Stump the German

[Eva Elisabeth]

Brilliant, Mick (sorry for delay, finally arrived after 745 miles on the road, through three EU capitals, and lots of stuff to unpack...) - the salamander, popularly known as "el drac" (the dragon), is located in Park Güell.

The park, built from 1900 to 1914, was commissioned by Count Eusebi Güell, whose fortune was made by his father from US slave trade. Güell assigned the design to Antoni Gaudí, who unleashed all his architectonic genius - innovative structural solutions inspired from organic shapes. So fascinating, and what a visionary Gaudí was, also in matters of sustainability! His inspiration seems to have been endless - I just can give an exemplary glimpse thereof - one cool element in the park is the serpentine bench which surrounds the main terrace (intended for theater performances etc., with a gorgeous view over the city and the Mediterranean Sea). The unique shape enables the people sitting on it to converse privately, although the square is large. The bench is tiled with broken bits that a nearby factory disposed of (sustainability...), small holes helped to dry up quickly after rainfall, and to stop people from sitting in the wet part of the bench, small bumps were installed by Gaudí. To make sitting as comfortable as possible, Gaudí ordered his workers sit as comfortable as possible on the pre-cast concrete to get the perfect shape of the seat.
   
Gaudí's genius culminated in the creation of the famous Basilica Sagrada Familia (Cathedral of the Holy Family). He wanted it to look like a sand castle made by children, and it does. Three facades shall tell different aspects from the Bible and Jesus' life - the Facades of Nativity, Suffering and Salvation - endless details to discover, fascinating. Moreover inside - you feel like in a colorful forest, the columns vanishing in heaven, branching out like trees.
   
Sadly Gaudí was run over by a streetcar before he could finish his masterpiece. It is still under construction, strictly following his drafts and cast models, supposed to be finished in 2026. Well, still quick for a cathedral, the Cologne Cathedral needed 632 years and 2 months to get ready...

The "Works of Antoni Gaudí'" have long been declared UNESCO World Heritage. Go here for some colorful impressions, I promise you have never seen anything like that:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=B2WV71dgrTs

Laurie and Mick - you win a slave trade history tour in Barcelona:
https://amp-theguardian-com.cdn.ampproje...in-ramblas