We have arrived in Barcelona and have spent the last few days exploring this beautiful city, enjoying the cuisine, and touring as many Gaudí structures as we can. I’ll admit, I had never heard of Antoni Gaudí until a couple of days ago when DawnO said, “Are you freaking kidding me? You’ve never heard of Gaudí?” Anyway, for you cotton-headed ninny mugginses like myself who have no idea who this guy is, allow me to explain what I’ve learned so far. He was an architect genius in the 19th century who was a student of nature and incorporated what he learned into his architecture. He proved that his structures could be functional, efficient, and works of art, all at once. He had the support of a few well-off friends who allowed him to have free reign over his creations. His eye for detail and his brilliant mind helped create some of the most elegant structures in the world. We have been going absolutely crazy with touring all of his buildings, and here is what we have seen so far:
Palau Güell
This home was built for the Güell family, the patriarch was one of his greatest supporters and friends.
Casa Batiló
This home was renovated by Gaudí to feel as if the family lived under water.
La Padrera
This apartment building was originally panned by critics of the time because it was quite strange. It features underground parking which was unheard of at the time. There are people living in this building today.
Casa Vicens
This house isn’t open for tours so I don’t know too much about it. We could see that they are currently renovating the building. Hopefully they are restoring it.
Park Güell
This green space was meant to be part of a residential area. Unfortunately the residential area part didn’t work out as planned.
Sagrada Familia
Gaudí’s ‘Ode to Joy’. He started as the chief architect for this massive undertaking in 1883. Unfortunately he died in 1926 after being hit by a street car so the project was sidelined. The city is currently trying to assemble his vision but estimate 2040 as a potential completion date.
Gaudì was a master at controlling the amount of natural light he let enter each building. In the Sagrada Familia he perfected it by using stained glass to create a beautiful atmosphere of colour.
We got to go up one of the towers and this was our view of Barcelona
Oh my God, for real!