Art and Architecture: Day 13, Barcelona
I slept in again today, but bought tickets for the Catalunya Museum at noon (free on the first Sunday of the month), so there wasn’t much time to dilly-dally. I also needed to drop off my laundry at the front desk. Although the rainy forecast didn’t quite go along with my outfit, it certainly matched the vibe of an afternoon wandering the galleries of an art museum. My white and green sneakers kicked up water from the puddles on the concrete sidewalks, splashing my bare ankles under my skirt, and the cool wind cut through my black cardigan, not quite warm enough for the cool breeze. But despite the chill and wrestling with the wind, I felt very romantic skipping the streets of Barcelona, splashing in the rain under my bright pink umbrella.
When I reached the steps to the museum, realizing they were the same ones surrounding the magic fountain last night, I found a couple of guys shooting photos of each other and knew this was my opportunity to ask for a few myself. After reviewing the shots, I knew I had confided in the right photographers.
It was a long hike up the staircases to the museum on top of the hill, but I was grateful for the reprieve of some escalators. I knew free-ticket Sunday would guarantee a crowd, and I was right. Already, I was being surrounded by more people than I cared for. Having skipped breakfast in good faith that there would be somewhere along the way to grab a pastry, I hastily ordered a coffee and a chocolate croissant at the cafe just outside the museum on top of the stairs (I wanted to beat the crowd as best I could and make sure I was on time for my 12 pm entry). The line to enter thankfully moved quickly, considering how many people there were, but almost too quickly, as I very un-European-like scarfed down my croissant while waiting in line.
There were certainly a lot of people, and it felt congested at first, but it started to thin out as I moved through the halls and different galleries. I studied countless Medieval and Renaissance pieces of historical Spanish scenes, Saints and Apostles, flowers, and my favorite — a female archer with ribbons in her hair. Surprisingly (or maybe not so surprisingly), it wasn’t the people who pushed me out but my empty stomach and aching back. To much of my great relief, I found a couch to rest on. Little did I know it would be my final resting place before heading out instead of a brief reprieve before exploring the rest of the museum. I was Googling restaurants when a friendly and chatty young man joined me on the couch. He was really quite nice, and I wished I wasn’t running on fumes as he asked questions and showed friendly interest. Eventually, once I had my new heading, I had to pardon myself. I wished him a good day and thanked him for his company before I made my way out of the museum into the now sunny outdoors.
I don’t know why, but the cafe I settled on was considerably far, considering I was about to keel over and die any minute now. Fortunately, that was my motivation as I walked quiet streets and sketchy highway side roads full of trash. After what was probably a good hour of walking, I was nearing the cafe, and I saw several police vehicles and an ambulance ahead. I realized there must’ve been a serious motorcycle accident. Everyone in the cafe had their eyes peering at the scene, and mumbles of concern filled the air. I joined in everyone’s quiet prayers.
The cafe was otherwise rather quiet and spacious. I ordered (in full Spanish) a ham and cheese croissant and iced coffee, and found a small table next to the window. I spent a good hour people watching and reading my book while sipping on my drink and nibbling on my croissant. The employees were very friendly, and I found the establishment quite relaxing. If it were just a little bit closer to my hostel, I would have come back with my computer to blog.
I wanted to get back to my hostel before dark, as well as check on my laundry, before my date at Casa Batlló, so I ordered a “limon y vanilla pan para llevar” (lemon and vanilla bread to go) for snack/dinner later and went on my way.
Before heading to the hostel, I ducked inside a market nearby in low hopes of finding some dry shampoo, so I didn’t have to rely on showers every day, and was ecstatic to find that Europeans also rely on powder shampoo. Back at the hostel, my laundry still wasn’t ready, so I grabbed my computer and headed to the roof to work on my blog site for a while before I had to head out again. It wasn’t long, however, before WordPress started stressing me out (if you know you know). When I couldn’t take it anymore, I stopped to get ready for my reservation to tour Casa Batlló, a residential home and now UNESCO World Heritage site designed by Antoni Gaudí for wealthy textile industrialist Josep Batlló.
Fun fact: the staff at Casa Batlló is made up of neurodivergent people, and each ticket contributes to the employment of people with autism.
It was quite late and encroaching on my bedtime, but 9 pm was the only available slot for a tour. After checking on my laundry once more, I hopped on the metro and arrived at the blue-lit, out-of-this-world Casa Batlló nestled in between two ordinary buildings. The house was wavy like the ocean, including the columns of arched balconies, and featured textured walls that reminded me of sea barnacles. Each room took you somewhere new, but the ocean-inspired design carried itself throughout the home. The lightwell in the center of the residence, which allows natural light into all areas of the home, is covered in shades of blue tile arranged from light to dark, creating the illusion of looking up toward the water’s surface. The grand staircase railing mimicked a large animal’s spine, and the cathedral-stained glass distorted the light to mimic the movement of crystal-clear water. There was plenty of architecture to appreciate as we were herded up and down the halls and through the rooms, including the mushroom-shaped fireplace and ceramic mosaic walls, and the colored lights projected around the house added a mesmerizing touch (the glass of champagne was also a bonus). However, if I had to do it again, I think I would’ve preferred a daytime tour to capture more of the details that were hidden in the night’s shadows. It was also very crowded, accompanied by a feeling of being rushed and herded. The obnoxious boy who trailed me and insisted on dragging his hand through ALL of the metal chains (see picture above) as I tried my best to anchor myself in a happy place was certainly testing my limits as the clock ticked more and more past my bedtime.
I was rather relieved when I reached the exit and could exist in my own bubble and breathe my own air again. I had one more mission before heading back to my curtain-drawn bed — scout out a soul to take my picture in front of the pretty blue building, as dark as it was. It took longer than anticipated, but eventually I found myself back on the metro to my temporary home.
To my disappointment, mostly because I needed to shower, my laundry (along with my towel) was still working hard to dry in a dryer that was clearly on its last leg. As tired as I was, I forced myself to stay up and wait. It was back to the blog and leftover brownie bread until, at last, my laundry was dry enough, and I lingered in the hot shower with my damp towel before crawling into bed. I would have a big day tomorrow.
Travel tips:
Free museum days — look out for free entry to museums on certain days. Most will have them, but you will probably still have to purchase a ticket to avoid longer lines. It will usually be busier, but if you don’t mind some crowds, it’s a great way to cut costs!
Casa Batlló — I definitely recommend touring during the day versus at night if you can. The details and lighting will offer a much better and more worthy experience.
Laundry at hostels — I recommend not waiting until the last day to do laundry, or at least making sure you have adequate time. I have come across many dryers that don’t work that well (these are hard to come by in general!). So, make sure you leave adequate time for your clothes to go through at least a couple of cycles or to air dry.
