Palau Güell

Palau Güell is an extraordinary townhouse located in the neighborhood El Raval.

Young Antoni Gaudí designed the building for wealthy shipowner and industrialist Eusebi Güell i Bacigalupi. Commissioned in 1885 to be an extension of the Güell family property located on the Ramblas, the building later became the first modern building to be declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Although it was not conventional at the time to expose iron supports in architecture, Gaudí took advantage of them, turning them to his advantage.

My personal favorite of the building was the roof terrace, which is a fantastic series of chimneys adorned with swirling patterns made from fragments of glazed tile, glass, and earthenware.

Casa Battló de noche

The Casa Battló was just as spectacular at night as it was during our visit during the day...

Casa Vicens

Casa Vicens was Antoni Gaudí’s first major private commission.

Taking inspiration from the Moorish style, he covered the façade in linear green-and-white tiles with a flower motif; the decorative iron railings serve as a reminder of Gaudí’s early training as a metalsmith.

Casa-Museu Gaudí

This spired house is where Gaudí lived for most of his remaining twenty years, 1906-1926. Inside there are a number of different examples of furniture that Gaudí created in addition to other oddities.

Park Güell

Park Güell is where Gaudí turned his attention to landscape gardening. Originating in 1900 when Count Eusebi Güell purchased a hillside property, he hired Gaudí to create a miniature garden city of houses for the affluent.

The project was later abandoned in 1914, but by that point, Gaudí had already created 3km of roads and walks, steps and a plaza in his unique style, in addition to the two Hansel-and-Gretel-esque gatehouses on Carrer D’Olot.

After you go up the steps at the front entrance, a mosaic dragon-lizard guards the Sala Hipóstila, a forest of 84 stone columns intended to represent a market. On top of the Sala Hipóstila is a large, open space where the Banc de Trencadís, a tilted bench curving around its perimeter, attracts people of all ages to plop a squat and enjoy the panoramic views out over Barcelona.

Casa Batlló

Designed for the industrialist Josep Batlló and completed in 1907, the Casa Batlló was constructed from what was originally an apartment building to liven up the building. Gaudí was hired for such an endeavor, and he created a fascade that Dalí later compared to “the tranquil waters of a lake.” Like most of Gaudí projects, there is evidence of inspiration in nature. The façade of the building hangs in folds, much like skin, and from below, the balconies resemble evil eyes.

The interior of the building has a very organic ambience, with snakeskin-patterned walls in addition to window frames, fireplaces, doorways, and staircases without a trace of a straight line anywhere.

Sagrada Familia

Although it has been undergoing construction for more than 100 years, the Sagrada Familia is still unfinished. Despite the fact that it is projected to be completed by the 2020s, it is still one of Spain’s most visited monuments as well as a kind of symbol for the city of Barcelona.

The church of the “Sacred Family” served as the project to which Antoni Gaudí dedicated the latter part of his life. With a goal of constructing a building large enough to hold 10,000 people, Gaudí surpassed even his own expectations, ultimately designing a Gothic-shaped church with a temple 95m long and 60m wide which was able to seat 13,000.

Without a doubt, the size of the church is startling. With eight squires that have been compared to everything from perforated cigars to celestial billiard cues that tower more than 100m into the Barcelona skyline. For Gaudí, the squires represented the 12 apostles; he planned to build four more squires and add a 170-meter central dome and tower topped with a lamb, symbolizing Jesus.

However, the reality of the church is still marked by the scaffolding, pallets, dressed stone, cranes, tarpaulins, and fencing scattered about while construction crews are hard at work.

For me, it was particularly interesting because I hadn't been to visit the Sagrada Familia since 2004. Even though it had only been 4 years, it was fascinating to see the building's progress.