The Cathedral of Barcelona
Surrounding the cathedral is the Gothic Quarter. This maze of narrow streets is the oldest part of the city. Many of the buildings date to medieval times, and there are even traces of the city's Roman past.
Park Guell is famous for its whimsical buildings and landscaping by the famous architect Antonio Gaudi. But beyond that it is a very attractive public park.
Antonio Gaudi was only one of a whole generation of architects who transformed the face of Barcelona in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Another prominent architect of the era was Josep Puig i Cadafalch. One of his buildings, Casa Amatller, was built in 1898 as the residence of a wealthy chocolatier. The stepped roof is somewhat reminiscent of Dutch architecture (an allusion to Dutch chocolate, perhaps?), but the decoration of the façade is more extravagant than a house you are likely to see in Amsterdam.
The house is now an office building, but you can step through the entrance and see what I assume was the carriage entrance.
Bullfighting was banned in Barcelona, and the entire region of Cataluña, some years ago. The city's old bullring is now a shopping mall.
A view of the Mediterranean and Barcelona's waterfront from the cable car which takes you high above the city.
Wow! Great Pictures! I need to get to Spain one of these days. Did you find the Spanish accents hard to understand? I find Mexicans to pronounce Spanish MUCH more clearly than the Spanish. And without that slightly snotty-sounding nasal effect, either.
ReplyDeleteSaludos,
Kim G
Tehuacán, Puebla
Where we've finally managed to get a good shout of the mountain bluffs near Edgar's house.
Thanks, Kim. I really like Spain... almost as much as Mexico. Barcelona is undeniably a beautiful city, but it is mobbed with tourists (more so than Paris or London, it seemed), and it is the most expensive city in Spain.
DeleteI had no trouble with the Spanish accents that I heard. (I do have trouble understanding the Galicians... they tend to garble their speech.) I personally sort of like the Castilian "th" sound. Of course my cousin in Madrid teases me that I sound like a Mexican. LOL (He doesn't mean that as a put-down since he has been to Mexico, and loves it.)
Saludos,
Bill
One of Edgar's favorite things is to mock my accent. I try to humor him, but it does make me a smidgen self-conscious.
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