2geonomads

Thursday 8th October 2015

An early start as we have to catch the Metro in time for our 9.00 visit to La Sagrada Familia,  Gaudi’s masterpiece and Spain’s biggest tourist attraction. Nothing can prepare the visitor for the awe-inspiring first sight of this huge cathedral which has been a work in progress for more than a century and became this astonishing architect’s holy mission. Sadly when he was knocked down and killed by a tram in 1926 less that a quarter of La Sagrada Familia had been completed.

Gail is braver than this blogger and takes the lift up the tower above the Nativity Facade and from this vantage point she gains some fantastic views of the city.

After 2 hours of touring round this truly unforgettable piece of architecture which will accommodate 13000 faithful when completed it’s time to move on to two other Gaudi works La Pedrera and Casa Batllo which are within walking distance.

La Pedrera

We decide to give La Pedrera , a Modernista apartment block, a  miss as the queues are very long and we feel that Casa Batllo will be the better option.

Casa Batllo is located on Barcelona’s grandest boulevard and Gaudi really let his imagination run riot when he designed this apartment block although the term doesn’t do justice to this whimsical building.

The heart shaped fireplace

Even the chimneys were different

We return to our more modest apartment to prepare for dinner at a restaurant called Meson del Cafe. Stefania, our contact for the flat works at this establishment on several evenings a week and has promised us a Paella to remember if we go there.

We arrive as agreed at 8.00 to find that Stefania is not at work ( problems with her young son) but the owners are aware of our booking for dinner. What follows is a scene from Fawlty Towers.

The husband and wife are both in a very grumpy mood ( probably due to being short-staffed) and his decidedly curt welcome to us makes Basil appear positively polite and attentive. He does dump a couple of glasses of white wine on a table next to us but makes no attempt to direct us to said table. We , therefore, stand like stunned mullets for some time until the food is also placed on what appears to be our table for the evening.  The restaurant is by now quite full and judging from the amused expressions other guests appear to be receiving the same level of service.

To make matters worse the poor stressed-out husband who is not the most mobile or agile of men is forced to perform something of a limbo dance while he tries to carry out the meals from behind the counter and negotiate one of those old-fashioned hinged flaps which one normally raises to clear a path out. We are not sure whether he just does this to keep fit or the hinges are broken.

To be truthful the paella is not very good but all is forgiven when we try to pay the bill and we are told by the couple that the dinner is complimentary.  Moreover, their demeanour towards us is now very warm and we appreciate the kind gesture. To be fair we feel that with a full restaurant and just the two of them on board they were well and truly stressed-out. In any event they provided us with an evening

that we will not forget in a hurry.

Cheers

The Obese Ferret