Barcelona Vacation Memories

Barcelona is a feast for anyone who loves architecture, art and design. The city teems with intriguing buildings by Gaudí; artworks from Miró, Picasso and other creative Spaniards; and boutiques filled with unique clothing, jewelry and housewares.

I spent a few days in Barcelona in winter 2001, and what has stayed with me most from that trip is the Passion façade from La Sagrada Familia, which you can see part of on our issue cover and a more detailed image below. I’ve seen my share of religious buildings and symbols around the world, yet those stark, modern sculptures representing Christ’s last days and resurrection were captivating, haunting and peaceful, all at the same time. They were created in the 1950s by Josep Subirachs, and they differ significantly from the more fanciful work of Gaudí’s Nativity façade on the other side of the church.

Also impressive: Gaudí’s Casa Mila, aka La Pedrera (the quarry), with its rolling walls and funky, phallic-symbol rooftop; the Textile and Costume Museum, with a collection that ranges from 4th century Coptic textiles to contemporary cloths; the Miró Museum (Fundació Joan Miró) for a wonderful collection of the first famous artist whose work I fell in love with when I was a young adult (I appreciate Pablo Picasso, but enjoyed Miró and Salvador Dalí more); and, of course, shopping. I scored a beautiful lilac, linen pantsuit, the style of which I never saw in any stores back in the States. I continued to get compliments on it right up to the day when I finally had to retire it to the souvenir section of my clothes closet, after more than five years of service.

Then there’s the food. All I can say is that the meals were outstanding everywhere we ate, and I savored bacalao (cod) and pulpo (octopus) tapas daily.