Pan con cebolla

While we tried to motivate a little earlier today, that didn't quite work out as planned. But we weren't going to let that stop us. We had some cereal and started our adventure towards Colonia Guell. I learned about Colonia Guell in my art history class, and my professor told us that it was one of her favorite Gaudi works, so I really wanted to go.

To get to Colonia Guell you must take a Ferrocarrill de la Generalitat train (similar to the one I took for Montserrat). It is about 22 minutes outside the city, and not necessarily a scenic train ride, but it is Spain so it's always a little exciting. We got off the train and followed the blue foot prints they have painted on the sidewalk that led us to the main Ticket Office. You can walk around Colonia Guell all you'd like, but the Crypt, the only part of the church Gaudi managed to finish, requires a ticket. They gave us some information about the Crypt as well as a recommended walking tour of the site.

Colonia Guell was intended to be a factory town similar to the Pullman Factory in Chicago or others in England. It was to have homes for the factory workers, as well as a church, a school, a doctor's office, and other necessities all located within the compound. It did end up being a factory, but Gaudi only worked on his part, the church, from 1898 to 1914 (I think). Eusebi Guell, the same main who commissioned Park Guell, put a lot into the Colonia, but once he died his family told Gaudi they would no longer fund his work. Because of this, he only finished what was supposed to be the crypt of the church.

Gaudi stretched the catenary arch to its widest in the Crypt. He also used painted glass for the window, and real (and huge) seashells from the Philippines to act as the holders of holy water. It was amazing being inside--it really was beautiful even if it was a bit smaller than imagined. I was really excited to be there.

After the crypt we walked around on part of the walking tour. We saw a bunch of private homes designed by Gaudi's followers Berenguer and Rubio. We also saw the schoolhouse and the doctor's home. All in all it was a cool experience and I'm really glad we made it out there today.

We took the train back into the city and came home for lunch. We had some leftover stirfry, but Ben also made us some sandwiches. One was tuna with goat cheese, the other was his "Top Chef interpretation" of pan con tomate, which he called pan con cebolla, or onion. Both were delicious, and I was stuffed as we head out to visit Park Guell.

I've been there 4 times now, but every time I go I am still excited to be there. It was a little cloudy once we got there, so it had a different feel, but it was beautiful nonetheless. Ben really enjoyed it too, despite the hike up the mountain. We bought a meringue at one of the bakeries along the way, so that was a yummy addition to our journey.

We came back home and went to the supermarket to get some food for dinner. I was still so full from lunch that we decided on some salad and some fish sticks. Yum. But it was actually just the right amount of food, of course followed by some ice cream with strawberries. I'm really going to miss having Ben around to cook!

Tomorrow is Ben's last day in Barcelona, so we are going to try to see a bunch of things. I'm excited for another day of adventure. :-D

Besos