My second Saturday here in Barcelona me and a few other gals took a free tour with Running Bean that was all about Barcelona's main man Gaudi! The tour was two and a half hours long and hit all the hot spots: Plaça Reail, Casa Milà (La Pedrera, Casa Batlló, Palaü, and the Sagrda Familia.
Our first stop was Plaça Reial. The light posts above were Gaudi´s first, and only, commissioned work through the city of Bareclona. Although much smaller compared to his other works, these lamp posts still represent Gaudi´s signature style. Note the abstract lines, ornate details, and homages to Catalonia, such as the red, yellow, and white flag.
The next stop was Palau Güell. Once a mansion, it now has been turned into a museum. Originally, the home was designed for Eusebi Güell. Gaudi was given complete freedom when designing this mansion, which he whole heartedly took advantage of. The tour guide explained that whenever Gaudi was displeased with something, he would tear it everything down and start again. These actions are thought to be contributing factors to why Güell went bankrupt years later. Additionally, these two men continued their partnership with several other designs, including Park Güell.
Nicknamed the ¨House of Bones¨, Casa Batlló is admired for its beautiful purple and blue mosaic façade, snake scale roof, and bone-like structures. It is also said that this house visually tells the story Saint George, who throughout time has been told of slaying a dragon. (A few days after this tour, Mary Bruce´s awesome host family got us FREE tickets inside. I will post about this mansion more later.)
When Casa Milà was first constructed, the people of Barcelona whole heartedly detested it. They did not understand Gaudi´s choice of stone, considered it a huge departure from his other works, and quite frankly thought it was ugly. Some hated it so much, that mothers would shield their children´s eyes when they walked past. They also joked that in the future, Casa Milà would be merely a garage for futuristic space cars, ha!
Next, we took a short walk from Casa Batlló and visited Casa Milà. These two mansions were built around the same time and have similar wavy exteriors. In fact, the intent was for Casa Milà to be a grander version of Casa Batlló.
Unforunately, Gaudi did not have the best working relationship with the owners of Casa Milà. Gaudi was known for changing his designs regularly and ignoring rules, which frustrated the owners, especially the wife. In the end, with its sand-colored stone façade and twisted iron balconies, Casa Milà turned out to be quite opposite of Casa Batlló. Gaudi also made some direct jabs at the family by including hidden, insulting images throughout the mansion´s exterior.
Unforunately, Gaudi did not have the best working relationship with the owners of Casa Milà. Gaudi was known for changing his designs regularly and ignoring rules, which frustrated the owners, especially the wife. In the end, with its sand-colored stone façade and twisted iron balconies, Casa Milà turned out to be quite opposite of Casa Batlló. Gaudi also made some direct jabs at the family by including hidden, insulting images throughout the mansion´s exterior.
The last stop was the Sagrada Familia, which I talked about in a previous post. I really really loved this tour. I would like to note though that if you do decide to take this tour, although it is ¨free¨, it is customary to leave the tour guide a tip. But it is totally worth it considering they bring you all over the city and tell you so much information.