Seniors in Spain 2018: 7/17/2018-Barcelona-Parc Guell, brunch at Milk, Sagrada Familia, dinner at Pura Brasa

We don't have breakfast this morning. It's Richard's birthday and Dorie wants to go to brunch to celebrate. Dorie has booked tickets for Parc Guell. Timed entry 9:00 AM. Cost €5.25 each for the 2 of us seniors, €5.25 for child age 7-12 which is Ronan, and €7.50 each for general admission which is Dorie and Blue. Our hotel printed the tickets out for me. We arrange to meet at the Carrer d'Olot entrance. Richard and I arrive via taxi by 8:45 AM. This entrance where we arranged to meet is no longer an entrance! It's an exit. I take some pictures of this historical front entrance. Palm frond gate and gas lamps. Wrought iron. Gaudi's dad was a blacksmith. We are running out of time so we have to enter. Entrance is to the right of where we were waiting. There they are! Dorie had the tickets on her I Phone so they entered and have been waiting for us. Thank goodness it all worked out.

Historical main entrance

Gate-wrought iron, palm fronds

Gas lamp by the gate

Our ticket

PARC GUELL. Designed by Antoni Gaudi. Completed in 1914 after 14 years of construction. UNESCO World Heritage Site included in the works of Antoni Gaudi. Frequent benefactor Eusebi Guell wanted Gaudi to create an upscale urban housing development. These 30 acres were supposed to be a 60 residence housing project. Like today's gated communities. Progress stopped in 1914 due to WWI and never resumed. Only 2 houses were built-neither designed by Gaudi! One is home to the Gaudi House Museum and the other Casa Trias is not open to the public. It flopped as a housing project but it delighted as a park. Here we see Gaudi's genius in a setting that's natural. Home to some of Barcelona's most famous symbols-a dragon guarding a whimsical staircase and a wavy bench in a panoramic terrace supported by a forest of columns. Gaudi used tile fragments-trencadis mosaics-to decorate much of what you see in the monumental zone. Only the Monumental Zone has an admission fee. The rest of the park is free. Where to start. Right where we are there are 2 buildings that are on each side of the former entrance. One houses a book shop/souvenirs. The other is the Casa del Guarda-branch of the Barcelona History Museum. There's a line so Richard and I get in line to walk through this lodge. It's a bit disappointing and skippable in my opinion. Then there are some cave like enclosures-one was a garage for Guell's cars and the other was for carts. Three fountains are stacked in the middle of a grand stairway. The first is rocky and leafy, then the red/gold striped Catalan shield with the head of a serpent poking out, and last is the famous dragon which is the icon of the park and of Barcelona.

Casa del Guarda

Cave like enclosures for Guell's cars and carts

Gift/book shop

Grand stairway seen from Casa del Guarda

Grand stairway

Trencadis mosaics

I didn't think this was a dragon but a lizard of sorts in my opinion!

At the top of the stairway is the marketplace or Hypostyle Room/Hall of 100 Columns (there's only 86). It was designed to house a produce market for the planned community. Columns-Doric-lined at the base with white pieces of ceramic. White ceramic pieces also cover the many domes of the ceiling. There are 4 large sun like decorations which represent the 4 seasons.

Exterior-Hypostyle Room

There's also the lovely Austria Gardens. Terrace at the top-beautiful views, 360' long bench designed to fit the body. I sat on it and it was comfortable! Gaudi borrowed from ancient Greek theaters here. Portico of the Washerwoman-Gaudi iron gate. Shape of a great wave. Many buttresses one of which depicts the rough caryatid known as the Washerwoman. Viaducts. Paths. We've spent 2 hours here.

Austria Gardens

View from the terrace/wavy bench

Back view of the wavy bench

Gate-entrance to the Portico of the Washerwoman

Washerwoman

Dorie and Ronan

Brunch-Milk. Place is packed so we give our name and wait. Before too long a table is ready for us. The menu has some delicious sounding breakfast items. Richard orders Mediterranean toast which is wheat bread, sun dried tomato, black olives, avocado, poached eggs, feta cheese, lemon and pistachio dukkah. I think Blue ordered the classic benedict-toasted chapata, poached eggs, smoked bacon, hollandaise sauce. Dorie-chorizo hash-sauteed spinach, chorizo, potatoes, munching cheese, poached egg. Fruit bowl for Ronan and juice. Pancakes and fruit bowl for me. Richard and I had coffee but Dorie and Blue went for Bloody Mary's. Cost ?? It was Dorie and Blue's treat for Richard's birthday. How nice. The food was amazing! Wish this place was across the street from our hotel!

Chorizo hash

Pancakes

Classic eggs benedict with bacon

Mediterranean toast

Fruit bowl

2 birthday boys Ronan 7/18 and Richard 7/17

Blue has the car so he drives us back to the hotel. Back in our room we give Ronan his birthday present. Bag of Swedish fish and Hex Bug set. He gets cards from great grandma Sally, us, and a card signed by Arleen and Bill, the cousins, etc. We sing happy birthday even though tomorrow is his actual birthday! He's happy and excited about going to Portadventura Park. The tickets Dorie booked for Sagrada Familia have 2 different times which was what was available. Their tickets are for 4:30-4:45 PM and ours are for 5:00-5:15 PM so pretty close together.

SAGRADA FAMILIA. Holy Family Church. Very impressive. Masterpiece in progress. Gaudi's best work in my opinion. He started in 1883 until his death in 1926. Located in Eixample district. Hoping it will be completed 100th anniversary Gaudi's death-2026. There's a model that shows what has been completed and what remains. 2026 seems optimistic to me but ......... Gaudi lived to see the Nativity Facade, the apse, crypt, and one tower complete. When finished there will be Nativity Facade (completed), Passion Facade (completed), and the Glory Facade. Plan calls for 18 towers-8 are done. The interior of the church is as impressive as the exterior. In the nave are pillars like trees and the "branches" of them meet at the vaulted ceiling. Tons of light. Stained glass. Can take an elevator up to the Nativity or Passion Tower. It's incredible. True artistry. Genius. Magnificent vision.

Model shows what it will look like once completely done

You can see what is completed (tan color) and what needs to be done (yellow color)

Nativity Facade. Gothic style symbolism, images from nature, and Modernista asymmetry. Theme of this facade which faces the rising sun is Christ's birth. Above the doorway is the manger scene. On one side are the 3 Magi and shepherds on the other side. Jesus as a young carpenter. Angels playing musical instruments. 4 taller spires-dedicated to the apostles-word "Sanctus" repeated. Doors designed by Sagrada Familia's head sculptor-Japanese born Etsuro Sotoo who fell in love with Gaudi's project and was determined to become a part of it.

Entrance

Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus-manger scene

Shepherds to the right of the manger scene

Magi to the left of the manger scene

Think this is a young Jesus with Joseph

Angels playing musical instruments above the Magi

Interior. Floor plan-shape of a Latin cross. Crisscross arches ceiling. Gaudi's love of nature-columns are like trees-brown clay, gray granite, dark gray basalt. Windows-most are stained glass. So much light filtering in. Remarkable. Blues, greens, cool colors of morning light. Reds, oranges, warm tones of evening light. Center of the church-4 red porphyry columns-for the 4 Evangelists. Their names in Catalan and their symbol. Angel-Mateu. Lion-Marc. Bull-Luc. Eagle-Joan. Canopied altar. Crypt holds the tomb of Gaudi. Our tickets also include entry to one of the towers. We chose the Passion Tower. You take a lift/elevator up but the stairs down. Some nice views.

Columns are like the trunks of trees

Canopied altar

Views from Passion Tower

Passion Tower-stairs going down

Tomb/crypt of Gaudi

Glory Facade. Only the bronze door. Lord's Prayer in Catalan surrounded by "Give us this day our daily bread" in 50 languages. When completed there will be a grand esplanade leading to this main entry. 4 towers. The facade's sculpture will represent how the soul passes through death, faces the Last Judgment, avoids the pitfalls of hell, and finds its way to eternal glory with God.

Glory door

Passion Facade. Gaudi's vision carried out by later artists. The 4 spires were designed by Gaudi and completed faithfully to his designs. Josep Maria Subirachs completed this in 2005. Story of Christ's torture and execution. Scenes-Last Supper, betrayal, whipping, crucifixion. Severe, stark, grim. Large letters-Jesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum/Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews. Bone like archways. Gaudi had made it clear he wanted this facade to be grim and terrifying and it is. Before arriving outside to view the Passion facade we admired the porphyry floor showing scenes of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem.

Crucifixion

Soldiers vying for Jesus' garments

Large letters and bone like archways

Last Supper

Richard and I have spent 3 hours here. Dorie, Blue, and Ronan left earlier as they are leaving Barcelona tonight. Cost of ticket-senior rate-which included Sagrada Familia, a very good audioguide, and entry to the Tower on the Passion facade was €22.00 each. Worth every penny!

Ticket

Dinner-Pura Brasa. Since we had a substantial meal for brunch we want to do a light meal for dinner. Drinks-beer and sangria. Me-Caesar salad with lettuce, chicken, Parmesan cheese, croutons, hard boiled egg. Richard-Tuna Belly with sweet onion, roasted peppers, tomato, and Basque chilli peppers. Cost without tip $35.41. It's been a perfect day!