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We had a lovely experience with our guide, Alex. He kept not only the attention of my myself and my husband, but also our teen boys, ages 13 &amp; 16. Not since our tour with Lawrence in 2017 (British Museum) have we enjoyed a tour so much.  The Hospital de Sant Pau was surprisingly beautiful and interesting, and was an excellent complement to the Sagrada Familia. Thank you, Alex! 
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Kelley
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<div class="label label--neutral-gray-068" content="2024-08-02 20:36:24 UTC" itemprop="datePublished">
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Aug  2, 2024
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Zaida was absolutely fantastic. We had yet another wonderful context tour in Barcelona. 
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Cressida
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<div class="label label--neutral-gray-068" content="2024-08-01 22:03:06 UTC" itemprop="datePublished">
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Aug  1, 2024
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Based on his knowledge of my interests and on what we had already discussed in previous tours together, Mark did an amazing job conceiving an itinerary centered on the MNAC and other venues located in the surrounding area. We arrived at Plaça d&#39;Espanya, where we took the opportunity to explore the impact of the 1929 International Exhibition of Barcelona (Expo 1929), when many national pavilions and other constructions, such as the Venetian Towers and the Monumental Fountain (the latter projected by Jujol, one of Gaudi’s main associates), were installed.

In the MNAC, we focused on the collection of Romanesque Art, which encompasses from the 11th to the 13th centuries and is made up of an exceptional set of mural paintings and a rich collection of panel paintings, which is said to be one of the largest and oldest collections of Romanesque Art in Europe. Mark explained the particular iconography of the frescoes and the techniques used in that period. Also enlightening was his description of the method used to remove the frescoes from their original locations to transfer them to the museum. We surely had a superb time appreciating the beauty and complexity of some of the best Romanesque frescoes in the world! As a closing to our experience in the MNAC, we went to its terrace to enjoy the fantastic view of Barcelona. We have already set a future visit to MNAC to appreciate its other collections (besides its Romanesque collection, the Museum houses a Baroque and Renaissance collection and a Modern Art collection). Through Mark’s skillful and thoughtful guidance, I am sure this next tour will be as exhilarating as this one was! 

Aiming to indulge my keen interest in Architecture, Mark made our next stop that morning at the acclaimed German Pavilion designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich for the official reception of the Spanish Royal couple, King Alfonso XIII and Victoria Eugenia, and German authorities during the Expo 1929. Over the years, the pavilion has become a reference in Mies van der Rohe’s work and in 20th century Architecture,  as being an emblematic work of the Modern Movement, and has served as a source of inspiration for architects of different periods. Mark did a great job of drawing my attention to the unique features of the German Pavilion. The exotic combination of materials used in its construction — steel, stone, and glass — contrasts beautifully with the simple structure of the building, which was treated as a continuous space. The use of veneers of extravagant high-grade stones — golden onyx from the Atlas Mountains, ancient green marble from Greece, green Alpine marble, and Roman travertine — is spectacular. In turn, the use of glass — translucent glass and tinted glass of grey, green, and white — for the exterior walls blurs the notion of inside and outside. The pavilion was intended to be bare, without any exhibits. Inside, only specially-designed furniture (including the Barcelona Chair, an icon of modern design). In the inner patio, placed at one end of a small pond, a single sculpture, “Dawn” (“Der Morgen”) by Georg Kolbe.

Now, it was time to please my passion for Modernismo Catalán, so we headed towards Fàbrica Casaramona, a former textile factory designed by Puig i Cadafalch, one of the masters of the movement, alongside Gaudi. As Mark diligently explained, this complex is one of the most prominent examples of the Catalan Modernist industrial architecture of the beginning of the 20th century. Given its industrial purpose it was built in a practical way, with bricks and wrought iron, and clearly displays the influence of the medieval style which is a characteristic of the Modernismo Catalán. Although the ornamentation is limited, in one of its towers, one can see a modernist tile mosaic by Lluis Bru i Salelles. Finished in 1911, the building was awarded the “best of the year” in 1912 by Barcelona’s Municipality. Renovated in the early 2000 after a design by Pritzker winner Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, the complex presently houses one of the CaixaForum de Barcelona spaces. Arata Isozaki’s intervention converses perfectly with the modernist patrimony of the former textile factory, adding a main entrance with a courtyard ornated with two steel trees covered with a glass canopy, and a spacious lobby upon descent, which provides fluidity for visitors to access the different spaces of the cultural complex (exhibition halls, arts laboratory, multimedia library, auditorium and conference hall). The space houses an important contemporary art collection, which includes pieces by Tàpies, Chillida and Saura, as well as temporary exhibitions. 

It was then time to head back to the hotel. To make the best of the route, Mark designed an itinerary that allowed us to appreciate some other spaces remaining from the Expo 1929. For instance, we walked by the former Palace of Agriculture, presently occupied by the Theater Lliure; the former Graphic Arts Pavilion, which now houses the Archaeology Museum of Catalonia; the Classical Greek Theatre, built in the old stone quarries of Montjuïc, and which is still being used for performances; and, finally, the so-called “House of the Press”, designed by Pere Domènech i Roura, who paid homage to his father, Lluís Domènech i Montaner, using several modernist elements.

As it usually goes with Mark’s tour, at the end of our time together, I had many recommendations on how to delve deeper into the subjects that interested me the most and many ideas for future tours.
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Henry
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<div class="label label--neutral-gray-068" content="2024-08-01 15:00:13 UTC" itemprop="datePublished">
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Aug  1, 2024
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