Thursday, May 1, 2014

Streets of Barcelona

When I first saw Barcelona I knew I would love to come back there again, and again. Barcelona is an amazing city and it's difficult to describe it just using words: you have to see it, feel the atmosphere of the city, see the people strolling, hear how they speak, watch how they dress and behave. Even showing you pictures will never let you feel all the rest. Let me try at least share my strongest memories.

Kiedy pierwszy raz zobaczyłam Barcelonę, już wiedziałam, że będę chciała tam wracać i wracać. Barcelona jest zadziwiającym miastem i trudno ją opisać zwykłymi słowami: trzeba ją zobaczyć, poczuć atmosferę miasta, poobserwować przechadzających się tam ludzi, posłuchać jak mówią, zobaczyć jak są ubrani i jak się zachowują. Niestety oglądając zdjęcia nie można w pełni poczuć panującej tam atmosfery. Spróbuję podzielić się z Wami moimi najsilniejszymi wspomnieniami.



Walking the streets of Barcelona I simply didn't know what I should be looking at as I liked absolutely everything! Architecture surrounding me was so astonishing and I could only compare it to the impression I had when I visited Paris for the first time. So I decided to look... above and not to miss anything of what I can see.

Przechadzając się ulicami Barcelony nie wiedziałam, w którą stronę mam patrzeć. Podobało mi się wszystko. Absolutnie wszystko! Architektura dookoła przyprawiała mnie o prawdziwy zawrót głowy i mogłabym to wrażenie porównać jedynie z tym, które odniosłam będąc pierwszy raz w Paryżu. Postanowiłam więc patrzeć... w górę i podziwiać wszystko w zasięgu wzroku.



Then suddenly I saw it: La Sagrada Familia. I heard and read a lot about this amazing building but I never realized this was something that will remain in my memory probably forever. This is the most visited tourist attraction in Barcelona and every year over 3,000,000 visitors come to see it. The church is considered  one of the most original and ambitious modern buildings in the world. And I absolutely agree!!

Wtem nagle ją zobaczyłam: La Sagrada Familia. Czytałam i słyszałam sporo o tej wspaniałej budowli, ale nigdy nie zdawałam sobie sprawy z tego, że po tym jak ją zobaczę - zostanie w mojej pamięci prawdopodobnie na zawsze. To najczęściej odwiedzana przez turystów atrakcja Barcelony, rocznie widzi ją ponad 3 mln osób. Kościół jest uważany za jeden z najbardziej oryginalnych i ambitnych budynków na świecie. I zgadzam się z tym!




Building of La Sagrada Família started in 1882 and it has been built from donations. Gaudí himself said: "The expiatory church of La Sagrada Família is made by the people and is mirrored in them. It is a work that is in the hands of God and the will of the people." The building is still going on and could be finished some time in our century.

Budowanie kościoła rozpoczęło się w 1882 roku z datków ludzi. Sam Gaudi powiedział, że "kościół ekspiacyjny La Sagrada Familia jest tworzony przez ludzi i w ludziach ma swoje odbicie. Jest to dzieło w rękach Boga i powstaje z woli ludzi." Budowanie kościoła nadal trwa i zostanie zakończone kiedyś w przyszłości.





The church was designed by Antoni Gaudi - one of the outstanding world architecturers. He  studied, worked and lived with his family in Barcelona. It is also in the city that we find most of his work. He was first and foremost an architect, but he also designed furniture and objects and worked in town planning and landscaping, amongst other disciplines. This is amazing how the language of his art speaks directly to our senses.



Antoni Gaudí was aware that he would not complete the project for the whole church, and so he  programmed the construction and explained the project to his associates and various young architects so that they can finish the construction.






If you feel you need some more information about this fantastic building please visit the following site: http://www.sagradafamilia.cat/
After I saw it I was overwhelmed. And had some other places to visit! I started walking then to see some other nice streets and buildings.

Jeśli potrzebujecie zdobyć trochę więcej informacji na temat tej fantastycznej budowli odsyłam Was do strony http://www.sagradafamilia.cat/ 
Po tym jak ją zobaczyłam byłam oszołomiona. A miałam jeszcze zobaczyć inne miejsca! Poszłam więc oglądać inne piękne ulice i miejsca.







So you're walking the streets of Barcelona and you never know when you're going to see another incredible piece of Gaudi's architecture (unless you live there). La Pedrera is another astonishing building I could see next.

Idąc ulicami Barcelony nigdy nie wiadomo, kiedy człowiek natknie się na kolejne dzieło architektury Gaudiego (chyba że mieszka w Barcelonie). La Padrera to kolejny wspaniały budynek który zobaczyłam.



The word "Pedrera" means "quarry" but the original name of the house was Casa Milà. This is another masterpiece by Antoni Gaudí and was designed as a fashionable home for wealthy Milà family. The name Pedrera was used locally to describe the building because of its shape and the name stuck.



La Pedrera was built as house of apartments and offices however the owner had difficulty renting the apartments because  the rooms were irregularly shaped.
Look at the details of the balconies - arent they wonderful?



Then I strolled again and admired streets and buildings around. One of the most famous streets in Barcelona are Avenida Diagonal and La Rambla.









La Rambla is the most famous street in Barcelona. It is the wide boulevard which connects the Plaça de Catalunya with the Columbus Monument and the city's waterfront.
It is popular with tourists and locals too. The middle part of the Rambla is bordered by trees and designed for pedestrians. 




Even though it is one continuous street, the Rambla actually consists of five 'ramblas'. That's why the street is also called Las Ramblas.






After walking, having some coffee and observing people I finally got to another place I wanted to see: Casa Batlló, also designed by Gaudi.



Casa Batlló is often overlooked by many people because it's on the same road as La Pedrera  and it is La Pedrera that tends to draw more people's attention. For mi Casa Batlló is more interesting and beautiful and I highly recommend to see it.









Gaudí' s work has an incredible characteristic of activating your imagination. His work first astonishes you, then challenges to ask questions, so be prepared to be thinking about Gaudí's masterpieces long after you leave the city.




If you have a chance - go to Barcelona and spend there a couple of days so that you can admire its beauty and feel the atmosphere.

14 comments:

  1. Piękne zdjęcia ;) Kocham Barcelonę ;)

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  2. I've been to Barcelona once before a couple of years ago.
    It's one of the most beautiful cities I've ever visited and I'm going back this month!
    Reading your post has made me even more excited! (didn't think that would have been possible)
    Amazing photos and I love the extra information you gave. Really interesting!

    Xx Anne
    www.sickchicksblog.blogspot.nl

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  3. Thank you for sharing the photos! This is one of the cities I would absolutely love to visit and hopefully will do one day. x

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  4. I very much enjoyed your post. I could feel how much, through the photos and your descriptions, that you loved your visit. It is apparent how talented Gaudi was. Thanks so much for sharing this.

    Sharon
    http://www.afashioncrowd.blogspot.com

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  5. Barcelona looks like an amazing city and will defo come and visit this summer! Thanks for stopping by my blog by the way... I really appreciate.

    Adelaide
    Http://houseofadelaide.blogspot.co.uk//

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  6. piękne zdjęcia :) z pewnością na żywo wszystko jeszcze lepiej się prezentuje :)
    Obserwujemy?:)

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  7. I absolutely love Barcelona! If I could choose a place to live.. it would be there!
    I´ve been a few times in my life there and love it every time more. After coming home I bought a huge book about Antonio Gaudi with all the beautiful pictures of the buildings and parks.
    Thank you so much for this post.. I´ve enjoyed it vey much :)

    have a nice weekend
    Dana
    http://danalovesfashionandmusic.blogspot.de/

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  8. Klimat jak w "Vicky, Christina, Barcelona" - mogę oglądać wiele razy, zawsze sprawia frajdę i relaksuje.

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  9. Cudne zdjęcia! Niebawem zamierzam wybrać się do Barcelony na wycieczkę :)

    http://hiddenndreamms.blogspot.com

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  10. I'd seriously love to visit! These pictures are stunning!

    XO Color Me Courtney

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  11. Barcelona !! Me encanta ^^
    Diseño zapatos para Blanco :) Espero que te guste mi blog ! Un abrazo!

    http://sweetjungle.wordpress.com/

    ReplyDelete
  12. Barcelonę znam tylko ze zdjęć i już widzę, że jest to piękne miasto, uwielbiam oglądać dzieła Gaudi'ego i strasznie chciałabym tam pojechać. Zrobiłaś piękne zdjęcia :)
    Zapraszam do mnie
    http://lexilux.blogspot.com/

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  13. piękne widoki, tak bardzo pragnę wakacji i wyjazdów w takie niezwykłe miejsca...
    PS. też czytam Atlantic-Pacific, jest świetna!

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  14. Tutu and I would love to be able to visit Barcelona some day!

    www.highheelsandtutus.com

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for stopping by, reading and all your comments.