I slept in that Sunday, then cleaned. Then headed out because I'd heard so much about the Hospital de la Santa Creu i de Sant Pau, about its incredible architecture, and there was a Spanish-language tour at 1p, the only one I'd be able to make before my departure. Turns out, it was the free Sunday of the month, so no tour, but what a place!
Designed by the Catalan architect Luis Domenech i Montaner in 1902, the hospital is 26 Mudéjar-style buildings accompanied by gardens. Ahead of his time, as studies now are only starting to prove him correct, he felt that seeing nature and not white walls was better for patient recovery, and so put all the corridors and service areas below ground.
The decorations are lavish, as he also felt that art and color could be therapeutic. I just could not believe this was a hospital!
The main entrance. Towers have tiles. Mosaic murals and sculptures by Pau Gargallo are everywhere.
The main corridors below.
Loved these projections!
I wandered and wandered.
And marveled and gawked.
There was a band playing in the center courtyard!
The complex was almost lost. But funds were found and it is being restored. Being listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage property doesn't hurt.
See, a red cross. Really, a hospital!
There is a new hospital on the grounds now. Sadly, it looks much like a "normal" hospital.
Unfortunately, by this point, my head was pounding. I started stumbling my way downhill towards the city center, and bumped into a Japanese restaurant. Score! I'd been craving Asian, and had heard that Barcelona had an excellent emerging Japanese scene. It was small but full, and it stayed full. I had a lovely salad, some tasty dumplings, and some terrific sashimi. Fortified, and with the headache receding a bit, I angled my way home past Sagrada Familia, determined to take another shot.
Not to be. I got the same story on my ICOM card; free but wait in line. And the line was even longer than last time as it was a Sunday. I just wasn't up for it. So I wandered around it and took some photos, and visited the gift shop.
This was Gaudí's masterwork. Extremely unconventional, it brims with detail derived from nature (lots of shell spirals, for instance) and unusual forms. Begun as a neo-Gothic church, Gaudí changed it when he took over construction in 1883. He lived here and worked on it for 16 years, until he was killed by a tram. He is buried in the crypt. Work then went on after the civil war. Amazingly, the work is funded largely by the public.
This completely different section is the current main entrance. Completed in the 1980s, it is known as the Passion Facade. The artist is Josep Maria Subirachs. Like most of the church, it is very controversial. I actually like the sharp style very much.
Part of the Gaudí facade, the "dripping" style amazes me, both with the detail and the skill. It's remarkable to look at.
These towers are part of the Bell towers. In total there will be twelve, one for each of the Apostles. They are topped with Venetian mosaics.
Part of the Glory, south, facade.
Well, maybe next time I'll get inside. Maybe next time it will be completed.
I stopped at a bakery on the way home for some bread for the morning, to eat with some of the new savories that my landlady had left the day before, and grabbed a tuna sandwich for dinner because it looked good. I was glad I did as NOTHING else was open. Interestingly, for the second time that week, people stopped me on the street to ask for directions! More interestingly, I actually could give them..... Yes, I was feeling very comfortable. And starting to lament that the end of my trip was near.
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