Barcelona: Casa de Gaudi

What the heck? Is she not done with Barcelona yet? Hehe, no, just a few more posts to finish up on my impressions of the city. There really was alot to see there!

This post is about Antoni Gaudi's work, which has left a huge mark in Barcelona's architecture. It's a style that to me is so unique and refreshing... nothing like I'd ever seen before. It's like something a child dreamt up except this time it came to life.

This is Casa di Pedrera or Casa Mila, an apartment building right in the middle of the city. There are families living there, amid the busloads of gawking tourists.


The rooftop had these whimsical looking sculptures masquerading as chimneys, or is it the other way around?


Just down the street was Casa Battlo, another sight to see, with its curving lines.


Off the Ramblas is another house by Gaudi.



Again, his trademark rooftop designs...


We passed by and saw Casa Battlo all lit up one night.


We decided that this was the house we wanted to see inside. The entrance ticket cost 16.50 euro each, and included an audio tour of the house.


Look at this mushroom-shaped fireplace.


All the lines were curved, even the doorways and windows.


A cool-looking light fixture.


Gaudi designed the windows to open upwards.


This window looking out into the internal courtyard had movable panels underneath, that can be adjusted to control ventilation inside.


The back of the apartment building. The top two floors are actually occupied by private residences.


The backyard was decorated with lots of colorful tiles.


The internal courtyard was topped by a skylight letting in natural light. The shade of blue on the wall tiles actually increased, getting darker on the higher floors... since it's brighter higher up.


This was a cool stairway up in the attic area, where each family has a laundry room and a covered area where to hang their laundry out to dry.


Gaudi was inspired by nature and designed the wall and ceilings to resemble fish gills.


It made for a very interesting effect. It's hard to imagine how Gaudi dreamt this up and realized it way back in 1877.


The roof top had this spire inspired by a garlic bulb.



It was very cool and well worth the admission ticket. You can find some really amazing looking pictures on the official website.