Basic Gaudi in 1 Day: Parc Guel and other Barcelona, Spain Things to Do Tips

My friends who visited Barcelona several times told me I should try to visit Parc Guel even though I told them that I have very little time.
But they know me well and they knew where to send me.
So I took the taxi to save some time and it wasn't too expensive, certainly worth 5 Euros, under the circumstances.

Gaudi began designing this park in 1900, and his design evolved arround the concept of a small comunity slightly detached from the outside world which would provide not only safety but also high level of comfort, peace and healty environment.
He used locally found materials to create organic structures of flowing pathways and bridges which feel soft and warm because of the texture and colour of the stone.

A gingerbread village with icing on top made of broken and rearranged colourful ceramic tiles, surrounded by lovely gardens.

In the central area there is a huge terrace supported by 86 doric columns, the terrace is framed by amazing undulating bench which is covered by lovely mosaics designed by Gaudi's assistant Josep Maria Jujol. It took 5 years to complete this bench.
Under the terrace the space between colums was supposed to become a marketplace.
This terrace also serves as a water collector, the water is stored in a giant underground tank.

This truly beautiful destination deserves several hours of your time, I wanted to sit on so many benches, all appear to be designed for some special purpose, ceremony, lovers, reading in special corners or on cleverly separated little balconies overlooking Barcelona.
Perfect for a romantic stroll, unfortunately full of tourists even in October.

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Phone: 93-317-39-740
Address: Carrer d'Olot 7, Vallcarca, Gr?cia, 08024
Directions: Metro; line 3. Lesseps Station, then follow the street signs.
Website: http://www.bcn.es/parcsijardins

Gaudi designed Parc Guell with the vision of it becoming a residencial district but that never happened on a larger scale.
This house was designed and built by his assistants Berenguer and Jujol as a show-house for potential investors, but since the project wasn't successful Gaudi bought it in 1906, lived and worked here for the rest of his life until 1926.

I found it very interesting to later compare the style he had implemented in his own habitat with the design of Casa Battlo interior. The architecture of this house is quite simple not only because it was designed by other architects but maybe also to be easier to sell to prospective buyers. The furniture however is all in his favourite forms and textures.

In the basement level there is a small gallery of Gaudi's drawings, also some works of his assistants.

Entrance fee 4 Euros

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Phone: 93-219 38 11
Address: Parc Guell, Carretera del Carmel
Directions: Metro; line 3. Lesseps Station, then follow the street signs.
Bus: 24 and 25, Bus Turistic
Website: http://www.bcn.es/parcsijardins

This project was commisioned by a wealthy textile producer Joseph Batllo who wanted his old house renovated - this was quite a challenge since the house was one in a row of similar houses with small atrium gardens. It would have been much easier and cheaper to build an entirely new house somewhere else , but the prestigious location was obviously worth the extra effort and problems they had with local authotrities after stepping forward on the public walkway with pillars bearing the facade.

Gaudi worked on site just like on all his projects - he was designing and making alterations and finding new technical solutions during the process of building, with his hands on materials and tools. This caused extra costs, delays and problems with local authorities, but also resulted in some amazing visual and technical solutions .

This house had won me over, it is everything I imagined Captain Nemo's home would look like. The shapes and textures resemble those of underwater creatures, vertebra shaped lower border of the staircase, jellyfish shaped doors, fish heads smiling from balconies, fish scales, skeleton supporting the attic ...
Please take a look into Casa Battlo Travelogue for more pictures.

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Phone: 93 488 06 66
Address: Passeig de Gracia 43
Directions: Take the metro to Passeig de Gracia, or bus 7, 16, 17, 22, 24, 28, 43 or 44.
Website: http://www.casabatllo.es/

This is the last secular architectural project done by Gaudi, he was at the time working on la Sagrada Familia and here he used all his accumulated knowledge and inspiration.
He once said that there are no straight lines in nature.

The facade looked like rolling sand dunes from the distance, then like pouting lips when I stood right under it. Wonderful craftwork, the thin panels made of limestone are joined together so well that from a distance it looks as if carved out of a monolithic stone, resembling some ancient housing from a desert.
When it was getting it' face done, locals soon named it La Pedrera - the quarry.

The intricate metalwork on the balconies appears as bunches of plants, and Gaudi wanted the inhabitants to liven it up with plants that would grow on those balconies and spread all over the facade.
The owner had problems with renting apartments in this house since not a single room had straight walls.
In 1986 the house was bought by one Spanish bank and it took 10 years of careful work to restore it to its original splendour.

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Phone: 93 484 5900
Address: Passeig de Gràcia 92, Carrer Provenca 261
Directions: Eixample district Metro 'FGC Diagonal/Provenca'