Feild Trip 2: Bilbao

After an insane trip from Roma to Girona, expensive taxis from Girona to BCN airport, a flight to Bilbao, and taxi's to our hotel...we arrived in Bilbao. Bilbao is tucked in the mountains on the northern coast of Spain and was freezing!

A very interesting airport (designed by Santiago Calatrava) greeted us to modern Bilbao. Bilbao has an interesting mix of old and new. It has a great stock of turn of the century buildings (they look like they should be in northern Europe or the American Midwest though, not Spain) and many modern buildings along their waterfront.

Some of the interesting older buildings.

Bilbao was a decaying old industrial town until a group of famous architects were hired to 'fix it'. This was back in 1989 and now Bilbao is a huge tourist destination with the Frank Ghery Guggenheim and other modern structures.

A very cool foot bridge by Calatrava New sky-scraping condos being built by it's (now) trendy waterfront
From the foot bridge we walked over to the Guggenheim (lets face it, the city's main attraction.)

This was another one of the those buildings I have seen for years so it was really cool to finally see. I was surprised at how much it was aging already (built in 1997). The metallic panels were looking dirty, I can't imagine how it will look in 2025 if they don't clean it.
(In a side note- the pannels were all made in Kansas City!! I learned this from the KC BizJournal)

We stopped in the cafe where Ghery's signature furniture is utilized.
The building is more of a sculpture than a great space for art. The museum's collection was lackluster and a lot of the audio guide was just about Ghery and his buildings, and his legacy, etc etc...bla bla...He's really not that great...One of the cooler works housed in the 'tin foil temple' A cool spider statue outside of the museum. We have two of these at our modern art museum in Kansas City. I've also seen one in Manhattan. It's cool to travel the world and see where these are.
The € Shot.
As much as I criticise this, I really do like it. It really does make a unique sculpture. Should every city have one (as they are all scrambling to have a Ghery building) NO!
Anyway, the rest of the city was very charming too. Here was an awesome modernista apartment building being renovated. (Would it be getting fixed up if the Guggenheim wasn't there...probably not)
The city's main square and traditional center...the river front is its new center Well it was really cold and I felt like I had seen everything I wanted to so I decided to take the day train home instead of spending another day aimlessly walking around before the overnight train. I really wanted to see the scenery, too. It was a hellishly long train ride...11 hours...and I didn't sleep the entire time...The scenery was nice though-



Getting closer to BCN!!!

Avinguda De Gaudi : Sagrada Familia and Hospital de Sant Pau

Sagrada Familia is Barcelona's most visited tourist attraction.

But, it's still under construction! Imagine how many visitors and worshipers it will bring when it is complete!

This weekend, the only one between Paris and Rome, I decided to go check out the Hospital de Sant Pau way on the other side of Eixample. We had learned about it our history class and it looked really cool. Victoria and I decided to walk all the way there by way of Passage de Gracia w/ it's two Gaudi apartments (Casa Batllo and Casa Mila) and the Gaudi designed Sagrada Fimilia.

The Hospital was designed by the Gaudi's main rival architect, Lluis Domenech i Montaner. It was interesting to get and see the Gaudi works then take Gaudi Boulevard to Montaner's work. (It's obvious who the city likes more)

Sagrada Familia was Gaudi's masterpiece that was never finished. He was given the task of completing a Neo-Gothic church in 1883. He changed all the plans and worked on it for years until he became a recluse, living and working in the crypt for 16 years...obsessed with the project. At his death, only one tower on the Nativity facade was finished. Work resumed after Spain's Civil War and continues today.
The Passion Facade, completed in the 1980's
Many more towers have been completed in the last 75 years.The Nativity FacadeThe Nativity facade is strange...It's organic carvings give the since that the church is melting. Its an architectural aspect found on much of Gaudi's work. Its very obvious where the existing Neo-Gothic church stops and Gaudi's organic design starts. This terracotta tree with doves was a piece of ornamentation that I thought was a little cheesy at first. Now that I'm looking at it in this photo I really like it. This kind of color ornamentation is not found on any other cathedral in Europe. It really is Europe's most unconventional church. It looks as if the church is in ruins and starting to be taken over by nature.Next, we walked down Avinguda De Gaudi to his rival's masterpiece. It faces the Sagrada, looking down the avenue's rambla.

View of the Sagrada, looking down the rambla.

Some really cool lights along the rambla. They remind me of a variation on some other lights around the city (Passage De Gracia, The park the connects the Arc del Triomf with Parc de l Ciutadella). I think they could be a Gaudi design? Defiantly modernista. Its interesting how much infrastructure like this can effect the street experience of an area. Cool, artistic light fixtures really give a since of place and elegant ones make the city much more beautiful and 'world class.' (Something to keep in mind in my own project)A cool statue at the end of the rambla next to the hospital. Sagrada looms in the distance

The Hospital de San Pau is a series of 26 beautiful and ornate "Mudejar-style" pavilions set in a huge garden. Lluis Domenech thought that surrounding the patients with fresh air and trees would make them recover faster. All the buildings are connected underground by corridors. He also thought that art and color were therapeutic so he decorated the pavilions elaborately. The result is beautiful.

Street facade, Check-in, Main entry into courtyard
Elaborate modernista gates
The Passage from the Street to the Courtyard has a beautiful ceiling. I've seem passageways with a similar vault, but built with dark stone. The terracotta tiles make it much more inviting and bright.
The hospital buildings remind me of the retail buildings in Kansas City's Plaza. They would make really nice condos if the hospital ever shut down

From some views, it hard to remember that you are even in a hospital


I really enjoyed the hospital and see how that environment could be better for sick patients. The only bad part was that it had a really weird mix of tourists (there was a group of Japanese tourists there too), doctors running around, and people actually there w/ a sick family member. I felt kind of bad taking pictures. Anyway, The design was very beautiful and I actually really like this guy's work over Gaudi's strange works.

Spring Break '07 - PARIS

Ahh, Paris So first, I think I'll just give an overview of my impressions of Paris. This is the most beautiful city I have ever been to. The buildings are all immaculately restored and clean (for the most part), their gold leaf looking as if it had just been applied yesterday. All the gardens were painstakingly taken care of, and as Spring was just beginning, the sights and smells were heavenly. French is a strange language that is very hard to understand...Spanish is much more clear, so that made me glad to be studying in Barcelona instead. Regardless, Paris is the definition of what a city should be. A well-taken-care-of center filled with historic buildings (with hardly any modern buildings in site) surrounded by lush green spaces. Art and culture housed in gorgeous buildings (all with in walking distance of each other) and all the trash and ugliness that exists in so many cities across the world hidden on the fringes of the city. Its a shame that for the most part American cities are the opposite with a decaying center and the money in the suburbs (although if current trends continue, that will change). Anyway...my new favorite city? PARIS!
Arrival

After a long day of traveling we finally arrived in the city. We had to take the metro to a train station in BCN, take the train to Girona an hour away, then take a bus to the Girona airport, then fly for a very short time, then take a hour long bus ride to Paris, then finally metro to our hostel, "Friends Hostel". Once we got there, we were so tired from all that traveling that we just went to bed after grabbing a bite at a nearby pizza place (so french...haha). Our neighborhood in Paris, Montmartre...AKA the red light district. You can see the Sacre Coeur looming on the hilltop in the background, a place we would come to love.
The Hostel looked a little like a brothel with all that neon... Day 1

Our first priority was to see the Eiffel Tower. It seemed like an unoriginal choice, but it was a good place to start our trip and orient ourselves in the city.

Our neighborhood from my window at the hostel...yes the loud metro was right across the street.
As we rode the metro into the city, I felt kind of like in did the first time I went to Disneyland. I was so excited to see Paris that I could hardly sit still on the metro (kind of like taking the monorail into the theme park). Our train popped out of the dark tunnel and flew across a bridge over the Seine giving us a glorious view of the Eiffel Tower. It was an awesome site and a great way to start our trip.The base of the tower was much larger than I thought it would be. We decided to climb up the first two levels and then take the elevator to the top. We did this just to experience the climb, but it ended up saving us half the cost of taking the elevator from the base.
The stairs...
Champ de Mars from the second level
Victoria and I on the climb up

The Arc de Triomphe from as seen from the tower
The base and the city below
¿Tourists or ants?
After seeing the beautiful view we descended and made our way to the Arc de Triomphe, strolling the Champs de Mars on the way.
On the way to the Arc we saw an awesome Art Nouveau building...we were disappointed at the amount to A.N. we got to see in Paris. We expected a lot more...we must have missed most of it somehow. Barcelona gives us our fill of it anyway.

Upon arrival at the Arc I was surprised at how large it was and also at how much of an island it was. I wondered how anyone ever got across all the traffic to it until I discovered the tunnel that leads you to it.
After admiring the Arc, we walked down the famous Champs Elysees admiring the architecture. We stopped in at a coffee shop and enjoyed some good coffee and flan. (Although it was the most expensive little cup of coffee I have ever bought).
Nearer to the Place de la Concorde the flower beds were in full bloom. The weather was holding out, just a little mist now and then. I didn´t even mind the rain...something about it seemed so appropriate to Paris.
The Arc de Triomphe and Champs Elysees
The Placa de la Concorde was pretty awesome, complete with Egyptian obelisk. However, it was one of the most hostile pedestrian spaces I have ever been to. Spain is much better at linking its plazas with pedestrians.

Up close and personal with the fountain gods and goddesses. I was so impressed at how fresh the paint looked.
As we walked into the Jardin des Tulieries we spied a model in a photo shoot (or at least some wanna be model). Asian tourists snapped their camera too, hoping that she was some famous name. We started noticing how dressed up the citizens of Paris were. Everyone wearing dark colors and pea coats...no one without their expensive Louis Vuitton accessories. It fit Paris, but Victoria and I missed the alternative, funkiness, and non-pretentious fashion of Barcelona.
The lush green grass is something that has always amazed me about Europe.
After strolling the pebble paths of Tuileries we arrived at the Louvre. We were there only to take pictures that day...saving it for a more rainy day. (the forecast predicted them for the rest of the week.)

We wanted to hit up more gardens while the weather was good so we headed north to Palais Royal. This beautiful little garden was hidden inside of a block of what are now apartments.
I remembered learning that French landscaping was very structured. I didn´t realize to what degree until I saw how these trees were cut. You can see this ¨box tree¨ method all over Paris. It is actually very beautiful although not very natural looking. A tulip tree in bloom...Isn´t it still snowy in the states?
One thing i don´t like about Paris is how everyone is restricted to looking at the grass...In Barcelona and in the US people are allowed to sit in the grass and enjoy it. Paris is so manicured that they don´t even let you enjoy it...you have to admire it like its a painting or something. Not a fan.

Me relaxing on a chair in the park.
Tired from our day of walking we decided to make our way back to the hostel. We decided to just walk so we could get a feeling for what was in the city between the old town and our hostel. Also, seeing the city on foot is the best way. I was using a crappy little map from a page in Where Magazine, but we got home fine.

Nordeste, the area between our hostel and the city center was full of quaint streets and cool little stores.

We arrived to our hectic neighborhood just in time, the sun was about to set. As it was rush hour we could hardly squeeze down our street lined with thugs pushing rip-off cigarettes and lower class Parisians perusing the knock off apparel in large tubs on the sidewalk´s edge.
As we made our dinners in the hostel´s kitchen, we were able to meet some of the others that were staying at there. This was my first hostel experience and meeting these new friends, as temporary as they were, was a very important part of the entire ¨Euro Experience.¨ I first met a dreadlocked girl from the Bible-Belt named Margerie. She was really outgoing and seemed happy to meet new people. She reminded me a little of my sister Mollie as she traveled Europe about ten years ago (and she used to have dreads too). We met a guy she had befriended earlier named Jamie from upstate, NY. He reminded me of pretty much everyone I have even met from that area: laid back, kind of a drifter, but really friendly. The third person we met was a British guy who had come to Paris to join the French Foreign Legion but changed his mind because of a ´bird´ back in London. He was really funny but hard to understand...(UK ´English´ might as well be its own language!) They were all in their mid 20s, but the few years difference didn´t seem to bother them. They told us that every night they climb Montmartre with a couple of bottles of wine and just sit and enjoy the lights of Paris. We thought that is sounded like a great idea so we all climbed the steps to the Sacre Coeur and just took it all in.
Day 2

Victoria and I had compiled a list of sights that we had to see while we were in Paris the night before we left. The night we got there, I looked at my maps and put the places in order according to approximity to eachother. The first day was the big names along the Right Bank. This second day we wanted to see some more sites on the Right Bank, but farther away from the water. Our first stop was a church, Madeleine. It reminded me of the the Parthenon and looked more like a goverment builiding than a church. It was one of the few dirty buildings in the city center. It seemed like an appropriate building to be dirty though. The dirt accentuated the details and simply looked cool. It looked as though it was about to be restored anyway.

The interior

Next, we made our way to the Opera. We admired just about every builiding along the way...Paris is a heaven for architects who admire the past.
A beautiful rose window on a random church in Paris. It would surely be a monument in any other city.
As we arrived at the Opera, I was stunned. Once again, a building that has been restored recently. If I didn´t know better, I would have guessed it was constructed yesterday.

The famous grand staircase
Awesome light fixtures. This building summed up in one word? DECADANT


The magnificent grand foyer...fit for a king but built for the public.

From the Opera, we deviated from our schedule to visit Notre Dame. We were afraid that it was going to rain the rest of the trip, but it was sunny that day so we made the trek to Ile de la Cite.

The Right Bank from Ile de la Cite...Hotel de Ville is in the background.
We decided to stop at the little park on the tip of the island to get a close view of the Seine. It was a pretty little space.
From there we walked to Notre Dame, once again clean and looking brand new...not 1000 years old!
The grand doorway
The breathtaking inside

We then decided to walk around the back of the church to get a view of those famous flying buttresses. From there, we walked across the Pont St. Louis to Ile St Louis to see what that was like.
A beautiful break in the clouds
After checking out the trendy and expensive little Ile and having some coffee, we decided to check out Medieval Paris...comparing it against Barcelona´s. One observation is that it is much cleaner and obviously full of French architecture.

A pretty little garden called Square A Schweitzer. Lycee Charlemagne, an aweome structure

We came across a beautiful square surrounded by some very typical french chateau looking buildings called Place des Vosges...AKA Square Louis XIII

More Medeival splender.
Finally, we hiked back to the Lourve to meet our new friend Margerie. We arrived 30 minutes late and missed her, but we decided to go inside anyway. We only got to see half of the entirely too large museaum, but it was awesome reguardless. The Mona Lisa, although over hyped and too small, was amazing. The epic clouds over the Lourve reminded me to the background of some 1700s French painting.

The hallways of priceless art seemed to stretch forever and made the pieces seem less spectacular. This is a bit of a shame.
As we left the Lourve, we got to see how the architecture of the pyramid and the palace change in the dark. The contrast was beautiful.
After getting back to the hostel and making dinner, we returned to the Sacre Coeur. This time we couldn´t find our new friends so we just went alone. On the steps, we met some Italian and Spanish kids who were hanging out. Someone had an iPod with speakers and we all hungout listening American music and watching the city glimmer below.
Day 3

We started our day at the Invalids, where Napoleon´s tomb is. We had a busy day planned so we just walked through the courtyard and didn´t pay to go in. Next, we made our way to the Luxembourg Palace by way of the historic Left Bank. We admired the architecture here too (of course).
Upon arriving at the Palace we were excited to see that the clouds had cleared and the forecast for showers was definitely not right. The building was amazing, and the gardens equally beautiful.

Once again, people were not allowed on the grass. I know that this is probably why it looks to perfect, but come on! Grass is for people to enjoy!

From there we moved on to the Pantheon. I grabbed a famous French baguette on the way, but it seemed no different from the bread in BCN.
After admiring the outside and peeking into the inside (you had to pay to enter) we stopped in at a quaint little coffee shop for a coffee.
Next, we just explored more of the Left Bank, waking down Boulevard Saint Germain.

A pretty little pocket park along the Boulevard
From there, we hiked over to a park whose name in English means ¨Garden of the Plants.¨ We thought this was a sort of a stupid and obvious name. We were also really unimpressed with the upkeep of the park. Besides the box trees, it was in terrible shape. No doubt it is probably scheduled for a restoration soon.

Next, we went to the Pompidou Center to meet a friend of Rob´s who is in the Rome study abroad program, but happened to be in Pairs too.

The inside out architecture of the Pomp contrasts greatly from the beautiful building of traditional Paris.
As much as I hated this builidng, I still appreciated its uniqueness. We didn´t pay to go to the Modern Art Museaum inside, but we did visit the public library also inside.
The crowded library

Exhausted as we were, we once again decided to climb the hill and drink some champagne on the steps of the Sacre Coeur. This was a much clearer night, and the steps were jammed with kids and adults hanging out. This time, someone had brought a guitar and everyone was singing songs. They were of course American songs so we were able to sing along. It was a really fun time.

Rob, Victoria, and I living it up.

The beautiful church at night.
Day 4

This day we went into the city with our new roomate from the Hostel. He was an interesting guy from San Franciso. He was a native of that city and took alot of pride in that. He said he lived in the ghetto and was even a gang member in his youth, but now in his late 20's he works as a gourmet chef and hopes to open his own resturant (don´t worry mom and dad he was harmless and really, a nice guy). He was traveling Europe, studying the food and methods used here.

Our first stop was the National Assemblee. We couldn´t go in, but just admired it from the outside.

We were planning on going to the Musee d´Orsay at 12 to meet another Catholic U student who was in Paris, but it was only 11, so we decided to check out the free exhibit at the Petit Palais.

The magnificent Pont Alexandre III bridge, freshly restored.

The Petit Palais is a breathtaking building, and the art inside was awesome too! An interesting statue of a woman with a pet monkey. This piece really gave me a feeling for what rich people were like in Paris in the early 1900s.
Next, we headed to the Musee d´Orsay. I was so exicted to go see all the famous impressionist art! That is my favorite kind of art, and this museaum has some of the best pieces. (Mollie, I really hope you got to see this when you were in Paris!) It is curently under renovation. The progress in this city amazes me! The Musee is a converted train station. I had seen it in architecture books and was really unimpressed with the conversion. However, when I actually went there I really liked it! The materials used for the new rooms are a lot nicer than they look in photos. This museum was still exhausting, but much more managable than the Lourve.Some of my favorite works - Its amazing how you can take pictures of the art in Europe...that would not fly in America!An awesome Art Nouveau interior transported to the Musee.After all that, our group split up and Victoria and I went shopping. That was a really bad idea and I ended up getting really exhausted! Regardless, we had plans to go to the Lourve´s free students' night and try to see the rest of the museum...so I dragged my tired bones there.One of my favorite things was the Napoleaon III apartments. This was a part of the Lourve that they simply didn´t change. It was beautiful.

Awesome contrast in colors from room to room.The dinning room; table seats 50

Arriving back at the hostel, we just hit the hay. We were far too tired to hike up that hill.

Day 5

This was our last day, :( We decided to hike up Montmartre one last time to get the view in the daytime.

After touring the church, we decided to see the rest of the hill. It was a quaint little neighborhood with some of the only single family houses in central Paris.

After visiting a flea market on the edge of the city, we returned to the hostel to take a nap as we were still exhausted from the day before. Around 7 we woke up and decided to see the Eiffel Tower one last time. It was awsome to see at night. Every hour it shimmers with lights that equates to a ¨champagne fizzle.¨

So that ended our trip to Paris. It started with the Eiffel Tower and ended with it too. I feel like I got to see everything I wanted to and was ready to return to sunny BCN. I loved Paris, and plan to return many times if I can, but it was not a city I could even live in. It seems too grand, too big, and too pretencious for me. Barcelona seems like a much more personal town that embraces you. Oh well, Paris is something everyone should get to see and enjoy!