Monday, May 12, 2008

Ladies and Gentlemen, some Gaudi...plus two turtles.



First things first, today we went off to the hospital to get eldest's TB test read, and to every one's considerable relief, it was negative. The kids does NOT have tuberculosis. Thank God.

NOW

While we were in BCN getting this done we decided to see some of the sites that we could see in the area, and we came across some pretty cool stuff. We went back to Pedralbes, but it was closed. Poop, neither the man nor youngest had ever gone, but it is Monday and most things are closed Monday even if it is a holiday. Yes we have another holiday, this one is the second Easter...seems Jesus manages to rise from the dead twice every year here in Spain, a miraculous skill that I find somewhat confusing, but which I daren't question too closely as we do get an extra holiday out of it.

So we also paid a visit to the Parc d'Oreneta, of course...it was actually a bit dismal. Potentially lovely, but clearly the city was not putting the money into it that was necessary, the restaurant was a truck trailer, and the vegetable compost heap (industrial sized with concrete truck ramp) was right at the main gates.

So then we wandered down in search of some Gaudi....and look what we found:



Astonishingly GM and I walked right past this without noticing earlier this year, which does rather boggle the mind....the fellow at the top of the page, who I find enormously compelling is the block of lighter rock to the left of the dragon's gaping maw.

We also found some more later on....

along with a pergola in a trademark Gaudi arch...these two were very early on in his career.



A nice place to sit....


We saw these little guys out and about by the pond with the lilies. The pond had been put in as an ornamental for an apartment building.

If you go back up the the man at the top of the page, something I noticed in the picture, but failed to see in person is the teeny tiny trencada tile work that was done in the grout in the brick-work. Can you imagine? It leaves me gasping this attention to detail.


See, there it is again, I zoomed in on a section of brick that was off to one side of another photo, and then doctored the photo a bit as I really was pretty far away, and this section wasn't fully in focus...but...look....all the way through the building, the same amazing grout work.

Mind-bogglingly amazing. I am tempted to do it some day, I'd have to do it myself though, the cost!

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lovely pix!
They make me wonder how we missed it - was it the day we were late and thought we had to rush about like mad fools at an incredible speed to get to the embassy on time? GM

Beth said...

Great photography skills, a keen eye for art and a little bit of sacrilege (two risings = two holidays) make for a great post!

Good news about the girls.

Beth said...

P.S. Love that Dennis Lee poem.

Miss Kim said...

Fabulous! Fabulous!
Love the Gaudi's and the wall details, but I especially LOVE the two turtles- maybe they're related to the two on my blog??

We have good friends moving to Barcelona this summer and we've promised to visit them! Can't wait!

Boo and Trev said...

I'm very glad that eldest hasn't got TB. I hadn't realised that was a posibility.
I love all the holidays in Catholic countries. Blooming Reformation spoiled it for us! (Mind you I think the UK is the only country that seems to make Xmas last a week!)

Envoy-ette said...

The ole TB check...been there done that...3 times! Love the pictures! Wish I were there!

oreneta said...

GM, it was indeed the day we went to the embassy....

Beth, Dennis Lee rules...and a little sacrilege always spices things up, don't you think?

Kim, if you visit in the fall, maybe we could meet up somewhere for a little coffee or paella????

Ah, the man had ten days at Christmas...blame it all on Henry VIII....I hadn't thought TB was a possibility either, but maybe that's why we're seeing the specialist.

Envoy-ette, I've done the TB test many times...bt proactively, not because of worry.

mmichele said...

the colours of that last photo are amazing. i never knew you could make grouting beautiful.

lovely.

oreneta said...

Michele...it is astonishing isn't it...the care and attention to detail is stunning.

Angel said...

the detail is amazing, but ya, you'd have to do that yourself...can you imagine the bill for having someone else do that?!! You could send both of your kids to Med School with that money!! ;)

"His Chuckiness"

oreneta said...

Beth, probably more like three kids, and all of the bricklayers family could take a cruise around the world....chuckbacka thanks you

elPadawan said...

It's amazing the amount of things people walk by frequently, not noticing all those little details... Until someone like you passes by, notices it, and then everyone will see it as if it was obvious and marvellous :).

I love discovering interesting things like that everywhere ;)

oreneta said...

elPadawan, gee thanks...it is nice to open your eyes now and then, easier now the kids are bigger too. It is amazing what you can find in the most mundane places if you keep your head up isn't it....