Saturday, May 20, 2006
Barcelona, catchup edition (part one)
So I started this post a week ago, but then Dima managed to shut my browser with the post half-written and I haven't been able to recover from the associated depression and post again until now. I've been doing a pretty woeful job of keeping up, hence catch-up.
Touristy destinations visited in Barcelona so far:
- Park Guell, which was all sorts of awesome. I spent close to half a day there and could easily have spent more. Aside from the neat architecture throughout (and it's a rather large park), there are numerous trails to explore, and one can get really neat views of Barcelona from a number of places at the park. Of what I've seen so far, this was my favorite place. Oh, and it doesn't cost anything to get in, either.
- Casa Milà (La Pedrera), which, while also quite interesting, did not really blow me away. The building has been converted into a museum, with the attic focused on Gaudi and a (rather plain) hall on the bottom levels used for traveling expositions. The particular exposition we attended happened to be of works by Ukranian painter Kasimir Malevich, whose work I must admit to not understanding an iota. His most famous painting (lauded by art critics: "after 1910, he proceeded by means of successive illuminations...to the supreme enlightenment of the black square surrounded by white") is pretty pointless as far as I can tell. But hell, that's why I'm not an art critic.
- Speaking of art, though, I also went to the MNAC, the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya. Not all of the art was particularly amazing as far as I could tell, but I was highly impressed by several of the pieces (enough to have jotted down some of their names and artists -- Vase with Flowers by Francesc Lacoma i Fontanet and some ridiculously awesome sculptures by Pau Gargallo, for instance. Well worth the (discounted to 4 euros) cost of admission.
The plan for today is to hit up the Museu d'Història de Catalunya and work through a few more of the museums over the course of the next week. Should be quite fun. ¶ 05:50
Touristy destinations visited in Barcelona so far:
- Park Guell, which was all sorts of awesome. I spent close to half a day there and could easily have spent more. Aside from the neat architecture throughout (and it's a rather large park), there are numerous trails to explore, and one can get really neat views of Barcelona from a number of places at the park. Of what I've seen so far, this was my favorite place. Oh, and it doesn't cost anything to get in, either.
- Casa Milà (La Pedrera), which, while also quite interesting, did not really blow me away. The building has been converted into a museum, with the attic focused on Gaudi and a (rather plain) hall on the bottom levels used for traveling expositions. The particular exposition we attended happened to be of works by Ukranian painter Kasimir Malevich, whose work I must admit to not understanding an iota. His most famous painting (lauded by art critics: "after 1910, he proceeded by means of successive illuminations...to the supreme enlightenment of the black square surrounded by white") is pretty pointless as far as I can tell. But hell, that's why I'm not an art critic.
- Speaking of art, though, I also went to the MNAC, the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya. Not all of the art was particularly amazing as far as I could tell, but I was highly impressed by several of the pieces (enough to have jotted down some of their names and artists -- Vase with Flowers by Francesc Lacoma i Fontanet and some ridiculously awesome sculptures by Pau Gargallo, for instance. Well worth the (discounted to 4 euros) cost of admission.
The plan for today is to hit up the Museu d'Història de Catalunya and work through a few more of the museums over the course of the next week. Should be quite fun. ¶ 05:50
