Gaudi 1

(taken 12:44)

Well we never did get on the red line bus. The line was just tooooooo long! Man, it is a mob seen around Placa Cataluna with all the tourists. And this is not even peek season. Since much of the Gaudi stuff is really not that far from the Cataluyna, we decided instead just to walk up Passiag Gracia and follow the route of the bus, with the idea that we could pick it up later.

On our way, we got detoured. An older man started talking to Karen (this does happen from time to time). He said he designed leather clothing and in fact owned his own shop which supplies some of the finest retailers in the world. Karen started telling the guy that she is in retail and works for a company that owns malls in America. Turns out this guy is married to an American and has a home in Flushing, NY. He gives Karen his business card. Mr. Solerno and his company is called Solerno Design. He starts telling us the best places to go eat and then says he will show us.

5 minutes later we are in his leather goods shop (and factory) and he is trying to sell us each a leather coat. This went on for a good 30 minutes. He was ready to give us the deal of a life time. 2 $3000 coats for a total of $910 each! Amazingly, Karen passed on the deal and we got the heck out of there. Mr. Solerno looked really bummed. I think at 70 years of age, he looked us as his last best hope to prove he was still a super salesman.

Anyway, back on our path, we reached here Balto House. One of the Gaudi architectural gems. It was a house owned by an aristocrat who hired Gaudi to design it. It is now a museum and for 13 euros each, you can get in there. It is pretty cool place. None of the walls are flat (where do you mount the plasma, I ask). It looks like something out of a Jules Verne novel, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, to be exact. It is easy to see why Gaudi is so revered.