Barcelona part 9 Eixample, Gaudi, Sant Pere

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• published: 22 Jul 2013
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http://tourvideos.com/ We continue with our detailed story about how to spend three days exploring Barcelona: There is much more to see in the downtown center -- visits which could have been made earlier if you don't have the added luxury of a third day. Spreading out the walks this way provides the pleasure of absorbing the sights at a relaxed pace while leaving time for unplanned detours. Start out once again at Plaça de Catalunya and walk north a few blocks along Passeig de Gracia to appreciate some of the great Modernista buildings along this major boulevard, including another masterpiece by Gaudi, Casa Batlló, with curvaceous lines that seem organic, growing like a plant out of the ground, or considered by some to look like bones. The architecture is also considered a metaphor that portrays the legend of St. George slaying the dragon, evidenced by the building's roof contoured like dragon's skin, and the interior stairway banister shaped like a dragon's spine. Two blocks further north you will find Gaudi's other famous apartment house, the Casa Mila, also called "La Pedrera," which means "stone quarry" because of the large amount of rock it took for construction. This is a former apartment house now owned by a bank and open to the public as a museum, and is still partly occupied as a private residence. You are in a modern section of town called Eixample, a 19th century enlargement of Barcelona with many trendy boutiques, sidewalk cares, art galleries and wonderful architecture -- so if this is your style, wander and browse for a while. Lovers of modern art would enjoy a visit to the MACBA Museum of Contemporary Art, housed in a dramatic, all-white 1995 building designed by Richard Meier, located in the Raval district on the west side of the Rambla, a pleasant five-minute walk from Plaça de Catalunya along the pedestrian Carrer d'Elizabets. When satisfied, plunge again into the Gothic Quarter. If you would care to veer away from the tourist path for a taste of an ordinary working-class neighborhood with a medieval atmosphere, continue east a few blocks through the district of Sant Pere, traversed by three parallel streets, all named St Pere but ending with different suffixes: mes Alt, Mitja and mes Baix. Narrow, pedestrian alleys interconnect them creating a delightful maze of ancient lanes in which to wander. The neighborhood is named for the former convent monastery of St Pere, an ancient church on the small plaza of St. Pere. The church's dark interior features 10th century Corinthian columns, a 12th century dome and Byzantine barrel vaulting. As you walk along you will see the locals going about their business, shopping, talking, hanging out and skating by. Small grocery shops spill out onto the sidewalk with stands for fresh produce, next to alluring bakeries that will tempt you with their sweet delights. This is a quiet part of town that enjoys a slow pace of life in a world of its own. Exit this district along Basses de St. Pere, which leads to Carrer dels Corders, one of the main thoroughfares through the area.