España (2015) – Day 11, Barcelona

It was our last day in Spain. Our flight was at 1pm, so we paid our visit to Casa Mila in the morning. Casa Mila is also called La Pedrera, or the Stone Quarry, because of its exterior appearance that looks like a curtain of stone.

Casa Mila

The tour started from the rooftop, operating in a descending direction. The chimneys featured curvy and spiral shapes.

Rooftop

Stone chimneys

Looks like a stone quarry

The floor below was the attic, which used catenary arches extensively.

Catenary arches in the attic

Arches stemming from a root

A model of La Pedrera

Next, we went to one of the apartments on display. While the remainder of the building was still in use by the actual residents, one apartment was stylized in a fashion Gaudi had envisioned. The floor was covered with tiles featuring shells and octopus. The open floor plan allowed light to come in through the windows and work its way in to the innermost rooms.

Marine-themed floor tiles

Apartment

On our final way down, the staircase was decorated with wall paintings that turned otherwise dull stone walls into artworks.

Painted staircase

Finally, this giant iron front gate is also a work of Gaudi. He wouldn’t make even a gate so simple.

Gate

 

And this was the end of our 11 day trip to Spain. We came back to hotel to pick up our luggages and went to the airport to board the flight back to New York.

España (2015) – Day 10, Barcelona

Finally came the day when we explored the most notable buildings designed by Antoni Gaudi. Featuring Modernisme architectural style and ingenuity of Gaudi, all the buildings were magnificent and unique.

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We first went to Sagrada Familia. The cathedral was still under construction, but nonetheless outstanding in style that could not be found in any other cathedral, which would often be built in Gothic or Renaissance style. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get our tickets, so we explored only the facades. Perhaps we will visit again when the construction is completed.

Passion Facade

Nativity Facade

Until later…

 

Instead, we went to Casa Batllo, a house that was renovated by Gaudi.

Casa Batllo

Comparing that with an adjacent Modernisme building, we realized how unique, beautiful, yet difficult to conceive such a style as Gaudi’s.

Casa Amatller, next doors to Casa Batllo

In order to deeply understand Gaudi’s principles, we purchased an audio guide option, which turned out to be an augmented reality guide with 3D animations that would boost our experience.

Everything is round

A theory on the skeletal elements in the house says that the house symbolizes a dragon. The handrails on the facade look like skulls. As we will see later, the roof looks like a dragon’s back. The turret and the cross represent the lance of St. Georce, the patron saint of Catalonia. Other than the skeletal elements, the remainder of the house is almost always round-shaped.

Dragon’s spine

Walls and ceiling look like dragon skin

Mushroom fireplace

Living room

Also present is the theme of water. We could see wavy or spiral patterns mimicking a smooth movement of water. The shaft in the middle of the house recalls a fish tank. The AR guide then promptly showed us fishes floating around.

Wavy

Spiral

Water droplets

Fish tank, or a shaft

Elevator

Darker blue near the top

We’re inside a water tank

The loft features simple arches, representing a ribcage.

Ribcage of a dragon

Finally, we went up to the roof. The pointy and scale-like decorations of the roof and the chimneys gave us a final word that this is indeed a house of dragon.

Rooftop

Chimneys

Dragon’s back and the lance

Near the exit were displayed chairs and other furnitures also designed by Gaudi. Those smooth curvy designs would match very well with the house.

Gaudi’s chairs

 

After a long tour of Gaudi’s masterpiece, we had seafood paella for lunch. It was rich in seafood taste compared to the ones in Sevilla.

Sagarra restaurant

 

Next, in the late afternoon, we went to Parc Guell, a public park built by Gaudi. We entered above from the terrace wall. The slanted columns would mimic the shape of trees, therefore minimizing artificiality and emphasizing naturality.

Columns in the shape of trees

Spirals were used extensively along the viaduct, creating a dreamlike environment.

No straight lines, but only spirals

Perfect for pigeons nesting

At the center of the park is a mosaic salamander. There are also numerous tiled mosaics throughout the park. The houses at the front gate are unique in their fairytale style.

Mosaic salamander

We then went up to the plaza to view the sunset over the Mediterranean. We could also see Sagrada Familia from a distance.

Sunset in Parque Guell

 

At night, we went to Camp Nou to watch a football game. Watching a match in a 90,000-seater stadium was a thrilling experience. The match itself was one-sided: Barcelona won 4-0 against Real Betis. But watching the Catalonians cheering for their own football club was quite an experience.

FC Barcelona vs. Real Betis

Camp Nou

 

España (2015) – Day 9, Figueres

The next day, we had breakfast and went to Barcelona Sants station. We took a high-speed AVE train to Figueres. It was an hour ride of train. Since Figueres-Vilafant train station is some distance away from the town, we took a local bus.

The only reason we visited this small town is for Salvador Dali. He was born here and died here. There is a museum dedicated for his work, Teatre-Museu Dali, at the center of the town. We entered the museum through the south entrance.

South entrance

The museum shouts out that this is quite unlike any other art museums. This is a ‘theater,’ a showcase of Dali’s paintings, sculptures, and installations that fully express his thoughts and imaginations.

Things inside are going to surpass any expectation

As we entered the courtyard, a bizzare installation welcomed us.

Rainy Taxi

Courtyard

Even the stairways and entrances were decorated with extraordinary installations.

Admirable imagination

There were numerous galleries displaying Dali’s paintings. But what really caught my mind was this panel on the ceiling.

Central Panel of the Wind Palace Ceiling

I remember seeing this painting on a textbook as an example of Dali’s painting. But what it really does is to create an environment like a crossing in a cathedral. And the scene depicted is very much his imagery of heaven. What I found the funniest was that we can only see the two giants’ feet very vividly as we look up.

Would you sleep next to this?

Pentagonal Sardana was also an interesting work, although it was meant to be an explorative sketch to be used for other painting. The baseline is a dodecahedron, which is a polyhedron with regular pentagonal faces. When viewed from a particular angle, the vertices form a decagon. Then on this two-dimensional overlay of the dodecahedron, Dali fills in figures of ten people hands in hands. It reminds me of Matisse, but the composition exactly fills in the empty spaces of the geometric baseline. The result is an animating, yet exactly composed unit of painting that Dali could have used elsewhere to provoke thoughts about the mystery of nature.

Pentagonal Sardana

Dali is also the one who suggested that Millet’s painting The Angeles portrays a funeral scene, rather than an evening prayer. He even goes further and finds an analogy of the praying woman with a praying mantis. Such was the extent of his observation and imagination.

Did you notice this analogy?

It was an interesting day of admiring Dali’s artworks. We had dinner and returned to the train station to catch a high-speed train back to Barcelona.

España (2015) – Day 8, Granada

We woke up early and had breakfast. It was going to be a long day. There was a free shuttle bus from Plaza Isabel at the center of the city, running to Alhambra. An alternative is to walk all the way up. Since we had to get to the Nasrid palace by 9am, we got off at Puerta de la Justicia.

Puerta de la Justicia

We passed by the palace of Charles V to get to the Nasrid palace on time. It is the only Renaissance style building that was greatly harrassing the coherence of the Islamic palace-fortress.

Palacio de Carlos V

At our appointed time we entered the Nasrid palace, the crown jewel of Alhambra.

Enter the Nasrid palace

As we entered the portion of the palace that was the first to be built, we again noticed the arabesque wall decorations. Yet it was exceptionally beautiful, compared to those found in Toledo, Sevilla, or Cordoba. At the expense of the Moorish people, the Nasrid rulers of Granada spent extravagant sums on decorating their palace, showing off their wealth. In fact, their finances were running out quick due to tributes they had to pay to the Christian kings.

Fachata de Comares

We then reached the Court of the Myrtles, or Patio de los Arrayanes. The central pond reflecting the surrounding buildings provides a great imagery. This symmetry and tranquility that give this geometric beauty is what makes this place special.

It is astonishing that each arch is decorated in great detail. No empty space was allowed; it must be filled with some pattern.

The Chamber of the Ambassadors, the largest room in the palace, features endless pattern of decoration on the wall and the golden ceiling. Were the Nasrid sultans ever revered and praised as great kings? At least in this room, yes.

Salon de los Embajadores

Next, we entered the Court of the Lions, of which name comes from the statues surrounding the fountain in the middle. This place characterizes a beauty unlike the Court of the Myrtles. Numerous marble columns with arches resembling palm trees, tiled floors with water canals, and fountains quietly pumping out water all work together to illustrate a sense of paradise. Let alone the interpretation of various symbols, I could immediately sense that this is a portrayal of a sanctuary where the Nasrid sultans would have wanted to retreat to, escaping all the politics and diplomacy.

Patio de los Leones

Immediately next to the Court is the Hall of the Kings, or Sala de los Reyes

That was the end of the tour of the Nasrid palace. Right outside is the water garden formed by the sultans.

Palacio del Partal

El Partal

We then made our way to Generalife, the pleasure garden of the sultans. It was some distance away, as we had to walk to the western exit gate and make a crossing across the valley.

Generalife across the valley

We first encountered a modern garden formed in the spirit of Generalife. It features walls and arches of trees, along with canals and water fountains.

Modern garden

Next we entered the Generalife, the beautiful garden of Alhambra.

It was pity that we visited here in winter. What was supposed to be a floral water garden felt a bit empty. Still, I could imagine what it would have been like in summer.

Patio de la Acequia

View of Alhambra and Granada

We walked back to Alhambra and went to Alcazaba, the barracks of this fortress. It is where the defending army was stationed.

At the eastern end is a tall watch tower that overlooks Granada.

Torre de la Vela

This watch tower offered an unobstructed view of the city and the surrounding areas. I could sense that Alhambra was built on a strategic location, where all four directions could be watched. With natural springs inside the fortress providing fresh water, it could withstand months of siege. However, such an event never happened. The sultan of Granada capitulated to Queen Isabel and fled to Morocco.

Downtown Granada

Albaicin

Cathedral of Granada

The Barracks

Lastly, we paid a visit to the Palace of Carlos V. It was a grandeur monument showing off the Christian architecture of the time. However, it was no match to the beauty of the Nasrid palace.

Palacio de Carlos V

We left Alhambra through the same gate, and walked down the hill to the Gate of Pomegranates.

Puerta de los Granadas

After having lunch in downtown, we took a bus to Albaicin, a historic district that preserves much of medival homes. There is also a spot where one can see Alhambra on the opposite side.

Mirador San Nicolas

The glaring red walls, from which the name Alhambra come, were reflecting the dimming sunlight at dusk.

Down the streets of the Albaicin, we returned to the downtown.

We then took a bus to Granada airport, and got on board the flight to Barcelona, our final destination.

España (2015) – Day 7, Nerja

Morning view

The next morning began with a feast of Spanish food. It was great to have a breakfast with an ocean view. We walked down the streets of Nerja to get to the bus station, where several taxis were waiting.

Streets of Nerja

We took a cab to go to Frigiliana, a village that is 10 minutes away. It is a village famous for the beautiful white-walled houses.

A white village

It is a small village, so it didn’t take long to get to the town church and a plaza. This would have been a town center in the old days.

Iglesia

Black dog in a white village

We walked further upstairs from there to have a panoramic view of the village.

Walking up the stairs

And more stairs

Beautiful balcony

When we gained enough heights, we had a spanning view of the village and the Mediterranean sea. It was a peaceful view that preserved Andalucian culture, untouched (yet?) by foreign influences.

Since the roads are narrow, motorcycles must have been a good mode of transportation. And cats seemed to be a good company of them.

There was a shop selling soaps made from olive oils. We bought some as gifts for our friends.

Souvenir

We took a cab back to Nerja. We went to Balcon de Europa, the balcony of Europe. Enjoying the sea breeze and sunlight in Costa del Sol, we were also able to catch a glimpse of Africa across the sea.

At 5pm, we took a bus to Granada, which was 2 hours away. It was a rough ride as the bus traversed curvy roads of Sierra Nevada. Upon arrival, we went straight to bed, because our tour in Granada would start at 8 in the morning the next day.

España (2015) – Day 6, Cordoba, Nerja

At 8 in the morning, we went to the Santa Justa station to take a train to Cordoba, which is 1 hour away. Upon arrival, we checked our bags in a locker at the bus station (because Cordoba train station does not have a locker) and went on a short excursion into the city. Of course, Cordoba is a city that is worth a day or two, with the Roman ruins, the Alcazar and a big Jewish quarter. But due to our tight schedule, we focused on visiting the Mezquita.

After a 15 minute bus ride into the city, we got off at the river bank of the Guadalquivir. Immediately we saw a bridge dating back to the Roman age across the river.

Roman bridge

Next to it is the Mezquita, the jewel of this city. The Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba, called Mezquita in short, is a mosque-turned-cathedral. We have already seen in Toledo such occasions where a mosque or a synagogue was turned into a church. This surpasses such cases by its size and the beautiful work of mingling the essential elements of a cathedral into a mosque.

Side entrance to the Mezquita

As we entered the through an entrance on the west side, we passed across the orange trees.

Bell tower

Upon entering the building, we were met with a forest of columns and double arches laid on top of them. The columns are of Roman origin; they were taken from Roman buildings by the Moors who built this mosque in the 8th century. The double arches with red and white stripes are distinctive of this mosque. Originally these were built with red and white bricks. However, when they required repair, people got lazy and made them with a single piece of rock and painted on it to look like it consists of bricks.

Forest of columns

The mosque went through several expansions during the Moorish rule of Cordoba. We could see that some of the arches show much degradation while others are neater.

It is interesting to notice where Christian cathedal meets the original mosque. Charles V ordered the conversion of the mosque. The Renaissance style nave tries to preserve the same double arches and red-and-white pattern of the original mosque. However, I must say that this is perhaps a less interesting part of this building. Still, it is thanks to all the windows attached to the cathedral that the natural light can come in and create interesting light effects.

Portions of the original mosque are also preserved. On the south side of the Mezquita, mihrab preserves its original artwork of Quranic inscriptions and geometric patterns. It is faced in the direction of Mecca to signify the direction to which people should pray.

Overall, the Mezquita gives a fantastic experience. It is a vast space full of columns and arches. Sunlight brightens the cathedral, leaving the rest of the mosque relatively dark. But the red and white stripes are easily noticeable even in the dimmest of light, and suggest warmth. It is a comfortable warmth, as the double arches allow the ceiling to be higher and make the interior to be more open. Therefore, the entire space, even without many windows, do not feel very packed. Perhaps it is a structure from which modern day convention centers can learn.

On the way out

We came back to the train station and took a train to Malaga at 1:40pm. It was again a quick 1 hour high-speed train ride. Then we took a bus to Nerja, a small seaside town. It was another 1 hour ride along the coast, so we were able to enjoy the view of the Mediterranean.

We stayed at Parador de Nerja, which is located on top of a sea cliff.

View of the sea

View of the town

The hotel

The hotel was a beautiful place. It offered a nice walk with beautiful views and cool breezes.

Paved walkways

Tranquil garden

Mediterranean beach

We could access the beach via an elevator. Near the seashore were several restaurants. We had Belgian steamed mussel for dinner. Apparently, there were more northern European restaurants in this town than Spanish ones. I think it is due to the huge popularity of this town as a snowbird destination.

Beautiful shore

Waiting for the summer

España (2015) – Day 5, Sevilla

It was Christmas, and all the major sites were closed. Except for Plaza de España, which is in a huge public park. We decided this would be a day off and enjoyed the Andalucian sunshine in the plaza.

Plaza de España

It wasn’t entirely basking in the sun, though. We rowed a boat around the canal surrounding the plaza.

Boat ride

The plaza is huge — it takes a while to walk along the entire building.

What makes the walk longer is the tile art. Along the foot of the building, there are numerous tiled benches with major Spanish cities and towns depicted on the wall. Here is one example: for Toledo, the decoration features a scene where the Moors surrender the city to the Castillan forces.

It was a nice time enjoying the sunshine. When the sun set, we went to the city hall, where a Christmas fair was taking place. With ice rinks and a carousel, it looked fun.

City hall

Christmas fair

We went to a restaurant in front of the city hall and had some modern Spanish food. Each dish had a distinct Spanish taste, and we enjoyed it very much.

Sea urchin and octopus paella

Grilled tuna

Gazpacho

This would be our last night in Sevilla. We slept early, because we had to wake up early next morning to depart for Cordoba.

España (2015) – Day 4, Sevilla (2)

We had several tapas dishes for lunch and then went to the Alcazar of Sevilla. This is an interesting historical and architectural site, as it features a Mudejar architecture, a style that is Islamic in origin but reinvented in Christian Spanish spirit.

Enter through the Gate of the Lion

After entering through Puerta del Leon, we reached an open-spaced patio. We walked towards the entrance of Palacio del Rey Don Pedro, where we noticed an interesting inscription above the gate.

Patio de la Monteria

The blue and white geometric pattern displays the message about the greatness of Allah. But written in Spanish above and below that pattern is the greatness of King Peter of Castilla, who conquered Sevilla and built this palace, and God who gave the Christians victory over the Moors.

Facade of the Palace of the King Peter of Castilla

Perhaps one of the most famous places in this palace is this patio.

Patio de las Doncellas

Built in Mudejar style, it clearly resembles the ones in other Islamic palaces, most notably Alhambra. Yet, this was built for King Peter of Castilla, by the Spanish architects. By this time, Moorish culture has greatly assimilated to the Spanish culture. Considering that a considerable Islamic population was still present, especially here in Andalucia, perhaps it made more sense to build the palace in Mudejar style.

Each pieces are beautifully carved

Arabic inscriptions praising King Peter

Walking out of the maze-like palace, we reached the garden where water fountains and trees adorned the vast space.

Estanque de Mercurio

There is a long land bridge, Galería de Grutesco, dividing the garden into two sections. The Gallery also offers a nice view of the garden from above.

View from the Gallery

Another view

Open green space

Of course, we could find citrus trees all over the garden.

Lemons

Oranges

Waterways and fountains

There are also peafowls in this garden. I’m not sure whether they are wild ones or were domesticated. Yet, it was interesting to chase around them.

Peacock

Peafowls

On our way back, we went past several salons, which are again adorned with geometric Mudejar patterns.

Golden dome

Overall, it was an interesting place to visit, as it is a palace built by a Christian Spanish King, yet it is hard to find any resemblance with other European palaces. It would rather be closer to the Alhambra in Granada, which we will visit in a few days.

We walked out of the Alcazar and walked towards the Guadalquivir river, where we spotted Torre del Oro, the tower of gold that would have welcomed treasure ships from the Americas several centuries ago.

Torre del Oro

Further up along the river bank was the bullring. I would have wanted to watch a bullfight, but I couldn’t as it wasn’t in season.

Bullring

The sun was setting. We had paella for dinner and went back to our place.

España (2015) – Day 4, Sevilla (1)

The next day began with a visit to the Sevilla Cathedral. As we were walking down the street, we could spot orange trees adorning the street.

Orange trees along the street

When we reached a plaza, we could readily spot La Giralda, the high rising bell tower that is a signature figure of this cathedral.

La Giralda

The entrance of the cathedral is on the south side.

The entrance to the cathedral

Built in the 15th century, this cathedral features Gothic architecture. This is younger than the Toledo Cathedral, and we could notice that the style is more flamboyant.

The interior

Stained glass

Giant organ

The center

Perhaps this cathedral is most famous for holding the tomb of  Christopher Columbus. He was certainly an important person in this city, where he met Queen Isabel. He then went on to explore a route to “India,” only to find the Americas. Yet, his explorations brought riches to this city, which became the center of American trade for next couple of centuries.

Tomb of Christopher Columbus

The four bearers of the tomb represent the four kingdoms that constituted Spain at the time: Castilla, Leon, Aragon, and Navarra. Each figure contains symbols that help identify the constituent kingdoms.

Granada conquered

The tomb

Bat represents the Kingdom of Aragon

Next, we went on to the sacristy, where the treasures of the cathedral are housed.

Treasures

Ceiling

Golden ornaments

At the Capilla Mayor (Great Chapel), an astonishing alterpiece was waiting for us. This ornamental piece depicts 45 scenes from the life of Jesus. It was interesting to identify each scene.

Depicts the life of Jesus

Next, we went up the bell tower. La Giralda was originally a minaret attached to the mosque that was standing on this ground. The original mosque was demolished to build a cathedral on it, but this tower survived. It features an Islamic architecture style. The top of the tower, however, was reworked by Christian architects in the 16th century.

Bell at the top of La Giralda

Being the tallest building in the downtown Sevilla, the top offered a spanning view of the entire city.

Bullring

Garden

The cityscape

View towards our place

Cool hotel with a rooftop pool

View towards the Alcazar

After coming down the tower, we went to the garden attached to the cathedral. As in other cathedrals or monasteries in Spain, there were orange trees that would have provided nutrients to the priests.

Orange trees in the garden

From the garden we could again enjoy the view of the cathedral and La Giralda. It was truly an interesting juxtaposition of Islamic and Christian architecture.

‘Waitress’ (Broadway Musical) – February 6, 2018

The casting lineup was definitely eye-catching: Sara Bareilles and Jason Mraz. It was more interesting because Sara composed the entire numbers of this musical. In addition, she is my wife’s favorite singer, so there was no doubt we were missing this one.

On 47th Street

The line was long and filled with Sara’s and Jason’s fans. They were full of enthusiasm and curiosity, as was I: how well are these two great singers perform in a musical? With this in mind, we entered the theater. It was a small place, so there was no problem enjoying the show even at the very back of the back seat.

View from my seat

The musical itself was fairly standard, with story full of expected turn of events, multiple scenes with clichés, and the usual jokes. The composition of numbers was too standard to feel any strong emotions.

Jason Mraz was, of course, a great singer. He was successful in delivering great songs, mostly duet with Sara. Yet, his theatrical performance was not as outstanding. His role did not require as much drama, though — more comic, rather — so perhaps it was not much of a problem in enjoying the entire show.

“She Used To Be Mine”, a solo by Sara, might be the top one reason why you should watch this musical. At least this song is what everyone can empathize with. Listening to this song from the writer herself was another huge advantage. All the Sara’s fans must have enjoyed it too.

Thank you for a great performance!

In the end, this was a memorable musical, thanks to the two great singers who have displayed their unexpected theatrical talent.