Bolger Family Travels: A Modernisme Stroll Through Barcelona

After the Castellers, we took the Metro from Poblenou to Urquinaona (I just call it Ur-quinoa, which isn't close to being right).

I relied on two travel books to meticulously plan this trip -- National Geographic on Barcelona, and Rick Steves's Barcelona. They both feature detailed self-guided walks. The Nat Geo book has a great 2.7 mile walk on Modernisme history.

We are not architects. We are not even amateur architects. But there is something about Modernisme architecture that we are drawn to. Obviously, Antoni Gaudi is the most famous of the bunch, but there were quite a few practitioners back in the day.

First, we headed over to Placa Catalunya, where we hung out for a bit, enjoying the scene.

Casa Pascual i Pons was finished in 1891, is a medival throw back look on a modernisme building. We then stopped for lunch at a theater cafe named, interestingly enough, El Glop. The food wasn't just glop, however. Carol had some tasty shrimp in garlic, and I had the secreto Iberic -- one of the best parts of the pig.

I Googled it so you don't have to:

"The Iberian secret is a piece that is in the internal part of the loin next to the mallet of the palette, between the bacon, in what would be the armpit of the pig."

If eating armpit is wrong, I don't want to be right.

The only problem with sitting outside at a restaurant in Spain is that, invariably, the Eurotrash at the table next to you are smoking. Even though there are multiple directions the smoke could go, it invariably wafts right at us. Despite that, it was a very pleasant place to eat.

Casa Rocamora was not finished until 1920 by the brothers Amigo (apparently they were blood relations AND friends, which isn't easy to do). The conical tower is a famed sight in the city.

Casas Cabot are actually two buildings conjoined on a small side street.

Casa Calvet is an early Gaudi, completed in 1899. It is noted for his unusual restraint, but the front of the building (pictured above) is still stunning, and gives off hints (to me at least) of the much more detailed Casa Battlo facade. To me, this is a pretty cool picture.

And then we came to the Illa de la Discordia (the block of discord), which has three of the most famous modernisme building in Barcelona. I didn't post any pictures of the Casa Lleo i Morera, but the above is Casa Amatller. We did not go in, but it has opened to limited tours since we were last in Barcelona in 2009.

Casa Battlo is the piece de resistance of Modernisme homes. We have tickets for later in the trip. I still remember the thrill I had taking the tour in 2009. Sometimes, when you've gone someplace once, you don't have to do it again. Battlo is NOT one of those places.

I mean, look at this cool facade. I got other great pictures of it from different angles, but am trying to show restraint by not posting them all.

This is still from Casa Amatller

This paean to the working man has to be from the 1930s or so. Ironically, it is in the entrance to that favorite store of the working man, Lacoste. As John Madden once said during a football game he was broadcasting, "irony can be so ironic."

Casa de las Punxes (the four pictures above) was pretty stunning. It has six towers, each crowned by a conical point. As the guidebook notes, it looks like a cross between a European mansion and a Loire Valley chateau.

Just up the street is Casa Comalat, designed as a homage to Gaudi. You can really see it in the window here, but the whole facade is very cool.

Here you can see part of Hotel Casa Fuster, which has a beautiful lobby. I know I've mentioned the facades of a lot of these buildings without showing the whole thing. That's because Barcelona has a lot of trees, which is quite nice. Trees and squares (Placas, which is the Catalan word for Plazas, which is the Spanish word for une place de la villa, which is French for ein Statplatz, which is the German word for a city square.) Let's face it, the Spanish win that word comparison. Simple, clear, and yet elegant. Square? Not so much -- it is harsh off the tongue.

(Editor: Okay, Mr. Language Person, you've kind of drifted off here. Blogger: Well, at least I'm not ranting about the idiotic spelling of "Woah" which every cultured person knows is actually spelled "Whoa." Editor: No one cares. Blogger: Well, they should! Editor: You've done it again -- gotten us into an argument instead of advancing the narrative!)