Barcelona: Part 2

Saturday it rained on and off all day, but we still persevered and took a free Gaudí walking tour. The first stop was Palau Güell.

This was the mansion that Gaudí designed for Eusebi Güell.

The next was Casa Batlló. This was commissioned by the Batlló family and can be interpreted in different ways. I believe the most popular one is the story of St. George slaying the Dragon. The roof looks like the scales of a dragon. At the bottom, it looks like the bones of whatever the dragon has eaten. The cross on top is supposed to be St. George's lance.

Casa Batlló is on the right and you can compare the style of Gaudí
with the style of  Cadafalch who designed Casa Amatller on the left.

Up next was Casa Mila, which is also known as La Pedrera, which means The Quarry. 

Also in this area of town, the sidewalks consisted of these tiles designed by Gaudí.

Finally, we went to see La Sagrada Familia, Gaudí's undoubtedly largest work. The construction began in 1882 and it is not scheduled to be finished until 2026. 

There are three different sides to La Sagrada Familia that tell three different stories. This one is the Birth of Christ.

This side is the Death of Christ and contains the 14 Stations of the Cross.

And this final side is the least complete. It will be the main entrance to the church and is the Resurrection of Christ. Eventually there will be a bridge leading to the door so you can 'ascend' and the facade will feature clouds.

I really enjoyed seeing Gaudí's designs throughout Barcelona and once La Sagrada Familia is finished, I plan to come back!