27 January 2010 was a relaxed day. It began with spanih and our Gaudí class which seems to be an all arhitecture class now. After finishing a brief history of Barcelona and Catalunya, we were set free in the “typical” cold Barcelona weather.
The day was easy going and included a trip to the architects association bookstore and supplies shop a floor below. The building also includes a library which is set in the old city center in the Barri Gotic / El Raval area across a plaza from the Barcelona Cathedral. Filled with books, the place is very cool and has an impressive collection of monographs, magazines, and general architectural and design literature. After we failed to find a t-square in the store, we set off in our separate ways to grab a bocadillo for a snack then head back out.
Our adventure out into the city started in a very hectic manner, and was filled with excitement. When crossing the street at Placa Kennedy, I was almost hit by a taxi which did not care for the rules of the road. After my worst fear came true (the confrontation of Spanish Police), the officer I had to talk to spoke english. The taxi driver was ticketed and I walked away, not much of a story but it all happened so fast, I don’t know.
We headed towards a Gaudi designed college which turned out to be very private so we wondered into a park, Sant Gervasi de Cassoles, where the sun set and the lights of the city made for quite a view.
We left the park as the police were driving around at the lat hour and we looked at the Lesseps plaza and library which was interesting to see after we talked about the rehabilitation of the site. The area used to be a place of noise and traffic and lifted streets – a memory many of the locals did not like. When the city came through and redesigned the intersection, the public art and sculpture that was intended to be a nice addition to the space became an unwelcome memory of what once had been, oh well, that’s what you get when you let metaphor influence design. We headed home for the night after photographing the library at Lesseps.
» Photos from the Sant Gervasi Adventure
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