This morning, in a very, very wet and thunderstormy Barcelona, to Casa Batlló, (of course) by Gaudí - and indeed fascinating to see how he worked as an interior designer, and how his signature curves and wave and shell and turtle shapes pervaded even the smallest detail. But what a strange place! It seemed designed to squeeze every last tourist dollar out of each one of its visitors. It provided no information anywhere, except on the audio tour on one's hang-round-the-neck iPad-like things - mine stopped working after a couple of rooms. So did everyone else's. In any case, it quickly became apparent that its real raison d'être was to act as a backdrop for Instagrammy photos and selfies - in every corner other than its two - two! gift shops.
It was very wet on the roof.
The folding chains on the back stairs weren't by Gaudí, but by the Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, and were really striking.
At the end, one was thrust into an installation called Inside the Mind of Gaudí - er - more photo opps ...
I wasn't sorry to splash through the thunderstorms, and get on a train to Valencia.
Why didn't I know about Valencia before?? It's wonderful!! Rather like Sicily, but cleaner ...
and with some stunning gardens -
with occupants.
Pretty corners everywhere.
Outside the cathedral - inexplicable - I think they'd escaped from a C19th genre picture.
Inside the cathedral.
And on the way to eating a lot of fish for dinner: yet more baroque,
and a stunning bank building.
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