Montjuic

Montjuic is a broad, shallow hill on the edge of  Barcelona. It has been the site of various fortifications, including the Castle of Montjuic which dates back to the 17th century. The area was also associated with political imprisonments and executions and was significant during the Spanish Civil War.  The hill was also chosen as the site for the 1929 International Exposition which led to the construction of several buildings, including the Palau Nacional and the Estadi Olimpic. The Estadi Olimpic was intended to host an anti-fascist alternative Olympics in 1936, in opposition to the 1926 Olympics. These plans were cancelled due to the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War. The hill is now home to the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, the Fondacion Miro and various parks and gardens. 

The top of the hill can be reached using the Funicular de Montjuic, a funicular railway that operates as part of the Barcelona Metro and then the Montjuic Cable car, a gondola lift.

We decided to take the metro to Plaza del Espagna, one of Barcelona's biggest squares and the junction of several major thoroughfares. There was building work going on around the fountain that dominates the square.

The square is surrounded by majestic buildings

and two tall towers flank the road that leads to the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya.

From here we decided to take the bus to the top of the hill and then to walk back down. 

Unfortunately we missed the stop at the top of the hill where the castle is situated but got off the bus here, by this statue.

We started exploring one of the many parks on the hill

which is gorgeous

very good views from here

including of the Sagrada Familia.

Our destination was the Fondacion Miro

which is situated on this wide avenue, half way down the hill

We spent a very pleasant three hours here

 

and then moved on

We really wanted to explore some of the parks on the way but kept going as our next destination was the Mies Van der Rohe pavillion, something I had been looking forward to all week - I was desperate to see it again as it is one of my favourite buildings in the whole world.

So we just peered through the various gates and moved on

the Ethnological Museum

one of the gardens of the area

We got to a plateau

that afforded excellent views of the city

The ornate Palau Nacional which houses the Museum Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, an excellent museum but unfortunately, we did not have time to visit 

and now we would start our descent to Placa d'Espagna - for the purposes of this post it would have been much better if we had done this the other way around, as the magnificence of the Palau and the fountains leading up to it would have been spectacular, but there you go...

leading up from the Plaza del Espagna to the Palau Nacional is a series of fountains - when we arrived, they were all on, water cascading in various directions. On our return, they were all off - so frustrating. Here, for instance, water would have been exploding all the way up the wall

An  escalator like the ones we saw in Garcia, there to help people get to the top

looking back to the Palau - the fountains still turned off

The four columns there to remind people of the dictatorship of 1928

further down, another fountain that looked magnificent when the water was turned on

looking back at the four columns and the three fountains at their feet

we had reached the park at the bottom of the hill, and in the distance we could see the pavillion designed by Mies van der Rohe

It was such a pleasure seeing this iconic building again and we spent a considerable amount of time here. (Post will follow)

We then walked around the park

and by then the fountains were back on

The fountain at the centre of the square which was designed by Josep Maria Jujol, a collaborator of Antoni Gaudi looked spectacular

the four columns

water cascading from everywhere

heading towards Placa del Espagna

looking back at the Palau and more cascading water

more water as we neared the Placa

we had reached the magnificent buildings that surround the square, and we took the metro back to Las Ramblas.

Casa Vincens

Casa Vincens, a modernist building, situated in the Gracia neighbourhood, was Gaudi's first major project. It was built between 1883 and 1885. The work belongs to the orientalist style but it has the uniqueness that only he knew how to add to his projects. He used an abundance of ceramic tiling to decorate, as well as Moorish arches, columns of exposed brick and temple-shaped and dome-shaped finishes.

The work was widely discussed when it was built and caused a great sensation among the general public.

In 1925 an extension of the house was planned, a commission that was offered to Gaudi, which he declined. Instead he passed it to one of his proteges, Joan Baptista Serra, who built an extension following Gaudi's original style.

Walls stand out for their prominent sections, which is a feature of Islamic architecture. Masonry ashlars alternate with the tiles, some with plant motifs and others in a green and white check design. The different surfaces and geometric effects create chiaroscuros, which accentuate the chromatic diversity of the exterior.

On the second fllor of both the street facade and the garden there is a continuous gallery of mitred arches that surrounds the upper part, closed off with oriental-style wooden latticework.

The corners feature galleries at 45 degrees, with balconies supported by brick brackets in successive overhangs. 

We entered the grounds and walked around the house to get to the main entrance.

 On the walls Gaudi combined faceted masonry, exposed brick and ceramic tiling.

We got to the back which was originally the entrance to the house. People and carriages entered through the palm heart gate.

From here, we could see the covered porch and the latticework that surrounds it, which is made of wood and is inspired by the orient and reminiscent of a tyle of Japanese shutters called shitomi

the porch has a fountain in the middle.

We took the stairs to enter the house.

We entered the lobby and the window with its ironwork  gave us a view of the street

The dining room

Through the door we could see the stairs going up and what a contrast!

The ceiling of the dining room

The paintings are by Fransesc Torrescassana i Sallares (1845-1918)

The fireplace has doors on either side

that lead

to the covered porch which is open to the outside thanks to the oriental-inspired latticework. There are wooden benches and it's a very calm, serene place to sit in. I did so for a bit.

The fountain looks like a font.

We moved on 

to the smoking room which has a partitioned vault covered with a ceiling of Islamic style muqarnas in the shape of stalactites made of polychrome plaster that show palm trees and clusters of dates. 

The walls are lined with papier mache tiles in shades of gold, blue and green.

We took the stairs on to the next level

had a look at one of the two balconies on the side of the house

it's the detail...

looked up at the ceiling

another balcony

a detailed look at part of the outside

we moved on to the bathroom

look at that ceiling

then the w.c.

Then up the stairs that lead to the roof. Note the window.

We arrived at the terrace

Same as all the other roofs of Gaudi I have seen, the chimneys, the tiles, just wonderful.