Barcelona day3-19 June 2008

I realised I have yet to finish blogging on my Europe trip. To be exact, I have long finished blogging it. I just didn't post it. Don't ask me why.? My friends from NOC Sweden are coming back soon. 6 months ago, I underwent the same emotions as them - reluctance and fear. Welcome back, my FRIENDS! :))

Finally into the 3rd day in Barcelona.
Time for SHOPPING!
I headed to the Caixa Forum in the day,
Not to forget, Placa d'Espanya.
It is more of the commercial buildings, art galleries etc
Still, the view was pretty.
As long as the views attract me, I will go.
Barcelona is probably one of the places where I met quite a few random people on the streets
And they would gladly invite me to join them to tour Barcelona together.
I met this Italian boy outside the National Gallery and he asked if I want to visit the NG tgt?
If I didn't have a flight to catch at 7 that evening, I'd gladly join him. :)
Too bad, too sad.

Amazed? Taken with my camera on top of a car parking by the roadside! wahahaha...

After the eye-pleasing views, I headed to town for SHOPPING once again!
Barcelona is a good place to shop after London Honestly.
There's lots of varieties like Paris yet not as highly-priced.
Also, the infamous ZARA comes from SPAIN!! hehe.
I prefer Mango to Zara though.
Perhaps it's the seasons.
In Singapore, it's always ZARA for me.
However, when I was in Portugal and Spain, MANGO proved to have better catologues.
I spend 2-3 hours shopping, HRC. Checking out the LV stuff for AG etc.
Last but not least, I spend about an hour in front of Placa de Catalunya, sketching.

Placa de Catalunya. One of the best places to be in Barcelona for shopping!!

Casa Batllo under maintenance.

I guess none of you would know this talent of mine.
Wahaha. My head is getting BIG.
Nah, actually I didn't realise I can sketch quite well too.
I discovered while I was dreaming my afternoon in Corfu and decide to sketch the surroundings.
It has always been a dream of mine to be able to do sketches or paintings, huge ones of each city I go to.
However, it was never in my blood to be able to draw.
I will take a series of pictures of those sketches and show it to you guys some day.
Or if you ever come to my place, you will see the sketch of Eiffel Tower by ME :)

While I was sketching, this middle-aged guy just came along and stared at me sketching.
He told me he's an art teacher and commented on my sketch.

Him:"Do you learn art?"
Me:"Sorry but I don't. I just sketch for fun."
Him:"I think you drew pretty well despite the fact that you didn't have any professional training."
Me:"Oh thank you."
Him:"I am from Paris and I am going to visit the Barcelona Cathedral now. Do you wanna come along?"
Me: (silence). Paused. Hm, I don't think so. I am leaving Barcelona in 3 hours and I have to finish my sketch before I leave.
Him:"I think you should stop sketching. You are not going to be able to sketch it well anyway under this weather."
Me:"Oh you should get going. I am staying. Nice to meet you! See ya around in Paris maybe."

He walked away.
He was so random.
What has sketching got to do with the weather?

I headed back to the hostel, took my bags and leave for the BUS Station.
This time round, I discovered another fav. hangout place.
Arc de Triomf.
The Bonaparte family love arches and pillars for sure.
After stealing Victoria from Brandenburg Gate
They build another arch in Barcelona.
I suppose it's the creation of Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon's Brother
He ruled Spain for a short stint when Napoleon triumph over Europe.



With me carrying my luggage by myself from city to city, I find it hard not for me to be toned up! :)
Paris Arc De Triomphe's replica, but not as lovely. :) That's why this area is also known as Arc de Triomphe on the Metro Map. :)

I love Barcelona!
I'd love to be back some day.
Paris, HERE I COME~~~

Barcelona day 2-18 June 2008

The second day I spend in a city always seem to be the most hectic one.. I woke up not too early but in time to catch my free breakfast and to explore Gaudi's creation! Honestly, he's a GENIUS!! hahaa... Why do I say that?

Catalunya street.

Plaza catalunya. Come to my place some day if you wanna see a sketch of that place.

3 of his most famous architectures are Casa Batllo.La Sagrada Familia.La Pedredo. It's expensive to visit every single one of them so I decided to pick one out of the 3. Both Monica and the Singaporean girl I met along the way told me La Sagrada Familia (the most famous one) wasn't good at all. There were construction ongoing so they said it wasn't worth visiting. Thus, I went for La Pedreda and honestly it was good. You get a good view of the city and you can see a collection and exhibition of all his creations. Honestly, he's a genius!!! Most of the buildings he designed had arches or pillars as support and it's amazing. Wait till I upload the photos and you will see how smart this guy is! It took me almost the whole day till 5 to finish seeing all his creations because I spend 2.5 hours at La Pedredo alone and did a super thorough tour...

Casa Batllo.

La Pedreda
Look at the curvature of the building. It's extremely unique.

The hollow roof-top.

La Pedreda's miniature.

How I managed to get my own reflection? Gaudi was a fan of arches and pillars. In the sense, he felt that buildings with pillars and arches could enhance the outlook of the building. But it was difficult to calculate the exact size and amount of pillars that he could add. So he often used metal chains to create the outline of his building and slowly he added in the arches and pillars. In order to know what the outcome would be like, he placed a mirror below his hanging model and that's how you catch hold of an upright model of the end product. Brilliant!

See -- pillars and arches once again.
He also made use of tooth picks, satay sticks, animal remains to create his model.
Scorpion skeletal.
The interior of La Pedreda. The rooms of the residents who used to live in the building preserved as it was.

The maid's room.
Look at the traditional costume of a maid.
The ironing room.
A kid's toy chest. This is so old school.
Roof-top of La Pedreda





Some views that I caught while making my way to La Sagrada Familia.

Finally there! Lots of scaffolding and maintenance works ongoing.

But look at the design and sculptures on the cathedral. Amazing isn't it?

My next destination definitely has to be BARCELONA CAMP NOU! haaha.. Honestly, I don't think the tour is worth 17 EUR?? haha.. The stadium is HUGE honestly but they did not assign a guide to bring you around and explain anything to you. Basically, they fenced off areas for the tour so you just have to follow the yellow barriers along the way. There wasn't any guide to explain to you so it's kind of boring. Frankly speaking, I still think the one I had in Manchester was the best. Humourous guide.Nice experience and it was only 7 pounds? haha.. Maybe the Spanish don't speak English that well so they can't have someone showing you around and explaining things to you? But I spent almost 2.5 hours there once again, exploring, seeing the stadium from different viewpoints. I can justify why Camp Nou is the 2nd largest football stadium in the world. It's even bigger than Old Trafford!!!

Approaching FC Barcelona.

Food vendors just outside the stadium.

The INFAMOUS CLUB LOGO!

Camp Nou's exterior.

They had this interactive movie on display. You have to use "special eyewear", those used for seeing luminous lights to be able to see this movie.
Guess who's this player? DECO!
Camp Nou's interior

The playing field. Even the grass is painted with the logo.
The stadium from the lowest level. The playing ground.



Where the coaches sit.

Do you want a photo taken with Lionel Messi? The other is Theiry Henry.

The playing field through a video.

The player's Dressing Room. So nicely maintained and lighted.

They have a small area for prayers too. I guess they are devoted Catholics. :)
The Press Conference Room!
The club at a higher level.

Where the reporters sit. They have tables installed with powerpoints so they could do their news reporting on the spot. How nice can that be!
The field from the highest level!

The Spanish are really passionate about football as I observed. Kids daunting football jerseys on the streets, street performers displaying their undiscovered football talent, pubs and bars showing football matches.. Football is in almost every aspect of their life. They are the Spaniards. :)

Now to the story behind Barcelona. Barcelona is more than a football club in Spain. It is an unspoken symbol of protest to the Spanish dictator government back to the days when the war just ended. The football club is founded by this Swiss guy, Joan Gamper, who was an educated, passionate sportsman in his younger days. Born with a silver spoon, he had the opportunity to learn sports and when he grew into adulthood, he decided to spread the knowledge of sports to Barcelona, a city he fell deep in love with. So he introduced football, basketball to fellow Catalonians living in Catalan (today's Barcelona), a city at the borders of Spain.
Museum with Ronaldhino in display.

And now comes the Joan Camper's museum.

The barcelona Crest!

I thought this was damn cool!

Arsenal and Manchester United merchandise for sale in Barcelona's megastore. What an irony! Who would buy those stuff??

The two world wars followed and Spain after landing into Francisco Franco's (Spain's dictator since 1936) hands, controlled Catalan. Catalanism was seen as an undisciplined culture and was banned throughout Barcelona. The Catalan name of the football club had to be changed to a Spanish one. Since street protests of any kind, demonstrations, masses or gatherings etc were forbidden in the city, the football stadium or other sports ground became one of the few legal places where Catalan could be spoken and it was an illegal gathering ground for the rebels. Being a Barca fan back then entails your disapproval of the government or a silent protest to the dictator government. Subsequently, Joan Gamper was suspected of treachery, of promoting Catalanism and was stripped off his post as the President and expelled from Spain (back to Switzerland). As a result, he sank into depression coupled with other personal and money problems. He eventually took his own life. :(

I like how they manipulate the crest.

How sad that is right? Barcelona was founded by him yet he didn't manage to spend his last days at the club he raised and fed. While I was there, they actually attributed a corner of the museum to the club's founder. It was interesting reading what happened in his life.

My personal thoughts: DO you want to TIP_TOE through life or Would you like to lead a life full of highs and lows like his?

After the tour, the sky was starting to get dark and I got a bit tired. I took a walk around the area, snacked a bit and took a walk at another commercial shopping area in Barcelona. However, that was not the end of my fun-filled day. My last stop was the Gaudi Park!

Apparently, it was designed by Gaudi that's why it is named after him. Haha. Apparently, he himself had this idea of building a public park where families and friends could gather, couples could date, the Spanish people could relax after a day's hardwork. He was authorised to build it anyway. The way to the Park is one of a hell one. You have to go up this slope which is extremely steep and climb a million flight of steps. Honestly, I'd like to ask Mr Gaudi why had he chosen such a location? With that kind of location, I doubt it'll be anywhere near popular regardless how well it was designed or how much facilities did they equip the park. Indeed, the whole park was a failure after its launch and it did not attract the Spanish people as much as it expected. What a shame! However, if not for the undeserted location, I'd think that place is one where I'd want to spend time at every weekend if I were a Spanish or happen to live in Spain.

The way up!

Mid-way through. Hanging in there!!

The view there was captivating. You could see Barcelona at your feet, with the La Sagrada Familia, La Pedreda, all of Gaudi's works right in front of you. You marvel at how beautiful this small city could be. I saw people strumming music in the park, kids running all around at the playground and of course couples dating and friends just sitting around and looking for comfort from each other. Nevertheless, I go for Retiro Park in Madrid and even Luxembourg Gardens in Paris. I think they are much more successful!

The picturesque scenery. The building at the far end resembles the the tower of london right? But it's Barcelona's unique tower. La Sagrada Familia in the left.

The sun is almost setting. Time check: 9:05 p.m!

The playground

The benches in the park

A church at the foot of the park.

Whenever you see arches in the design of the place, you will know it must have been HIS creation. I mean Gaudi. He loves to use such ideas.

The landmark of Gaudi Park-The reptile! :)

The exit of the Park

Las Ramblas at night!