EuroTrip - Day 62

To the MAN called ANTONI GAUDI

I am not an artist. I don't know the alpha beta of art. Still let me tell you that Antoni Gaudi's work rocks. He is just too awesome. Yesterday, we had just got a glimpse of his style when we had chanced to see La Casa Batlló. Though we did not enter the place, even the view of the facade was sufficient to make us believe that ki Gaudi ka andaaj thoda hatke hai. Today, it was the time to prove our hypothesis. And what better place to do that than one of his best work - the Sagrada Família. This monumental church dedicated to the Holy Family is the finest example of his visionary genius, the worldwide symbol of Barcelona and the Cathedral of the third Millennium.

Did you say? "A cathedral!!"

Well yes, it is a cathedral. And before you say "not again," let me tell you that this is one place, you should visit even after seeing a thousand cathedrals all over the world. It is one of its kind and it will remain the same for centuries to come.

The work on this historic cathedral started in the last decade of 19th centuries and it continues even today. Gaudi visioned this place to be the symbol of faith. He incorporated his architectural knowledge with a complex system of symbolism. He was able to finish just one (out of four planned) facade in his lifetime. But he had more than done his job with his drawings and models for the rest of the cathedral. He had a huge influence from nature and geometry on his work and it took quite some time for other artists and designers to decipher his rules and style. But since then, the work on his cathedral is on a flow. With incorporation of the latest technologies in building materials and design, this building promises to be indeed the monument of the third millennium.

There are two distinct styles on the two facades that have been completed till now. While the Nativity facade has ornamental work with direct influence from nature, the Passion facade has a rather simple style. The audio-guide does a very good job explaining some of the details. One could write a book about the symbolism used and the way Gaudi has interpreted the various events in life of Christ. The museum has some of his drawings and models and tells us about the vision of the architect. I thoroughly enjoyed this place and would recommend it to everyone. Take my word, even the 11 euro entrance fee should not deter you from entering this place.

Our next stop was to be a temple of another kind - Camp Nou, the house of FC Barcelona. The main stadium in the big complex is the biggest in Europe and has hosted many crucial matches at international level and in UEFA league. But after seeing the Alliance Arena in Munich (what if it was just from the outside), it really was a disappointment. May be it looks good when in night, but when we went it was just ok. The entry to the museum is restricted and charged at 17 euros. And it is not even a guided tour. I guess FC Barca is too big a brand for me. See yea some other time guys!!

Now that we have come so far, it did not make any sense to go empty handed and we did what we could do the best - visit the FC Barca store and buy some merchandise. I am still trying to recall who amongst my friends is a Barca fan. If you are, do leave a comment. You will get an original FC Barca souvenir with love.

It was our chance to enjoy the Barcelona night life but the night had not yet arrived. So we took a long walk along the La Rambla. This street is famous for its street artists and the restaurants and pubs on the both sides. And true to its fame, it had an assortment of arts on display. The street is alive throughout the day but the real colors come out in evening. I am really happy that we decided to take the walk despite our tired legs.

I had been for over a day in Barca but still there were no signs of Jalan. Mr Busy was really trapped in his applications so I had given him the freedom to fix the plan. And finally he planned. We were to go clubbing with him. Those of you who know Jallu, he likes to party. So it was a safe bet. ;) We headed straight to beach side. It's difficult to get entry to free clubs if you are a gang of 7 guys. So we had to resort to an Irish pub. With some random live music in background, this was the best place we could afford to enter at that moment. For the record, I drank the most expensive sprite of my life here. A few random songs and then Jalan and I decided to call it a day. The applications were ringing bells in his head and I had no intention to stop him to cater to that. We had a long talk on a half maggie and a cup of chai (yes no tea, it was chai). Life could not have been more RVish.

It is 3:30 am, well past my bed time and Jalan is still left with lots of application work. So it's better that I hit the bed now and let him burn the midnight oil. I will have my own sets of such nights soon.