Barcelona: The Magic Fountain of Montjuïc

Initially designed as a centerpiece for the 1929 Universal Exhibition, 

the Magic Fountain was originally dismissed as being far too daring and unrealistic project. 
But architect Carles Buigas was determined 

and would not give up on his dream of an extravagant, outlandish design. 

Eventually he won his case and with the help of 3000 workers 

his grand vision began to take shape and was unveiled on the 19th of May that year. 

The masterpiece delighted and amazed the public and continues to do so even today.

Unfortunately, Buigas’s architectural gem was damaged during the Spanish Civil War, 

fell into disrepair and was out of use from 1955 until the 1970s. 

But luckily, and to the public’s delight, the fountain was meticulously restored 

and even awarded a special makeover for Barcelona’s 1992 Olympic Games.

The incorporation of music gave the Font Màgica de Montjuïc 

an even greater dramatic effect 

and today its 3,620 pirouetting jets of water and an endless array of ‘dancing’ movements work with the music, 

to culminate in a truly inspiring performance.

Barcelona: The Castle of the Three Dragons

This great building of unpainted brick, 

crowned with embattlements, 

known to most as the Three Dragons Castle, 

is an example of early Barcelona modernism. 

The building is was built by Domènech i Montaner in 1887

 as a café-restaurant for the 1888 Universal Exhibition. 

Since 1920 it has housed the Zoology Museum. 

It preceded the famous Amsterdam Stock Exchange by Berlage (1898) 

in its use of construction materials: 

exposed brick and undisguised iron structures. 

The building is also important for the history of art, 

because it is the site of the workshops where in the 19th century 

old artisan techniques in ceramics and iron-working were studied for the first time. 

This activity led to a resurgence in the decorative arts in Catalonia.

The coats of arms are all invented 

and the whole building exudes a teasing, playful air.

Barcelona: Port de Barcelona Building

At the base of the Rambla de Mar stands the Old Port Authority building, 

an ornate structure built in 1907 as a maritime station. 

Today it houses the Port Authority of Barcelona. 

Barcelona: Never Doubt

"Look not at the days gone by with a forlorn heart. 

They were simply the dots we can now connect with our present, 

to help us draw the outline of a beautiful tomorrow."

Dodinsky 

Barcelona: Beauty and Wholeness from the Broken Bits of Our Lives

"There are very few human beings who receive the truth, 

complete and staggering, 

by instant illumination. 

Most of them acquire it fragment by fragment, 

on a small scale, 

by successive developments, 

cellularly, 

like a laborious mosaic."

 Anais Nin 

Barcelona: Straight Lines and Sharp Corners

"What I am building here will far outlive me. 

No one may know my name or what I did, 

but I know that I am participating in something far greater than me 

and the few stones that I have helped to shape."

Unknown

MySpot: Made in the 80's

"Where you come from is gone, 

where you thought you were going to was never there, 

and where you are is no good unless you can get away from it. 

Where is there a place for you to be? 

No place... 

Nothing outside you can give you any place... 

In yourself right now is all the place you've got."

Flannery O'Connor

MySpot: Ultimate Cure for Sadness

"I’m so fortunate to be red! 

I’m fiery. 

I’m strong. 

I know men take notice of me and that I cannot be resisted."

Orhan Pamuk - My Name is Red

Barcelona: Walk at the Museum

"There may be many around you,

 but there’s no one like you."

Unknown

Barcelona: Catching Fire

"The first stab of love is like a sunset, 

a blaze of color -- 

oranges, pearly pinks, vibrant purples..."

Anna Godbersen