July 27: Gràcia
From Park Güell I made my way toward the heart of the city. First I zigzagged through Gràcia, originally a separate town from Barcelona, subsumed into it once the Eixample's development bridged between the two. Like Poble-Sec, Gràcia's streets are mostly straight but more irregular than those of the Eixample.
3789
![](pix/gracia/3789.jpg)
Heading down Carrer de Larrard, a look to the southwest up Carrer de Mercedes, up to a scoop roof and a wing of the Park beyond.
3790
![](pix/gracia/3790.jpg)
And then a look southwest up the next street down, Rambla de Mercedes, also terminated by a grand stair.
3792
![](pix/gracia/3792.jpg)
A well-kept terraced topiary going up the next street down from there, the... Passatge de Mercedes.
3798
![](pix/gracia/3798.jpg)
Carrer de Larrard terminates at the highway Travessera de Dalt. Just across from Larrard is this building with a very tall central lightwell open to the side. I wonder if the road noise gets funneled in there.
3800
![](pix/gracia/3800.jpg)
Crossing the Travessera was not to be trifled with, so I used the fortified crosswalk. Note the elevation change between the lanes.
3801
![](pix/gracia/3801.jpg)
The lightwell block towering toward the sun.
3802
![](pix/gracia/3802.jpg)
The narrow, pale Carrer de Sors descending from the Travessera.
3804
![](pix/gracia/3804.jpg)
Undulating balconies at Dalt and Carrer de l'Escorial.
3805
![](pix/gracia/3805.jpg)
On Carrer de les Camèlies just off l'Escorial, more massive end walls, with interesting inlay textures on the lefthand one.
3806
![](pix/gracia/3806.jpg)
Palladian pidges on the church of Sant Miquel dels Sants, on l'Escorial between Carrer de Cardener and Carrer de Mossèn Masdexeixart (quite the name). It is a deceptively new building, completed in 1963.
3808
![](pix/gracia/3808.jpg)
A convex complex, the Clínica Nostra Senyora del Remei, on the corner of l'Escorial and Passeig d'Amunt.
3809
![](pix/gracia/3809.jpg)
And a, well, concave complex, on the corner of l'Escorial and Carrer de Martí. Surprise! It's just the other side of the Clínica.
3812
![](pix/gracia/3812.jpg)
These are some weird sci-fi balconies, for real. This is further down l'Escorial between Carrer de l'Encarnació and Carrer de Sant Lluís.
3813
![](pix/gracia/3813.jpg)
At the corner of l'Escorial, Carrer de Bruniquer, and the larger, diagonal Carrer de Pi i Margall, is the Plaça Joanic, split between this triangular area and a square one to the west.
3817
![](pix/gracia/3817.jpg)
One block to the south is the start of the Passeig de Sant Joan, one of the wide tree-filled avenues of the Eixample.
3819
![](pix/gracia/3819.jpg)
On Travessera de Gràcia across from the top of the Passeig, a subtly ornate, curious little building dwarfed by its neighbor.
3824
![](pix/gracia/3824.jpg)
The small but regimented Carrer de Banyoles.
3828
![](pix/gracia/3828.jpg)
The sun's azimuth aligned over Carrer de la Llibertat.
3829
![](pix/gracia/3829.jpg)
Carrer de la Fraternitat looking peachy from the corner of Llibertat.
3830
![](pix/gracia/3830.jpg)
Close to the west end of Llibertat, an extraordinarily mystifying sequence of phone-numbered labels in the street.
3833
![](pix/gracia/3833.jpg)
A serrated insertion of new over old at the Clínica Olivé Guma, at the corner of Carrer del Torrent de l'Olla and Carrer de Còrsega.
3835
![](pix/gracia/3835.jpg)
Espying the long straight flat view down Carrer de Pau Claris from across Carrer de Còrsega.