Park Guëll

Its hard to imagine any outdoor space remaining "organic" after an architect gets his hands on it. For sure, there are plenty of locations that are stunning, from the Taj Mahal up to Niemeyer's International Cultural Centre in Aviles, Spain. But Antoni Gaudi is not in that mould,

Dragon Steps

The Park Guëll - originally conceived as an estate for well-off families - is a fair step from Las Ramblas. Taking the metro is obviously the easiest way - with our free pass - but even then it was a robust 15 minute hill-walk through rather anonymous streets. Directions are well signposted and eventually we wandered into the backstreets where houses take on a more interesting appearance. This is or was a more affluent part of the city and classically inspired balustrades and facades are built into the hillside claiming every inch of expensive real-estate. A great improvement on modern angular concrete streets but even this cannot prepare you for what is to come.

The park is not easy to access so either buy a ticket before-hand or allow time for queuing, depending on season. And remember the park can close early especially in the off-season. I am not sure how we navigated there but it wasn't a traditional approach and we ended up at one of the side-entrances. This meant we had little clue of what we were about to see; which was probably a good thing.

Gaudi's Salamander

Instead we dandered along pathways threading their way through formal gardens with occasional slopes supported by the most extraordinary colonnades. Now and again we caught glimpses of mosaic tile work on park walls or verdigris roofs above the tree-line. All very pleasant especially in the warmth of the day. Not many people about either. Then we arrived at the main entrance and were flabbergasted.

On one side is the fabulous Dragon Stairway clothed in white mosaic tile and featuring what has become an iconic emblem for Barcelona, Gaudi's salamander though in my ignorance I still think of it as a gecko. At the foot of the stairs is a grotto supported by a singular inverted conical pillar but the steps lead up to a huge area of fluted columns supporting a moulded ceiling encrusted with mosaic. This seems just a bit of an extravagance till you realise this is the support for the huge open space plaza above.

Porter's Lodge

In the other direction, looking down the stairwell now towards the sea shimmering in the distant haze, is the most extraordinary confection; mere mortals could not conjure up such fabulous structures never mind the ornamentation and decoration. These are the pair of porter's lodges on either side of the main entrance to the park. Make sure you have plenty of space in your camera to take loads of pictures, every detail of these buildings is extraordinary, hardly a straight-line in sight from the scalloped gable, the tapering chimney, to the swollen or recessed windows, everything a sensual delight.

I've no idea what was inside the buildings, the queues were too long. Hopefully it was the toilets or the ticket office or something else equally banal because we never got in to see. Instead we wandered up a tree lined avenue to sit and recover from the sensory overload - and have a bite of lunch. Even something as ordinary as a baguette with cheese, tomato & ham acquired an exotic appeal in these surroundings. Admittedly this was a wonderfully soft, warm day in the middle of November surrounded, it seemed, by people from every nation of the world, fortunately not too many of them as it was autumn.

Gaudi's seat

Eventually we stepped out again, following the paths through the park to arrive at the Gaudi House Museum that was Gaudi's home for many years. As a museum now, it houses many examples of his furniture and other artefacts. The building itself is filled with wonderful art nouveau excesses, toned down perhaps without Gaudi's flourishes but this just helps to accentuate his imagination displayed in some of the display pieces:

• the unbelievable 5-seater armchair set appropriately enough on a pedestal
• the twisted and folded honeycomb-like gilded metal-work that would have been at home on a Geiger set
• the phenomenal bench seat from the crypt de la Colónia Guëll that seems to have been grown rather than constructed
• the amazing coloured-glass lantern hanging from the ceiling in one of the rooms
• the baby's cradle where you need to read the explanation to figure out what it is

And so it goes on - the decoration of the ceilings, the tactile banisters on the stairs and even the outside decoration around the windows. As the song goes, these are only a few of my favourite things to be found here - plenty more for you to discover.

And we are not done yet.

Wall of Grand Plaza

Wandering through the gardens again we discovered plenty of sculpture both small and large. and of course the structural viaducts, walkways, flights of steps all enhance the tall fir trees and shrubs. Eventually all paths lead you to the grand plaza. It extends out from the hillside supported by the columns below to create a huge flat space bounded by a single, meandering bench seat encrusted with colourful mosaics. You can sit here and stroke it, peer down at the entrance lodges and steps, gaze out to sea or simply people watch at the crowds of smiling faces. It must be impossible to visit here and not be enlivened by this place: smiling, glittering eyes and a contented sigh.

The only downside was at closing time when we had to leave the birds of paradise calling in the trees (parakeets actually).

Casa Batllo

Across the road and a bit further down from the Casa Mila is Casa Batllo; a single, multi-storey apartment designed entirely by Gaudi.

The facade, like Casa Mila has few if any straight-lines. Here though, the window frames are not rectangular but each window frame is uniquely built to fit its own space in the external wall. This principal extends throughout the house; doors and doorways are all unique. Every part of the stairs has been shaped to avoid any recto-linear form. Admittedly walls are indeed vertical, tiles are square and parquet flooring is rectangular but that is about it for straight-lines and even flat surfaces.

• none of the walls are flat, always bending
• transitions from ceiling to wall are curved
• ceilings are textured, one has a spiral

And colour is everywhere: the central light well is decorated in blue ceramic tiles; the colour of the tiles changing  with height so that it appears to have a consistent colour regardless of the quantity of light. On the roof, chimneys and their caps are decorated in colourful mosaic which extends to parts of the walls. At the top of the facade, fantastical minarets and other shapes finish off the structure. Even the facades front & rear are decorated with mosaic

In the attic, what would have been staff quarters, are incredible curved arches supporting the roof; here the walls are not even vertical

At the very top of the house, is a small balcony over-looking the main street; just about big enough for one person. Nowadays there is a digital camera erected facing inward and of course you can have your photograph taken standing in front of one of the most original pieces of architecture anywhere, anytime. Yep, I've got mine!

Casa Mila

Exterior of Casa Mila

Just above the Plaça de Catalunya, on a the corner of a crossroads on the Passeig de Gràcia is the Case Mila, one of Gaudi's treasures. This is a block of flats structured as a number of apartments. This isn't the full, over-the-top design creation that is Gaudi's Case Batllo - the apartment interiors are probably fairly typical of commercial properties at the time though with Gaudi's special magic sauce.

The external structure and especially the roof are something else entirely.

The facade is extraordinary. As usual, there are few straight-lines. Indeed the basic structures of horizontal floors and even rectangular windows are cunningly disguised by a very organic-rooted flowing design. Even the supporting pillars at ground level lean inward rather than offering a 90°-angle. The balconies an all the floors still retain their original metalwork. Very recognisably art nouveau in style but uniquely Gaudi in execution.

Main door to communal area

The entrance to the building is also in Gaudi's characteristic style. It leads into a very evocative communal space. Only one of the apartments is accessible inside the building - the rest clearly still in use. The interior of the apartment has some remarkable features such as the sliding door, when open, concealed inside the wall itself. Detailing is everywhere: scroll-work around doorways, custom design light-fittings, marble work surfaces in the kitchen, gentle curve transition from ceiling to wall; even down to small, claw-footed, brass door clasps. The ceilings in most rooms are amazing with plenty of plaster mouldings; one even has a ripple effect. Much of the interior furnishings such as wardrobe, beds and even curtains seems to have been Gaudi inspired.

Sagrada Familia from the Roof

The interior is rather subtle though compared to the exterior and the roof terrace. On the roof, the functionality of light wells lighting the interior of the apartments, stairwells to the terrace and even chimney exhausts illustrate the very unique style that was Gaudi's.

On the attic floor of the building we get to see some of the constructional elements which would be otherwise hidden. Even here we can see Gaudi's thoroughness; both in terms of building design and its implicit stylistic appearance. An exhibition of models and other items illustrates more of the building uniqueness.

Barcelona at Night

Being a tourist is hungry business. After however long we spent oogling at the Sagrada Familia, we eventually succumbed to hunger pangs. We had heard there was a decent local restaurant nearby which we set off to find down a couple of main streets. Indeed we were the only foreigners there and I at least enjoyed some traditional Spanish grub.

By the time we returned from the Sagrada Familia it was getting late though we didn't quite realise it.

We walked down to the shoreline and wandered

• around the commercial centre pausing for coffee and the odd temptation that was irresistible
• down by the marina where the breeze rattles cables against the masts, 
• by the buildings at the foot of La Rambla where a statue of Columbus points in the direction of somewhere - presumably the Americas.

At the harbour, we took a boat trip into the bay past strange subutteo-shaped buoys. It didn't take long for night to fall in earnest. As it did we caught the city lit by a wonderful flaming sky.

Back on shore street artists stood statuesque in the evening to amuse the few tourists while we drifted off round the streets in search of somewhere to eat finding an unexpected Belgian restaurant being the only place open. We had just time enough before checking out a local Jazz group performing in a nearby club.

Sagrada Familia

Tree of Life

Not sure what I expected before we set out for the Sagrada Familia. Construction of the church began in 1915 and Gaudi had dropped all other projects the year before to dedicate himself to this enormous project. He died in 1926 after a tragic accident leaving his project unfinished - though in part, this was his intention, wanting his project to always grow and evolve. The people of Barcelona have taken Gaudi and his project to their hearts and when the church's centenary approached in 2015, the project remained incomplete.


The church is deep in the new city and needs a metro ride to get there. Fortunately there are a couple of stops nearby taking you to within a few steps of the queues to get in. I imagine during tourist season the place is mobbed; as it was November was the perfect time to visit.

The scale of the church is very difficult to grasp. Although the streets about the square create a large space around it, the towers are so high its only possible to see individual parts of the building, unable to step far enough back to see it in its entirety. Still, I'm not sure that is what Gaudi wanted you to see anyway - you need to get up close and personal with this church and let the cumulative effect of its parts overwhelm you.

Entrance

Of course the church can be seen from almost everywhere in the city provided you can escape street-level to see the skyline. From a distance it looks like some strange encrusted Gothic edifice. but as you approach it, from below you begin to get a sense of the place and its scale. You can climb up through the fabric of the building to get a glimpse of city around, down to the shoreline and inland to the surrounding hills. But after climbing up through the towers to get closer to the roof you realise what an unbelievable structure this is. Colour on the outside of a church; pineapples, pine cones, bunches of grapes, sheaves of corn, whatever next.

Light through Stained Glass

But this is most definitely a church; one entrance is encrusted with almost baroque style mouldings and sculpture telling various stories from scripture. Another, an exceptional 20th century expression of Gaudi's own faith with angular sculpture hanging from tall organic buttresses . Yet another, still work in progress, proclaims the Lord's prayer in all the languages of the world amidst sheets of glass and concrete pillars reaching to the sky. It is this combination of excruciating detail and over-scale enormity that seems to be both inclusive and expansive simultaneously. Of course, unable to see everything at once, these disparate styles do not conflict with one another and yet, once you know they are there, perhaps they inform each other.

That barely prepares you for what is within.

The bright sunshine of Spain explodes within the church, filtered through glass and other devices to fill the space with light. The roof is already high above us but the stretching columns that look like ordinary sticks of celery, seem to push further into the sky. And again all around these huge components are the tiniest of details. A truly wonderful place; everyone looking up with their mouths hanging open in awe.

Light above altar

While we were there, the silence was quite surprising given the number of people milling about looking upwards - with or without a camera trying to take it all in. I imagine, in use this must be an extraordinary place to worship in. Definitely expressing a positive energy. This is not an oppressive, guilt-ridden, secretive building but an exuberant exclamation of faith that any & all can connect with.

Barcelona: La Rambla

Our first time in Barcelona.

This has been a long time coming, especially for me and my obsession with Gaudi; despite the number of books I have been given, I have never really seen any Gaudi except a wrought-iron altar piece in a monastery in Mallorca. This all stemmed from a course I did in Edinburgh on the History of Architecture based on the book by Nicholas Pevsner. It was the photos in the book and the intellectual idea that a building could be constructed without any straight-lines that conjoured up something magical. That all seems so weird when I write it down now but a fascination for Gaudi (and Pugin too) have persisted all these years. Anyway, Gaudi would have to wait...

Arrived in the middle of November from a dark and dismal Irish autumn to a warm and equable Spanish autumn; at first almost too warm. After a long trek getting lost a couple of times on Barcelona metro, we decamped at Placa de Catalunya. What an introduction to Barcelona. At our back the fountains in the park and around us a huge square heaving with people enjoying a mild Sunday afternoon. After figuring where we wanted to be, we foolishly set off walking up the hill, trailing our bags towards our pension. Foolishly because we could have jumped 2 metros stops to avoid the exhausting hill climb. Still, instead we got to ease ourselves into the Barcelona vibe so by the time we had settled in, unpacked and resurfaced again, we were already relaxed and home seemed a lifetime away.

La Rambla Market

We were perched above the old city in what turned out to be a very up-market part of the town though our pension was anything but well-to-do, it was barely cheap-n-cheerful. At an intersection of part of the grid patterned layout of the city, a broad boulevard led down the hill. Beside us was a decadent cafe that majored in glorious pastries, cakes, buns, bonbons - even the word patisserie barely does the place justice. And it spilled into the street with a cluster of tables and chairs in the centre of the boulevard (two lanes of traffic on either side of a wide pedestrian area, just like La Rambla below).

We wandered around for a bit finding the metro stops we should have come to and headed back to Placa de Catalunya at the head of La Rambla

Art Nouveau Shopfront

It was still warm in the late afternoon as we dandered down La Rambla almost with our chins bouncing off the floor. The crowd of promenaders was just perfect - not too many as I am sure it is during the summertime. We passed tapas bars displaying their wares on heaped plates for gorgeous looking foods. Well concealed ancient churches quietly doing their thing midst the bustle. There were glorious art nouveau facades galore and a few shops with spectacular windows.  We even found a flamenco establishment adorned with extravagant Moorish mosaic tiling. We discovered too the city food market - open 7 days a week - with extraordinary displays of fish, raw meats, vegetables, spices, cheeses, sausages and a smattering of fast-food outlets seemingly offering cooked versions of everything else that was on sale either as tapas or regular main dishes. The smells and colours and sounds were amazing.

Entrance to Flamenco Studio

Somehow we found ourselves off the main drag arriving in a square hosting the old city cathedral. Surprisingly we did not go in, just sitting in the open space below the church steps was enough, we were already overloaded with sensations. Watching street pedlars do their thing and statuesque mime artists teasing and posing with the tourists. And even just marvelling at the eclectic architectural periods and styles clambering over one another from the clerical to commercial to vernacular all humming with a rather laid-back and relaxed life. Goodness we had not expected this.

As an early dusk descended followed quickly by night, the square quietened though coloured lights and activity from pavement cafes and street bars suggested it might be time to eat. There were too many choices in this city, it would come down to where we happened to be standing when the hunger pangs spoke loudest. This evening it was Taverna del Bisbe. Goodness this was an experience in itself; the decor full-on art nouveau with bent-wood chairs by a window watching the world go by listening to German, French, Spanish, Catalan voices swirl around us. A selection of tapas arrived along with some wine and Tio Pepe. We really lucked out here, some spiced potatoes and a few other common dishes but the star attraction was a serving of hot mini-chorizo sausages with black-pudding; the pudding, in the  local style, had a hint of anise which lifted the whole dish into the stratosphere - well for us anyway. It was so good we went back a couple of nights later to confirm its goodness and research the ingredients to buy in the market before we left. We have not managed yet to recreate the anise kick that worked so well but we will keep trying.

Enniskillen

Iconic towers from the inside

Another weekend away this time experimenting with a Fermanagh Gites.

We were lodged in an apartment above a detached garage next to a recently built large villa out in the sticks somewhere between Enniskillen and Tempo - maybe, we never tried to find out. As a flat it wasn't too bad though more designed to accommodate a few fishermen exploring the local lakes and rivers. The odd thing was the heating.

Admittedly it was the middle of a cold February but it was a bit off trying to control the heating according to the owners expectations of what we would be doing. Periodically the electric heater would switch off when the circuit was tripped; when we would have to go next door and ask for it to be put on again. This got embarrassing for us and irritating for the owner who was trying to entertain some visitors. In the end, we gave up and bought our own heater - well we needed one for home anyway.

What with the erratic heating we did spend much of our time out exploring Enniskillen.

Central tower housing the museum

It had been a while since we visited the castle museum, probably when the kids had been wee. Not much has changed, museums are a bit like that. Wandering round the buildings inside the wall with a variety of cannon on display. Apart for the ancient towers, most of the structures were barracks for the troops rather than overtly military. Despite that and the frequency of cannons, the orderliness of everything did lend a military feel to the place. I suppose a few dioramas of events from the Inniskilling Fusiliers' history in the Crimera and the likes did encourage  the idea.

Inside the central building were the regimental museums of the Dragoons as well as the Fusiliers and local artefacts, especially on the Maguires, Fermanagh's pre-eminent family. Cabinets filled with colourful uniforms, flags and silver-ware from the officers mess probably dominate the displays but it is all presented very well. Definitely worth a visit, one of the best regimental museums I can remember visiting.

We also spent time sampling the wares of several local hostelries and wandering the centre of the town. It hasn't changed much since we used to live down this way. In fact, some careful observation at the fabric of the buildings will be rewarded as you realise how old the structures are despite the neon and bright lights of the shops and cafes. Timber frames, huge stone walls, boot scrapers and more are all tucked away in unexpected corners. In many ways the town remains as it was when the castle bristled with fusils with only a thin veneer of 21st century commercialism. In fact, parts like the Buttercrane Centre have been well restored; maybe not bustling as much as they were in their heyday and a good bit cleaner & tidier now than then.

Malin Head

Malin Head Derelicts

On Sunday we set out for Malin Head. The middle of January is not the best time to see the area I am sure; the land looks desolate and barren with a biting wind whipping in from the sea. Various clusters of buildings dot the landscape some bristling with antennae and radio masts behind enormous chain-link fences. When the wind quietens a hush descends with no noise, no movement, an absence of life. This seems a wild, lonely place. Hopefully this is only a winter perspective; sensible folks are wrapped up warm huddled around a crackling fire with homely smells and family chatter.

Looking South-East from Malin Head

All roads lead up to Malin Head itself; a derelict outpost with vacant concrete shrouded shells including what seems to be the remains of a Norman tower house. The monitoring station no doubt has been removed now to a more sheltered location below the head

This headland boasts it is the most northerly point on the Irish mainland and clearly an important strategic lookout post. As well as monitoring the sea route round the head, look-outs also have a commanding view back over the peninsula itself; perhaps it was always as treeless as it is now.

International Markers for Aircraft

On the most northern part, marked out in white stones is the word EIRE - and a few folk have spelled their own names too. I presume this was for the pilots during the war returning from patrolling the Atlantic; Ireland was neutral in the war and their airspace should not be entered by combatants. This was true for the flying-boat base as Castle Archdale on Lough Erne though there, a corridor over Ballyshannon was negotiated to give planes quick access to the Atlantic. I think there was another such base on Lough Foyle.

As we were heading back, we fancied a cup of tea. Not a cuppa could be found; everywhere was closed.

Inishowen

River Estuary

Saturday morning started late and slow with a terrific Irish breakfast. A bit of chilling with our Kindles, relaxing before the fire.

Eventually we persuaded ourselves to get up, get out and do something. We had heard there was nice wee bar on the other side of the peninsula at Culdaff that offered good lunches and might have a céilí this evening. Off we set.

Just round the corner, as it were, was the estuary of a small river. We were able to park and walk down to the shore.

The tide was out leaving huge sand flats on either side of the river that stretched for miles inland bordered by pretty high dunes. Clusters of houses and maybe even villages could be seen the distance. The scale was incredible! Above us the dark foreboding sky occasionally opened with stunning shafts of light reflecting of the wet sand and distant glass windows; the shafts of light picking out inconsequential locations. We shared the beach with quite a crowd of folk but they only appeared as specks: testing the water course of the river or fetching sticks for a dog or preparing for some local 10km marathon.

Big sea, west  towards Ballyliffin

In the distance the sea was crashing across the beach or flooming against rocky outcrops but it was so far away, the size of the waves seemed small and tame but the sound belied that, whirling towards us, carried on airborne surf tasting and smelling of the sea.

Later when we had explored enough at sea level, we drove up one of the headlands and were able to look down at the mouth of the estuary where the sea breakers could still be heard crashing on the shore or rocks. Even at this distance the violence of the waves could be heard with huge areas of the sea almost taking to the air in a fog of salt-water. The wind up here was even greater than at sea level where we had been sheltered by the dunes and the cliffs

Ballyliffin

The Tide is Out

We were looking for a weekend break as a getaway while we were covered at home so signed up to GroupOn and one of the offers that came up was a 2-night stay in Ballyliffin. For some reason - despite all our travels in the Kerryvan and even from when we lived near Omagh we had never been to Inishowen. Even worse was when our eldest was born, a work colleague took a photo of a memorial attached to an old school-house commemorating the legendary Niall of the Nine Hostages and I never visted the place to see it for real.

So off we headed from Donaghadee to Ballyliffin on a cold, blowy wintery January Friday.

The Strand Hotel was definitely warm and welcoming when we arrived and true to its name, it is situated more or less on the strand. For us a short walk down a lane though in the summer - when we suspected the place was at its best - there is maybe a short-cut through the hotel's rear garden.

Ballyliffin Beach

The strand is huge and quite typical for Donegal, wonderful clear water, huge beach backed by small dunes and the bay enclosed by a pair of promentories at either end. Not surprisingly, it was empty when we were there but its hard to imagine it ever getting unbearably busy given its size. Even on this cold, winter's day it was glorious to be there below the huge sky breathing in the ozone.

Back in the hotel and everyone was playing the "spot-the-groupon-guest" game; apart from those having a post-funeral sup. The village isn't much to talk about, 50-50 holiday homes and locals, one shop and petrol station, one pub and 5 hotels! Two of the hotels are huge so this must be a very popular resort come the summer-time. For us, the Guinness was good and the food not bad at all; this was shaping up to be a terrific weekend.