Thursday, August 18, 2005

You can’t go to Barcelona without seeing something Gaudi-related. It would be like going to London and not seeing Tower Bridge, or going to Los Angeles and not seeing the Hollywood sign. So on our last day in Spain, James and I went to see Gaudi’s unfinished cathedral, La Sagrada Familia, which promised to be a “once-before-you-die” experience. I had spent the past four years taking any opportunity I could to see the interiors of cathedrals, so how could I resist the chance to see one that’s been under construction for over 100 years?


Apparently James and I weren’t the only ones who wanted this “once-before-you-die” experience. Hordes of people and tour buses galore lined the streets leading to the church. We heard every language imaginable as we traipsed past vendors selling disposable cameras and holographic postcards of the pope and the Virgin Mary. And there, rising out of the crowds, were the towers of the Apostles and construction cranes overhead.

La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona

We waited in a long line to enter through the large glass doors under a modern stone scene of the crucifixion. The façade looked nothing like I’d imagined. From pictures I’d always seen a building that looked as if wet sand had been dripped all over it, like the witches castles you can make on the beach. But this building was smooth, with pale, carved stones and mosaic tiles.

The Crucifixion

Inside, we visitors were roped into the perimeter of the building. The center was very much a construction site, with equipment, machinery and piles of mosaic plaques open to the elements. But oh, the rest of the cathedral. Pillars carved like tree trunks supported an arched ceiling carved with stars and leaves. Stained glass windows threw bright rainbows of light over everything. You can only imagine how magnificent it’s going to be once completed, with nature and religion all mixed up inside. Because the cathedral’s financing has always been directly from donations, construction is slow, and I doubt very much I’ll ever see the completed structure.

We exited the building through heavily carved doors opposite from where we had entered. This was obviously the older side of the building, begun first in 1882. Hard to believe that Gaudi wasn’t at the forefront of this cathedral from the beginning. He was only appointed to the position of Project Director after its previous director resigned in 1883. Gaudi redesigned the cathedral to what we see today. This older façade showed scenes of the nativity among aged, heavily textured stonework. One of the most wonderful things I noticed were statues of turtles forming the bases of the columns. This architecture literally drips with imagery, making it absolutely stunning to take in.

Doorway

The Nativity

After so much visual stimulation, James and I took it easy the rest of the day. We stopped for tapas and ate outdoors in the sunlight. Mussels in sauce for James, skewered spiced meat and potatoes in hot sauce for me. We make one last venture to the Mercat de la Boqueria for chili peppers for that night’s pasta sauce before jumping back on the bus to take us to the Tres Estrellas one last time.


Whatever inner peace I may have soaked up at the cathedral that day was shattered during my evening shower at the campsite. While in my cubical enjoying the hot water, I noticed a movement at the top of the cubical wall. As I watched, a male’s dorky haircut, acne-spattered forehead and eyes that were trained upon me slowly emerged over the wall. I cupped scalding hot water in my hands and flung it at his face as hard as I could, screaming a few choice swear words at the top of my lungs. He vanished, and I toweled off in a hurry to find James. We searched out a security guard and tired explaining what had happened, but unfortunately, we were in the middle of Spain, unable to communicate in French to the guard, who couldn’t understand Spanish or English.