Gaudi and his impact on Barcelona

When I visited Barcelona for the first time in 2002, I couldn't help but notice all those strangely shaped buildings scattered throughout the city. I wanted to know more about them, so I looked at a travel guide to the area and discovered that they were all masterpieces of the great architect Antoni Gaudi. That year I only scratched the surface of the attractions, since I couldn't visit some of them due to limited time. I did get to visit Parc Guell, though, an absolutely beautiful park near the main city. When I returned in 2006, I thoroughly visited all these wonderful attractions.

First I started out with Casa Batllo, a seemingly strange building on the outside, but amazing in the inside. The cost is ok, but not cheap. The facade is adorned by columns with the shape of bones, balconies shaped like masks, and a roof with many tiles resembling a dragon's scales. When I read a book about Gaudi's life, I found out that the entire facade was like the battle of St. George and the dragon, with the dragon on the roof and the cross protruding from it like St. George's sword. The inside was breathtaking, with two tiny inner courtyards. These were made up of beautiful blue tiles near the top, then those changed gradually to white tiles at the bottom. After Batllo I decided to visit another attraction, La Pedrera.

La Pedrera is a huge apartment building in the middle of Passeig de Gracia. It looks like a huge boulder among all the other normal-looking buildings. Inside there was a nice shop at ground level, but most of the attractions were either in the roof or the attic. In the attic there were many 3-D models of Gaudi's work in general. On the roof there were many whimsical chimneys spread out all over the place. I really liked La Pedrera, it was really nice.

The culmination of Gaudi's work is the Sagrada Familia church. It is so powerful that it is referred to many as a symbol of Barcelona. Each set of 4 bell towers represent 4 of the 12 disciples. The inside is shaped by tree-like columns, and the fact that it is unfinished makes the structure alive, growing each day. This temple is going to be a spectacular one when finished, within an estimated 20-30 years. I hope to see this church finished, as it would be a great achievement.