On our last day in Barcelona a friend was kind enough to pick us up and take us to see the Tibidabo (a hill overlooking the city) and the Temple Expiatori del Sagrat Cor (the Temple of the Sacred Heart of Jesus). After that we had lunch at the “7 Portes” restaurant (where Picasso used to eat…I sat briefly in his spot) and then went to the airport where I sketched this.
Tue-20-Aug-2024
The highlight of our last full day in Barcelona (and maybe the highlight of our whole holiday in Spain) was a visit to the Sagrada Família – another Gaudi masterpiece. The church has been under construction since 1882 – he only saw one facade and a quarter of the building completed when he died in 1926, when he was hit by a tram when walking home. We went up one of the towers but the best part was the nave where the columns are built like trees which branch upwards and form a canopy-like structure. It was difficult to sketch as the structure is very complex – but imagine how hard it must have been to design and build!
Mon-19-Aug-2024
After visiting the Palau de la Música Catalana, we went to the MNAC (Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya) This was sketched when we collapsed into a comfortable couch after a long walk through the exhibits.
Sat-17-Aug-2024
After visiting Barcelona Cathedral, and based on the suggestion of our friend, we visited the Palau de la Música Catalana. This amazingly ornate building, designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner, was built between 1905 and 1908, and is listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The concert auditorium is decorated with a myriad of sculptures of muses, singers and composers. We sat for a while on the upper balcony where the arch is supported by winged horses in honour of Pegasus, the Greek symbol for creative imagination.
Sat-17-Aug-2024
On the day after we visited Girona (Friday 16th) we went to the Picasso Museum (one of the highlights of our holiday for me) and met with with an old friend. I didn’t sketch that day. The following day we started with a tour of Casa Batlló – another one of Gaudi’s masterpieces. After this we went for a long walk around the area of the Barcelona Cathedral where I sketched this – the cathedral (technically called the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Saint Eulalia was built in the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries. I had planned to do more to this sketch…but I dislike sketching from photos and decided to keep it as a simple on the spot sketch that still reminds me of our time there.
Sat-17-Aug-2024
I am jumping ahead with this post, as I have a number of unfinished sketches before this one. After a couple of days in Barcelona we took a second trip out of the city to Montserrat by train. Apart from seeing the Basilica and the Black Madonna, we also took the funicular rail up the mountain and went on a 7km hike, where I did this quick sketch near the peak, where we had our lunch.
Sun-18-Aug-2024
Back to Spain with this post – on our second day we went to Girona (a medieval city founded by the Romans over 2,000 years ago and a fantastic place to visit). My first sketch was done on the train – but it didn’t turn out too well! When we arrived, we sat in Independence Square for coffee. I couldn’t find out anything about the fountain (with a boy sitting on a turtle) that I sketched – it’s called “The Turtle Boy” (“El Nen de la Tortuga”) – but the statue in the middle of the square is by Antoni Parera. The second sketch was done in front of Basilica de Sant Feliu (church of St. Felix) where we sat to eat our lunch. The baroque façade was built in the 13th-18th centuries.
Thu-15-Aug-2024
On our first day in Barcelona we visited Park Güell. This was sketched after our walk through the park. At the main entrance there are two buildings that form the porter’s lodge – the one I sketched (to the right as you face the entrance from outside the park) was used as the porter’s residence. The roof was built with traditional Catalan clay tiles covered with “trencadís”, a mosaic made of tile shards. To me it looks like a giant iced cake!
Wed-14-Aug-2024