Tourist Days
I will have lots to say about Gaudí during my stay here, but yesterday I went up to the Casa Milà, affectionately known as La Pedrera (the Stone Quarry), so I thought I’d share some initial thoughts.
The building is part corral reef, part medieval grotto, with its snaking hallways and arched brick attic. There isn’t a straight wall in the place -- legend has it that when asked by a resident where to put a grand piano, Gaudí responded simply, “Get a violin”.
The pièce de résistance is the rooftop terrace, with its undulating waves of stone and anthropomorphized chimneys (see photos above). Here, stone is made light by giving it human form and an abundance of personality. The forms are at once oppressive and amusing, and one has the strange impression of being among friends.
Of course, when the building was completed in 1912, the Milà family who had commissioned it was aghast, and denounced it as unlivable. But then, what could they have expected when they commissioned Gaudí??
Down the street from Casa Milà is the Casa Batllo, another Gaudí creation and decidedly my favourite building in Barcelona. When I was initially considering coming here, I found a picture of it online and put it on my desktop to serve as motivation. Yesterday, I took my own version of the very same picture (and in fact, it’s now on my desktop). The building is said to represent St. George slaying the dragon, but it has always seemed to me like an underwater seascape – I’ve always referred to it as “The Fish house”.
I stood in front of Casa Batllo for a good long while, resting against a tree that perfectly fit the curve of my back. I think when I have moments of feeling frustrated or lost (which I’m sure I will), this will be the spot that I come to for inspiration.
Today is a strange day – I’m feeling a bit lost. There’s a saying in German that the soul of the traveller arrives at a destination 10 days after the body… I think it’s starting to sink in that this isn’t just a vacation.
Monday, I hit the streets. I am armed with a list of 28 language schools, copied from the phone book, and I intend to hit them one by one, and see what happens.
Keep your fingers crossed for me.
posted by tsunamivalentine at 11:09 AM
3 Comments:
I love, love, love the "Fish house" and Casa Mila -- I never saw them when I was in Barcelona (being too young and clueless at the time to know what to look for) -- but your pictures wonderfully capture the weirdness and beauty of the architecture. I am sure that the "Fish house" will be an excellent touchstone in times of uncertainty.
Best of luck on Monday and may the language schools (or at least one of them) recognize your brilliance and hire you on the spot!
Keep the updates and photos coming. I miss you already but I am so excited for you and all the adventures you will have.
xoxo Lizifer
Hey! Great to see the photos and read your stories! I'm checking back regularly! I do vaguely remember seeing the "Fish House" when I was in Barcelona years ago but somehow completely missed out on Casa Mila. Well, it was a tour, after all. But your photos and decription make me want to go back! (And maybe you'll still be there when I do!)
Good luck in the job hunt! If those schools are worth anything, they'll see a good teacher as soon as you walk in the door!
take care
Chris
Hey there!
Fantastic photos and posts. So good to hear you arrived safely and are doing well. I set the fish house as our desktop at home ... just to be connected. Hope the job hunt goes well.
Btw - really and enjoying the CD collection. Cigarettes and chocolate milk ... fantastic ... and quite the Tom Waits collection. We got your mom's package. Shall we send it on?
Lastly, renos have started and you'll never guess what we found behind the ceiling in your room -- big old and hopefully abandonded wasps nests.
Hope to talk to you soon. We miss you.
lots of love
Mike and Antonia
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