Gaudis

In March of 1882, construction began on what would become the largest unfinished Catholic church in the world, the Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família. A year later, the original architect Francisco de Paula del Villar resigned, and was replaced by the now famous Antoni Guadi, who merged gothic and art nouveau forms into his own distinct, magical style that is inseparable from the city of Barcelona itself.

Jordi Gallen, a musician and teacher from Taragonia in the Catalan region just south of Barcelona, gained his own fame in the world of puzzle design with his debut creation, Al Bus, a tour de force which combines many styles of puzzle packaged in a wonderful homage to everyone’s favorite wizard, Harry Potter. Sprinkled throughout that puzzle experience were subtle or hidden references to Jordi’s home in Spain. For example, there is a scroll which accompanies the puzzle, tied in a special ribbon with personal significance to Jordi and his fellow countrymen. Another “easter egg” in Al Bus is the fact that the assembly puzzle pieces glow-in-the-dark!

He has fully embraced his love and pride for his Catalan roots in his newest creation, a lovely homage to the region’s most famous architect. The puzzle Gaudis is a simple to understand set of four drawers, and the goal is to open them all and assemble La Sagrada Familia. Along the way you will encounter some tantalizing Catalan treats and sweets, along with a few “tongue-in-cheek” messages. The little chest of drawers is designed to be moderately puzzling, with a specific intention of using it to entice newcomers into the enjoyable pastime of mechanical puzzles. The puzzles are approachable and fun, and the drawers are lined in food grade silicone so you can store additional chocolates or other incentives for your victims – err, friends and family!

Jordi has also built in a very clever second tier puzzle so if you are inclined, you can reconfigure one of the drawers to a fiendishly hard solution. The patterns and designs adorning the chest and drawers are also very intentional, to both evoke the Guadi style and artistry, and to provide subtle hints and clues to help you solve the puzzles - if you are paying close attention! Jordi shared the full story of his newest puzzle.

“In August 2020, we went with some very good friends to celebrate a birthday in San Sebastián, and we had lunch at one of the best restaurants I've ever had the luck to visit, Mugaritz. There, with the coffees, they told us they would bring us chocolates presented in a puzzle. My heart almost exploded when I heard the word "puzzle"! It was a tower of wooden bowls, each containing a different chocolate, and each bowl only fit with a specific other bowl, so there was only one way to stack them back together. Naturally, after eating those wonderful, sweet and not-so-sweet treats, we left the tower in its original configuration. At that moment, I thought it was a good idea but would have preferred it if it had been a trick-opening or a sequential discovery puzzle.

At that time, I hadn't yet designed any puzzles, and it didn’t occur to me to start until last December when we went to Barcelona with the same friends. After lunch, we went to get some ice cream and coffee, and my friends asked about the puzzles. I then remembered the Mugaritz anecdote and spent the next days thinking of a design to present chocolates at the end of a meal. From the beginning, I knew it had to have a relatively short solving time and be suitable for non-puzzlers. When I have guests at home, I try not to overwhelm them with my puzzles since I'm fully aware that not everyone may be as attracted to this world as I am. Over time, I have learned when the best moments are to share this passion and bring out pieces of my small collection with much caution and patience. One of the moments when people are most receptive is at the end of a good meal, and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to make a puzzle for such occasions.

In a couple of days, I had defined the main axis of the design and the mechanisms I wanted to use. From the beginning, I knew I wanted to dress it in an aesthetic called "Catalan Modernism". It's an aesthetic that deeply seduces me, and we can find it, for example, in "El Palau de la Música Catalana", "La Casa Batlló" and "La Sagrada Família." In this design, I wanted to give a lot of weight to the art, thinking the engineering part would be relatively simple, but it turned out to be a challenge in every sense. It was difficult to keep the design within the difficulty parameters I wanted, discarding interesting mechanisms that added too much difficulty.

I commissioned the art from my niece Núria, who had already helped me with my previous design, Al Bus. I ended up bothering my niece with the design for much longer than either of us initially expected to adjust my ideas to the physical medium we use, which is 3D printing. I didn't expect it to be so difficult to adapt the brush strokes to 3D printing. Fortunately, she is a delightful person, and I was in no rush to finish the design. Well, not in a rush, but I was very eager! Every new sketch she sent me made me more excited about the design. She has been a key player in this process. Another key player is David from FilArte3D, the engineer I hired to turn my pencil drawings on paper into reality. With his help, we shaped the design, and within a month, we had the first prototype with all the mechanisms.

Over the next two months, I chased down nearly my entire large family to test it for me, and then I started with friends. I still hold some. Little by little, I made small modifications and refined the design to achieve the desired difficulty level and solving time. Finally, last April, we finished what was supposed to be the last prototype, but then a critical problem arose with the last mechanism that made me think Gaudis wouldn't make it. Those were tough weeks, thinking of ways to avoid the problem with the fourth drawer.

Meanwhile, I received an absolutely unexpected message [from an acquaintance] with whom I had had the pleasure of chatting a couple or three times about my previous design because he wanted to feature it on the prestigious mechanical puzzle blog “Boxes and Booze.” In that message, he let me know that for work reasons, he was near Barcelona and thought it would be a good occasion to meet in person if I was free that Friday. On Friday, after work, I filled a backpack with my first designs, made just for fun when I first got into the world of puzzles, picked him up, and we went to Barcelona to drink "vermouth." It was a short but very pleasant and refreshing evening for me since I'm not very used to finding people who enjoy puzzles as much or more than I do! There, I showed him the latest prototype of Gaudis, the one with the severe functional problem, but he encouraged me greatly with his flattering words. I have a feeling that if he returns to Barcelona, we will meet again…

A few days later, David found the solution to the problem with the last mechanism, which meant the prototyping process was over! Then, as expected, production and assembly issues arose, extending the process to five months.

In this design, I wanted to include small details reserved for puzzlers who enjoy it. Some, I prefer not to reveal to respect each person's process, but one I can mention is that I have incorporated the ability to adjust the puzzle's difficulty. There are also a couple of, in my opinion, interesting details reserved for the most observant and art-interested people. In my daily life, I am a musician and cello teacher, and it might be that I sought inspiration from my instrument for this design.

Regarding the name, I spent quite some time deliberating until I found a play on words that perfectly defines the puzzle. I'm sorry that this play on words is in my language, Catalan, and probably won't make much sense to most people who will solve it. I suppose at this point, the reference to the Catalan architect who designed the Sagrada Família, Antoni Gaudí, is evident, but the word “gaudis” translates to English as ‘enjoyments’ or ‘pleasures.’”

During my recent visit to Barcelona, Jordi and I met and enjoyed one of the region’s most beloved spirits together, vermouth (or ‘vermut’ if we are being properly Spanish about it). The Reus region south of Barcelona is probably the most famous place to enjoy the best of the spirit, made from unique wine infusions with local herbs, botanicals and spices. The few common brands of vermouth you are likely to find in the US will be great for a Manhattan or Negroni, but smaller batch, boutique and artisan vermouths are also becoming more readily available here. Those are best enjoyed on their own, with an olive and a wedge of orange, over ice. To “do a vermouth” is literally a pastime in Spain, and something I can heartily endorse.

During the course of our puzzling conversation, I mentioned a recent pilgrimage of sorts that I undertook on an earlier trip to Paris. Chartreuse, the ancient herbal liqueur made by the Carthusian monks in Voiron, France, has been somewhat scarce as of late due to increased global demand, and the monks have famously refused to increase production. They did, on the other hand, recently open a new boutique in the St Germaine neighborhood of Paris, and I spent a happy hour there. As it turns out, the herbal elixir used to be produced in a different distillery, located in Taragonia, Spain, across the street from where Jordi now lives. He had recently enjoyed an ancient vintage of the liqueur at a friendly gathering.

So in the spirit of all these wonderful Catalan stories, I’m raising a glass of special spirits to the Gaudis chest and its creator. A favorite low alcohol percentage (low “ABV”) classic cocktail template I enjoy is a fifty-fifty mix of sherry and vermouth. When using dry vermouth this is known as a Bamboo, and when using sweet vermouth, an Adonis. The proportions of each component can be adjusted for palate and taste, and orange or other bitters added as well. There are innumerable variations on the theme. For this toast, I used a bitter sweet Spanish vermouth, and also added a touch of green Chartreuse to complete the story. The herbal liqueur balances the sweet vermouth perfectly, and the drink is sensational. Here’s to the puzzling pursuit of creative artistry – salut!

Antoni Cocktail

1 ½ oz fino sherry

1 ½ oz sweet vermouth

½ oz green Charteuse

Stir with ice and strain into a favorite glass. Lemon twist.

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