So that really cool house by Gaudí on the Block of Discord? It's called Casa Batlló and I visited it the next day. Though the entrance fee was a little bit higher than I'm usually willing to pay, this house was 100% worth it. Gaudí was at his peak artistic power when designing this house. It has ocean influences throughout, stained glass, curvy walls, and a very utilitarian set up. For example, within the doors and windows there were small shutters that could be open and closed, but they fit in so seamlessly with the interior, looking somewhat like the gills of a fish, that I never even noticed until they were pointed out.
The beautiful blues and pinks in the stain glass windows livened up the already calming rooms, the architecture feeling like the waves of the ocean.
In the center of the house was a great open area with light streaming in from a skylight up top. Windows from the rooms in the center connected to it, meaning that natural light would enter even rooms nestled in the center of this enormous house. Windows near the top were smaller, windows near the bottom larger to capture more of the diminishing light. Also, Gaudí put darker tiles closer to the light and lighter ones once again on the lower levels so that the color difference between areas with more light and less would not be so stark.
Although the inside of the house is absolutely spectacular, my favorite part was definitely the roof. With a spectacular view of the Barcelona city skyline, you are also embraced by Gaudí's whimsical architecture. In addition, that room that the woman is walking into is round, with a fountain and the echo of water encircling you as you stand there.
After that, we walked to the Sagrada Familia. It is, of course, under construction. The church says that it has the funds to finish Gaudí's original design, but that the construction is so complicated that it has taken years and will take still more to finish. They hope to have it completed by 2026, the 100 year anniversary of Gaudí's death. Gaudí was hit by a tram. He had all of his money invested in this church, so he was wandering the streets, looking a bit like a pauper. Because nobody recognized him, he ended up in a public hospital, instead of one of the private ones someone of his status usually would have been treated at. Some people believe he would have lived had he got to a private hospital, but such was the death of the architectural giant.
Though the building is far from finished (2026 seems like a very ambitious deadline) you can see the beauty of Gaudí's vision in parts of the church, where stalactites are worked into the side of the church along with scenes from Christ's birth. The stained glass windows inside provide an even more stunning picture, although I did not go into the church this time.
The next day we wandered around the Barrio Gótico before leaving for Córdoba. I could not resist trying Barcelona's most famous churros. The chocolate here is darker and less rich.
We also stumbled onto an art fair at the base of the Cathedral.
Just around the corner there was a parade, however, commemorating the start of the Festival of Saint Eulalia. She was a Roman who converted to Christianity, but became a martyr when the Romans tortured her. According to the story, they did such terrible things as roll her down in hill in a barrel filled with knives, and when they executed her by cutting off her head, a dove flew out from her neck.
Perhaps my favorite part of the celebration though was the human pyramids. According to one girl I was with, they can get larger than this, but there is a tiny little child who has to climb to the top of the pyramid wearing nothing more than a helmet.
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