European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 6, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                / i / visitors stroll through Barcelona s outdoor museum of Spanish architecture. Continued from Page 4 about the City. Gaudi s Casa Mila apartment Block for example built Between 1906 and 1910 and popularly known As la Pedrera the Quarry is in the form of a giant wave. Its balconies Rise and fall and the whole building looks As if it s on the move rolling up and Down. But probably the most famous and unmissable of All Gaudi s works is the unfinished fanciful Cathedral known As la Sagrada Familia the holy family. Gaudi s style a part Disneyland part notre Dame Cathedral part Parthenon a is an unlikely irrational synthesis of everything you be Ever seen with nothing you could have imagined. To the dismay of scholars the eccentric Gaudi 1853-1926 made no attempt to explain his work he left no theories wrote no books never delivered a lecture. He simply built. Salvador Dali said he was Quot marked for life Quot by the Quot psycho pathological Quality Quot of la Sagrada Familia an awesome example of Barcelona Modem isme a a unique local aesthetic movement often linked with Art Nouveau. Dali likened the Structure to Quot ornamental cakes and tarts of a pastry  controversy still rages around the Cathedral s bizarre twisted Spires. The edifice has Long been a rallying Point for catholics in Barcelona and an object of dislike for the non religious. Gaudi s buildings alone would make a visit to Barcelona worthwhile. Aside from la Sagrada Familia Gaudi s Best known work is probably the parc Gizell following the contours of a Hill overlooking Barcelona. At the Entrance to this Urban Park Are two pavilions whose bases Are More or less regular despite windows whose sides Are All different lengths. The roofs though Rise like anteaters snouts topped with curious knobs and Glossy ceramics. The Entrance stairway is dominated by a nameless vaguely mythological creature that guards a Large Ceramic egg. Beyond this apparition there is a Small Forest of strangely shaped columns. These support a promenade area whose Boundary is one Long Ceramic covered seat that twists like a Serpent. Walkways wind their Way up the Hill supported by columns set at crazy angles. Whatever anyone thinks about the fluid flow of Gaudi s creations with their multicoloured mosaics and ceramics they have profoundly influenced other artists who have worked or lived in Barcelona a among them Joan Miro and Pablo Picasso both of whom have galleries in Barcelona dedicated to their work. The Dali museum is at Figueras not far from Barcelona. The Picasso museum in a 14th-Century Nobleman s Palace is devoted to his very Early work. And at the fun Dacio Joan Miro there s a collection of Miro paintings drawings sculpture and tapestry with All their titles in catalan or French and none in Spanish. The museum d Art de Cataluna is a magnificent Palace with magnificent frescoes rescued from ruined old churches 12th-Century Wood carvings altar pieces and one of the world s Foremost collections of medieval Art. And speaking of museums the museum Maritim at the waterfront is considered one of the finest anywhere. It includes a Beautiful full size reproduction of the Galley real the Crimson catalan flagship at the Battle of Lepanto 1571as Well As figureheads maps anchors and seafaring Memorabilia from roman times Onward through the centuries. It is Down at the waterfront to la Barceloneta that families flock on sundays to sit out in front of the cafes and enjoy the local fish. The District is on a triangular Tongue of land formed by Sand that accumulated when the port of Barcelona was built in the 17th Century. For anyone who is even slightly adventurous when it comes to food the dockside restaurants of Barcelona should t be missed. Out of steaming pots of fish stews smoking grills and bubbling Oil come wonderful dishes of sea Bass squid Angler fish Rock lobsters red shrimps and baby eels. The Dock area is however Best avoided at night because Barcelona like other ports has its drug and drug related problems. In the evening you re better off strolling along la Rambla a Lively mile Long tree lined Boulevard that leads from the sea to the Plaza de Cataluna. La Rambla forms the Central spine of a promenade from which you can explore Barcelona Antigua the heart of the City. And that is truly a stroller s Delight historic squares roman remains the old buildings and narrow passageways of Barri gothic the gothic Quarter. Along the whole length of the Rambla s undulating pavement you come upon Flower stands bookshops stalls from which you can buy parrots canaries and doves. There Are men who la rent you a chair cafes from where you can sit and watch and watch and watch. And think of where to go next. Off the Rambla for example is the Mercat Sant Josep a colonnaded Market piled High with fruit vegetables and fruit in lavish display. The Cathedral of Santa Eulalia a bit farther away is magically transformed on the outside at night its Spires bathed in Pale lights and its stained Glass windows flooded with Light from the inside displaying them in All their glory. The Pla a reial where they say Columbus brought his exotic gifts from the new world is one of the most popular squares just off the Rambla with several bars and cafes. All around the Rambla there Are sights enough to keep the most energetic visitor occupied but it would be a shame not to take to the Hills of Mont Juzych Park with its monster fountains that shoot hundreds of Gallons of water in a Jet More than 150 feet High. Or if you want a Fine panoramic View of the City Tib Idabo is 1,600 feet up and like Mont Juzych can be reached by Cable car funicular or taxi which incidentally Are All very cheap. Outside the City apart from the obvious attractions of the Beach lined coast there is Gerona where the Cathedral towers Over the tightly packed tiers of tenements and the Benedictine monastery of Monserrat with its Black Virgin and the roman remains at Tarragona. In Barcelona itself there Are also the local museums filled with paintings by Al Greco Correggio and Caravaggio. But Barcelona in t the kind of City for a Quick Stopover just to tour of the sights. That Way you la probably Only notice that the place also has its share of pollution and ecological problems. Relax and take in the Drift of the people along the Rambla Avenue of Flower stalls and Bird Sellers and sidewalk cafes. Sip Barcelona slowly like a Fine Zenedes wine absorbing its Art and architecture. You la discover More than just a banking Center and a City of great artistic wealth. You la also experience gracious cat Alunan hospitality smiling passers by who Volunteer unasked to give directions. And More. Barcelona vibrant and proud Metropolis with heart. You la like it 6 stripes Magazine september 6, 1990