We’ve had our fair share of rain here in Brisbane! Almost non-stop for the past couple of weeks. Unusual for southeast Queensland at this time of year.

As I go about my daily life under the protection of my over-sized golf umbrella, I see tourists walking about with their backpacks, rain jackets and mini umbrellas trying to make the most of their stay in our city.

It reminds me of a rainy day in Spain.

It was the middle of July and we’d arrived in Barcelona having spent ten days leisurely driving south from Madrid to Andalucia and then up along the coastal route taking some time to join the Spanish holidaymakers in the beach towns of Denia and Peniscola.

We had already spent a couple of days exploring the city. It was our first visit to Barcelona and the city was living up to our expectations. A fantastic blend of cultures, Mediterranean influenced cuisine and amazing architecture.

Throughout our time in Spain, the weather had been hot and dry, just as it should be in July. Perfect conditions for those of us who like to travel to warmer climes when winter is upon us at home.

In a city which only experiences, on average, 55 days of rainfall in a year, with July being a month when wet weather should be rare, we are surprised to wake to the sound of heavy rain. We take our time over breakfast hoping that the rain will ease. As simple travellers, we are in no hurry. We do not have a train to catch or tour group to meet. We have no agenda, we are free to decide how we want to spend our day.

We are, however, tourists and the last thing we want is to waste a day sitting inside! We don our jackets and arm ourselves with our little travel umbrellas and head outdoors with no particular destination in mind.

Rain changes a city. A sense of urgency replaces the relaxed atmosphere of the previous day. Everyone is fighting for their space on the pavement dodging the splashes caused by cars in the narrow streets.

As if by chance we end up sheltering from a heavy downpour across the road from Palau Guell. The interesting wrought-iron work on the façade of the building has caught our attention. While this place had not been on our list of places to visit, it’s time to go in somewhere dry.

Guell2

The grand entrance

As it turns out, this ends up being the perfect place to spend a rainy morning. The house was designed by Antoni Gaudi in the late 1880’s for industrialist Eusebi Guell.  We were lucky, the townhouse had just re-opened after undergoing extensive restoration. This was not just any city dwelling. Ornate carved wooden ceilings in some rooms, doors infused with gold leaf, intricate stained glass were all examples of the riot of styles characteristic of Gaudi creations to create an impressive dwelling.

The sun was starting to peek through the clouds as we reached the pinnacle of Gaudi’s play on our senses. If the inside of the building was spectacular in its own peculiar way, Gaudi had decided to make sure his rooftop was a creation in itself. The twenty weird and wonderful chimneys and spire were worth the climb.

Guell4

An extraordinary “by chance” find for us on a rainy day in Spain.