SPAIN - GAUDI AND THE MOTORCYCLES

Written by Valle V. Petersen -

After dinner at Los Caracol, and a brisk walk through Las Ramblas to the hotel, you pass several houses designed by the famous architect Antoni Placid Guillem Gaudi. The houses look like something from another planet, and his buildings should be seen when you are in Barcelona. In bed at the hotel, you lie and digest the day's impressions. Could a new day be as exciting as the one that has just ended?

WHAT ABOUT THE MOTORCYCLES?

After the Spanish breakfast at the hotel, you descend into the garage to see if the bike is still there. Of course it is. (It should be mentioned that the breakfast at the hotels in Barcelona, is top notch). Should we go for a ride - or will the buses and taxis be the chosen mode of transport? Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia is a building which must be experienced. It's not every day, you can experience a huge cathedral being built, and especially not in our century. So what do motorcycles have to do with Gaudi? Nothing at all... ...and yet. Some motorcycles are just as creatively designed as the architect's buildings.

THE MAN WHO PAINTED BUILDING MATERIALS

La Sagrada Familia rises toward the clouds. You’re standing there, shaking your head because you can’t fathom how an architect has managed to raise so many imaginative stones on top of each other. You’re standing and really thinking about whether or not God has had a hand in it. The closer you get to the cathedral, and the more you look at the details, the less you understand about this executed creativity.

Gaudi took over the construction of Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia in 1883, and in 1884, he was officially designated as a church architect. He worked on the project up until a few days before his death. Officially the cathedral is expected to be completed in 2026, the centennial year of Gaudi's death. Unofficially, it is not expected to be completed before 2041. By then, the building of the Cathedral will have been going on for over 150 years. It's almost too overwhelming to experience this building. Suddenly, it dawns on you that you are part of a new story. Indeed, the story of a grandfather and grandmother, who stood and watched, while craftsmen built the world's next wonder. OK, many others have done so, Barcelona is visited by five million tourists a year.

A STRANGE STORY ABOUT A VERY STRANGE MAN

Antoni Placid Guillem Gaudi was born in 1852 in Reus south of Barcelona, as the youngest of five children of a coppersmith. Schooling. Yawn, what a sad curriculum. Christian doctrines, religion, morality, history of religion, along with Greek, Latin, history, rhetoric, poetry and... Geometry. Hey! Geometry was the only subject Gaudi excelled in.

Gaudi was an architect of Barcelona, and for most Catalans, Barcelona is identical to Gaudi's unique architectural style. His art is difficult to describe for mere mortals. Many architects have tried through the ages, but never quite succeeded.

His life was never a bed of roses, he had to fight for everything in life, and it’s impressive that his creativity is a manifesto today. As the years went by, Gaudi focused more and more on the Sagrada Familia.

He walked around the city streets begging for money, so construction of the cathedral could continue. In the last years of his life, he lived in a shed at the construction site, while he withdrew more and more into himself. In an age of 73 he was hit by a tram as he crossed the Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes. Because of his sloppy attire, he was left in the street, as passers-by thought he was a mere beggar.

Gaudi was taken to a hospital for poor people, but he was not recognized by anyone. He did not care, and remained there, until some friends went looking for him and found him in his hospital bed. They requested that he be moved to a better hospital. Gaudi refused, saying that he belonged among the poor. He died three days later, after which, he was buried in the crypt of his beloved Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia. Antoni Placid Guillem Gaudi is being evaluated in Rome for Sainthood. The application is sent in, and the day when the cathedral is completely finished, Gaudi will certainly be made a Saint. Maybe God even guided Gaudi's hand when he painted with building materials.

TIME FOR TAPAS AND A COLD ONE

I feel completely brainmashed by Gaudi and his mysterious life, so I sit in a back street in the sunshine, to enjoy the view. It is early afternoon and the whole town is on siesta. Barcelona is like a steam train that is holding still at a station. But there is another thing on the agenda today, Gaudi’s famous garden, situated high above the city streets.

PARK GUELL

Built  in the 19th century, Park Guell lies north of downtown Barcelona. In 1923, the municipality took over the park, which was then designated as a public park. With all the character of Antonio Gaudi, and the distinctive staircase with colourful sculptures in the form of snakes and lizards, stone pillars resembling a giant wave, the park is an experience. The huge garden bench, constructed of cement, was decorated with thousands of discarded pottery fragments, in all colours. Here, the young tourists walk around, while the park’s screaming parrots, fly from tree to tree.

Several of Gaudi's works are on UNESC0's list of landmark cultural attractions. Barcelona has nine places on this list, for which Gaudi alone, accounts for over half. By comparison, Denmark has a total of four attractions which have been found worthy of being world heritage sites.

A long day of Gaudi on the program without motorcycles, is now over. Many thoughts and images are sorted, they must be placed in boxes and folders before the next load of culture will be driven into the brain.