiday time in hospitals, not of our own volition. Hence today's title Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor Doctor) by the late great Robert Palmer.

Today, however, we were seeking out a hospital upon recommendation of our Concierge. This is St Pau Recinte Modernista, also known as the old hospital, an Art Nouveau site, built from 1902 till 1930 and continuing to provide medical care and research facilities to the people of Barcelona until 2009. It is not a big ticket item in the must see Barcelona brochures but it should be.

The entrance to the hospital.

Underneath the Admin building.

It was built in a direct line to Sagrada Familia, linked by, you guessed it, Avenue de Gaudi, but it is the work of another landmark Catalan architect, Montaner. We had glimpsed this amazing edifice on the Hop-on Hop-off bus and decided to make this our morning focus, being careful to use the hotel wifi to book our online ticket time slot before we departed for breakfast en route. An added bonus was the option of a self-guided tour with a paper map instead of having to deal with the joys of audio devices. Although I have since reset my Apple ID so I can now download Apps.

Gardens to the right.

A restored ward.

The hospital is a complex of 12 pavilions, 8 of which have been restored and are open to the public. Today we tend to expect hospitals to be functional and cutting edge, and clearly this one was that. However, it is also beautiful. A work of art. From the turrets and the ceramic tiled rooves to the interior tiled ceilings, denoting the different buildings and the gardens for their healing power. The complex was testament to an holistic approach to medicine. I wonder how that would work today?

So colourful.

Coloured domes everywhere.

The underground tunnels, white tiles connected all the pavillions. Each pavillion was dedicated to a separate area of medical treatment. Of course, being a Catholic country, the genders were kept apart. There were statues on every building, denoting its dedication to a saint. Should medicine and prayer fail, the complex was in a direct sight of Sagrada Familia.

Next stop, the Sagrada.

The ceiling in the stairwell of the admin building.

As amazing as the hospital wards were, the administration building was next level. It's probably not a surprise that the bureaucrats get the best work environment. Sorry, my cynicism just bubbled to the surface. Walking into the foyer was like entering a cathedral. There was an automatic intake of breath and an awe inspired hush. The ceiling, the staircase ... it could never, would never be built today and that in itself is a shame. We have lost the concept of beauty and enjoyment in a functional world that focuses on profit and cutting costs. There was more ... let the pictures tell the story.

The ceiling in admin.

One end of the great room.

The other end.

Leaving the hospital and its magnificence behind, we charted our course for the Arc de Triomf. We had seen it from the bus yesterday and while it was not up to Parisienne standards, it dominated the area and acted as a gateway to the Parc de la Ciutadella. It was another hot sunny day and quite humid. Hydration was an issue so we paused for a beer. Across the square was an outdoor gym. Excellent. Drinks and entertainment. We regathered our energy while watching others exhaust theirs.

We continued our walk to the Arc. Like most other major attractions, it was quite crowded. The area beyond the Arc, Passeig de Lluís Companys, was populated with prefabricated stalls all selling books. Again similar to the stall along the Seine in Paris, except these ones were larger and provided protection from the elements for the stall holder. They had a similar arrangement in the Passeig de Gracia.

Arc de Triomf.

By this point we were feeling the impact of walking in the heat and decided to save the exploration of the park until tomorrow and walked back to the hotel to rest before dinner.

Passeig de Lluís Companys.

It was time to abandon tapas for paella. We located a restaurant just around the corner from the hotel and selected an inside table as the weather looked like it could turn. It was the most expensive of the dinners we've had so far and probably the most disappointing. Eating out, unless you can get a local recommendation, is proving a little hit and miss. Our meals at Ciutat Comtal have been excellent and we will return there tomorrow for our final meal in Barcelona.

Not so disappointing was the gelato we had before returning to the hotel.

The Mirador Torre Glòries from a distance.

Before retiring we went up to the rooftop bar to take a couple of night shots, expecting the Sagrada Familia to be it up. Alas no. No lights on the famous Cathedral.

Plaça de Catalunya.

Until tomorrow.

True Colours (Barcelona)

After a long and stressful transit day I slept well and I'd like to add long, but, you know, 6:30 am and I was awake. It was probably a good thing, dear reader, because today we were off to the Gaudi Cathedral, Sagrada Familia. Our ticket access was for 30 minutes from 9:45 am.

A slow paced morning was planned with a brief stop for breakfast. Ah, the best laid plans. I had downloaded the tickets purchased through a third party supplier - I thought I was on the official site. Why is it so difficult to purchase tix through the actual website? Anyway. The tix were safely on my phone. I hadn't downloaded the audio guide because, well it doesn't matter. I thought it would be best to do this on the day.

Inspiration in the foyer of the hotel.

Until I tried to load the guide onto my phone. It wanted me to download an app first. Epic fail. It didn't recognise my Apple ID and I couldn't change the password and go through the process again because there was a 60 minute delay because I'm overseas. Curse you Apple. You haven't worked that out from where my phone pings?

Still not sure what it is, but we passed it on the way.

Brain wave. Jayne could load the app so I bluetoothed my headphones to her phone. Problem solved. We could both listen via her phone while she hot spotted the network from me. Simple eh? As we were heading out for the 11 minute walk to the Cathedral, Jayne decided to check with the doorman. No, no, no, he said. We have many Cathedrals, he said. That is not the right one, he said. Straight down this street, 8 or 9 blocks and turn left - you can't miss it.

He was right. You can't miss it.

He was correct. You couldn't miss it and maybe the 8 or 9 was 10, I can't remember. Turning left, there it was in all its cranes and scaffolding and unfinishedness. And another four or five blocks to the entrance. The 11 minutes was closer to 30 and we were on the outer limit of our time but it was all good. And crowded. Not Dubrovnik crowded, but it was up there.

The exterior from the main entrance.

We passed through the security, akin to an airport and made the forecourt where the next drama unfolded. The app downloaded from our tickets was from the dodgy third party supplier and was redundant. A wonderfully helpful young man in a red shirt, assisted with the correct procedure and the audio guide was loaded onto Jayne's phone. Problem averted.

The nativity.

Momentarily. It appears that Apple only allows one set of headphones to be connected at any one time. If I was connected, Jayne could hear nothing and vice versa. Once again, curse you Apple. Back to the nice young man in the red shirt. I explained the issue and he sent me to another person who ushered me down a ramp to an office where they stored the old audio guides. Apparently they kept them for inept old people like me.

Audio guide around my neck, the next problem was averted. And so the pushing of buttons and juggling of camera commenced as we listened to the commentary about Gaudi and the ongoing construction of the Cathedral. The exterior of the building is, well, unusual. Yes it borrows its curves and structural styles from nature but it looks weird to anyone from a straight lined world. It is difficult to imagine how his ideas came to be accepted all those years ago.

The ornate outside is a mass of towers and sculptures depicting scenes from the Bible. The Jesus tower, still under construction is planned to be 172.5m high only .5m shorter than the nearest peak. Man made things should never tower over those made by God, according to Gaudi.

One of the many stained glass windows.

The photo doesn't capture the riot of colour.

If you think the outside is spectacular nothing prepares you for the riot of colour when you walk inside. And there lies the inspiration for today's title. True Colours by Cyndi Lauper from 1986. There are stained glass windows everywhere in varying hues of the cooler blues and greens (the dawn of the Nativity) as well as the warmer oranges and yellows (the sunset of the Passion). It is impossible to know where to look first. Unlike a traditional artwork that draws your eye to a point, this was a sensation. The windows, the massive pillars, the floating crucifix and the hundreds of vapid morons posing in front of anything worthy of their attention, because it's about them really. Duck face, lift a leg, pout, smile.

Towering pillars.

There were people inside the Cathedral that would never have been allowed into a Synagogue for example. Uncovered shoulders, bare midriffs, Gosford skirts. It's about respect and they had very little.

Above the altar.

The centre of the space contained some pews where people could sit and reflect. LOL. Between the noise of the visitors and the sounds from the construction site, there was very little about the interior of the Cathedral that was contemplative. 

Seriously?

As I said in the last post, travelling makes it easier to be less tolerant of others. I watched as entire families, disregarding those around them, blocked views for everyone as all members of their family individually took the same video footage. Or those that were in such a hurry that they had ditched their audio guides and were just talking at the top of their voices as they walked through. Then there were the cruise ship crowds. It was like the Biblical scene in the temple with the money changers except Jesus didn't turn up with a whip. I would have paid more to see that.

The skylight above the altar.

With a minor detour to the sacristy - over the top, and an opportunity to peer down into the crypt and spy on the true worshippers, we were soon out the other side. The space here was even more limited and it was no easy task to see what the audio guide was describing to us. Even crossing the street for a photo did not prove successful. The Cathedral is massive on any scale and is difficult to photograph.

The exit from across the street.

The façade on this side revealed more statues depicting Christ's passion. Unusually, Jesus on the cross is without loin cloth. I'd not seen that previously. His head was typically facing downwards, in contrast to the crucifix above the altar where he is facing skyward.

Unclothed. 

My audio guide was deposited in the receptacle and we commenced the walk back to the hotel, determined to pause for breakfast on the way. Well, a coffee and croissant for an early lunch then. We finally found a café, not a bar, and enjoyed our very late breakfast.

A series of graphics on the floor near the exit doors.

After a brief stop at our room, we spoke with the Concierge about what places we should visit. He booked both Gaudi houses for us for tomorrow and recommended a number of other sights, some of which had not appeared on our radar. That was Thursday sorted. Time for domesticity and a couple of hours at the Lakely Bugaderia Laundry. Time well spent, the owner was lovely and helpful and we were back at the hotel in the afternoon with clean clothes.

In preparation for our trip to Sitges, we decided to check out the train station from where we would be departing on Monday. Passeig de Gracia Station is only about 10 minutes walk from the hotel, but it houses both the Metro and some suburban trains. We eventually found what we were after and a lift to allow easy access from street level. Although I was still uncertain about the train times. A problem for another day.

Back to the hotel, we decided to check out the rooftop bar and enjoy a couple of cervezas while surveying Barcelona. Then it was time to change for an earlier dinner than last evening. We strolled back to Ciutat Comtal in the hope of getting a table to discover the outdoor section is for tourists and there were two stories of seating inside, and what appeared to be a corner bar.

Unlike last night, the tapas was sensational. Beef and foie montinados, prawn skewers and a baguette with jamon, chicken and a delightfully messy, tasty sauce. Oh, and a bottle of local verdello all for €50. I was happy.

Because we had eaten early, we walked down La Rambla. It is recommended on just about every travel guide. In reality it is little more than say a long Pitt Street Mall, with less buskers. Although it extends further than we walked. There are lots of designer label stores and people strutting their finest. Unimaginative and uninteresting. Except for the Pandora store, dear reader. A Pandora Spanish fan charm firmly secured on Jayne's wrist, we walked the short distance home.

One of the art pieces in the hotel.

A very full first full day in Barcelona. I love it. And I haven't even mentioned the amazing architecture. No, not that the Gaudi stuff.

Until tomorrow, or the day after ...