10/9/2015: Gaudi part 2

Went to the Mercado Bocaria this morning. It is an easy walk from here. It is the biggest food market in Spain. It is a beautiful display of fruits, vegetables, meats, oils, sweets, and everything you can think of. To enjoy it (for us) you need to get there early before the hordes descend. I took photos and we had breakfast at a countertop restaurant/meat market. Before us, under glass were some kind of sea creatures, still alive.  We had a rather standard meal. Eight Koreans sat down next to us. They ordered a plate of raw muscles, clams, lobster, shrimp, vegetables and God knows what. They were very happy. We walked the stalls until it started getting crowded.

In the afternoon, we had a long walk to the meeting point for the Segrada Familia tour. It gave us a chance to see other parts of the town. We found a panadaria close to where we were meeting. I had a huge churro filled with caramel. Becky will vouch it was good beyond description. A reserved tour is the only way to get in without spending a whole day getting tickets and waiting to gain entrance. This is Gaudi's ongoing opus. It was started in the late 1800s. Very little was actually finished before he died. Over the years many of his models and plans were destroyed or lost. It has been built on meager reserves of his master plan. Now, it is largely being financed by tourist dollars. The outside is impressive. The plan was for 8 towers, 12 for the apostles, 4 for the  evangelists, one for Mary and one for Jesus. About 6 have been completed. They say it will be done by 2026. I think that is optomistic.  The outside is impressive, also, for all of the sophisticated construction equipment in place to work on it.

Inside, the effect of the stained glass is remarkable. The inside is one gigantic room. Towers rise to various points in the ceiling. Different techniques were used to support the upper structures, including dolphin like supports.  The effect of various lights and colored lights throughout the interior were pastel like. There are incredible stairways leading up the towers and stunning sculptures.

For me, if this had been done during Guadi's life time, it would have been an amazing achievement for his faith and devotion to Christianity.  However, the majority of the construction has been done with tourist dollars using modern construction techniques.  It should,  in some way, be more directed to the public domain. However, it will always remain purely dedicated to his Christian/Catholic vision and purpose. One commentator has called it a Christian Disneyland. I hope, some how, it can transcend that. But when you are elbow to elbow with people inside and out, you wonder what it really is.

Two free days coming up.  Not sure what to expect. Sunday's are always interesting. Monday is a national holiday.  Columbus Day.  Go figure. Should be fun.