K & L's Travel Blog

I went out to visit Casa Vicens this morning while Kitty rests from another night coughing. Vicens is Gaudí’s first commissioned house that has just recently (Nov. 2017) opened for visitors. It was about a 15 minute walk from our place.  Admission at 16 EUR is a bit dear, but where else am I going to see Gaudí’s first house? They give you an option of a guided or self-guided tour, and I opted for the latter since I was really more interested in photography. It was built in the 1880’s and shows both Moorish and Asian influences. The Gothic Palau Güell that we visited last week is quite a contrast to this brightly colored, airy structure.  Still the lovely wrought iron (I believe Gaudí’s father was in that business), and smart use of lattice for shading. The Modernista penchant for nature was in full show: plants everywhere with ceilings in some rooms looking like they were covered in three dimensional leaves, birds lurking on the sides and flowers on the tiles. Very colorful, and much smaller than I would have thought.

I got back about noon. We had bocadillas and rested before heading out to Barceloneta, an fisherman’s neighborhood created turn-of-the century, now dominated by all kinds of seafood restaurants. Although it’s relatively empty today in Eixample, this area was thronging with tourists. The beach was cleaner and bigger than I would have thought. We walk along the boardwalk before stopping at a neighborhood bar for some vermouth and tapas. When we finish, I’m surprised to see how close we are to our standard bus stop: just about five minutes away. I can feel the start of the cold as we get back to the apartment–just as Kitty is getting her legs back I may be heading down.