Thursday, 16 April 2009

La Pedrera (Wibble)

Blue skies, heat and sun greeted Easter Monday, the Barcelona weather I'd expected, and a trip to La Pedrera, another Gaudi mansion and one I refer to as the Wibbley-Wobbley building. I don't know what it is about this marvellous building, but I love it and I can merrily romp around the roof until I'm knackered.

We waited in a queue to get in for just under an hour (including an ice-cream break) and got the lift to the top of the building. The attic is laid out as a museum to Gaudi and the building but, since I've seen it a few times before, I headed straight for the stairs to the roof and then merrily wandered round in my own little world for an hour and a half. Zoooom.... that was me heading off over the horizon to discover new view of the Knights or simply to take more photos of the the same things I've already taken photos of on previous trips. The act of taking a photograph is what's important and reveling in it. And gnashing teeth at the frustration of people being in the photo. Ggrrrrr...

I love the Wibbley building, up and down steps, wierd chimneys, many in the shape of ancient knights helmets or strange organic shapes, no more than a few steps in a row on one flat surface before being faced with more steps up or down. There are great views over Barcelona and into the hills beyond, including La Sagrada Famila, Gaudi's unfinished cathedral, in the distance. It doesn't take an hour and half to look round, but I just happily wander round and round, looking at the Knights from different angles and then wandering round again.

Even I get too hot up there in the sun and then retreat down to the attic museum and the top floor flat which is open to wander round before heading down to the well-stocked shop and out again at street level. Part of me would love to live in that building and another would hate it - if I lived there would I lose my wonder and admiration? I'm happy to visit it and clamber round like a thing possessed...





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