Gaudi, Gaudi, Gaudi!

Day 3

Day 3 is the day that I dedicated to Gaudi. I didn’t want to spend all my time in Barcelona in Gaudi museums so I decided to see the iconic Park Guell, La Sagrada Familia and one museum. Based on reviews and pictures, I chose Casa Batllo. Casa Batllo, a house redesigned by Gaudi, is one of his many masterpieces. It was  commissioned by the well known (in Barcelona) Batllo family and Gaudi was given complete creative freedom.

The balconies look like skeletal faces!

Before entering the building I spent some time admiring the outside. You probably can’t tell from my photo, but the facade is covered in mosaic of all colors. The facade of the house is so strange to me with all of its windows and oddly shaped balconies. I’ve heard the balconies compared to bats and masks, but I think they look like little skeletal faces. What do you think?

Exploring the inside of Casa Batllo was like exploring an underwater wonderland in some parts and walking through the inside of an animal in others. I know that sounds odd, but that’s what it felt like for me! It was a very fantastical building with surprises at every corner. I was walking through an open room full of windows, turned the corner and SURPRISE! A gorgeous courtyard covered in mosaic and colorful tiled floor. My favorite part of the whole tour was the rooftop.A great open space which gave lovely views of Barcelona and was covered in colorful chimneys and the “dragon spine”.  It took me 2 hours to get through the tour of the house using the audio guide. I’ve read reviews saying not to take the audio and just explore at your own leisure, but I highly recommend the audio if you visit! It gives you a behind the scene history on every inch of the house. And after you take the audio tour, you can take the time to explore the house without it! I definitely recommend this tour to anyone who wants to get an inside look into one of Gaudi’s masterpieces!

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Park Guell

After Casa Batllo, I met up with my new friend Nick  to head to Park Guell. Park Guell is one of the most iconic sites from Antoni Gaudi and the one I was looking forward to seeing the most. It’s a very large park and is now a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Works of Antoni Gaudí”. Entrance to the park is free, but to see the main part which include the famous buildings, monuments and mosaics, you have to pay a fee.  Nick and I packed a lunch of bread, cheese, and wine and had a picnic in the park area! It was quite lovely! Be warned, the hike to Park Guell is super steep. I mean, super steep! I had to take a breather about halfway up!  Pack your trainers and leave the nice shoes at home!

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Days 4 and 5 

The last 2 days were full of hanging like the locals did and a bit of touristy stuff too. I ate tons of tapas, danced the nights away, visited the beach even though it was far too cold, skate parks, went on a self-guided tour of the Gothic Quarter and took a pay what you can walking tour. I totally recommend these tours. They’re very informative and I was enjoy them. I try to take one in every city I visit.

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I had a great time in Barcelona. I already can’t wait to plan my next adventure. Istanbul is really high on my list! What’s on yours?