Gaudi

Casa Batlló

La Pedrera

Lobby of La Pedrera (much of the building is occupied by residential and commercial tenants).

Chmineys on the roof of La Pedrera

Detail of Chimney

La Sagrada Familia

Below are some photos of the inside of the temple. (The outside is wild - the east entrance looks like the cast of religious history has been poured in mounds over the door. Then there are a bunch of towers that look like something out of a fairy tale.)

At the top of the walls there are flower shaped windows (walls remind me of plant stalks).

Then in the centre of the cathedral are all these elegant, slender columns that reach up to a ceiling covered in star-flowers. The central panel of star-flowers is gold and amber/orange.




Apparently, as a child Gaudi had rheumatism. His illness prevented him from playing with other children and he spent a lot of time alone, observing nature.




During the last years of his life Gaudi lived in his workshop on the temple site. He never married and his closest family members and friends (as well as his patron, Guell) all died within years of each other, and Gaudi was left alone. His finances took a turn for the worse and support for the Sagrada project was diminshing. He was struck by a tram one day in early June (just a couple of weeks before his birthday). He died in hospital a few days later. He was 72.


The temple is still under construction. Visitors crowd into narrow pathways that follow the outer walls around part of the temple.

Park Guell

Gaudi started work on this park at the request of Guell. The idea was that he'd create an urbanization in harmony with the natural surroundings of the site. The park is filled with stone pillars, walkways with scalloped borders, gingerbread houses and undulating mosaic benches. The park sits on a hill and has views of Barcelona and the sea. Lots of tourists.


Happy honeymoon Yanis and Sonia.