"Gaudi Tour and Parc de Motjuic"
Darrin and I got up early morning to get to Sagrada Familia, so called Gaudi Church, since we heard that there's always a long queue to get in.
Darrin with the Church
We got there much earlier than we had expected, so there were not many people lined up in front of the ticket booth.
Construction of the church had commenced in 1882, which is still under construction, and yet now it is aimed at completing by year 2026, the centenary of Gaudi's death. Gaudi planned to build 18 towers of the church; 12 for the Apostles, 4 for the evangelists, 1 for Mary, and the last one dedicated to Jesus. Total 8 towers have been completed so far. Even though incomplete, the church was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Soaring ceiling and inclined colums-trees
Colorful reflection light of stained glasses on the columns
Church views from the tower
Darrin (who is such a brave man) was willing to go up to the tower by lift and took these pictures from there. I was hanging around the chapel while he was up there. Unhappily, I am an extreme acrophobe. ┏(;-_-)┛
Gaudi used basically six different kinds of stone when he had been built the church. For the exterior of the building, he used the rocks from Montjuic which was the best at that time.
We hurried to go the next destination, Hospital Sant Pau.
Sant Pau is one of the most beautiful hospitals in the world, designed by Lluis Domenech i Montaner (1850-1923). He created a totally new and innovative hospital, consisting of 10 pavilions spread out in the garden, for patients and workers alike. The hospital was declared a UNESCO Heritage Site in 1997.
We unfortunately missed the English tour guide service for the Pavilions, so we could not get a chance to see inside the buildings. We just wandered around the garden and took some photos of the buildings.
On the way to Casa Batllo
We bought some oranges here, Sant Pau supermercat. Wow, they were all sooo fresh and juicy.
Anyway, SuperMercat??!!!
Talking about us?
Facade of Casa Batllo
Casa Batllo, one of the architectural treasures, built between 1904 and 1906 in the middle of city, Gracia, by Gaudi. He created this house without any limitations on his creative freedom, which it turned out to be his most poetic and inspired artistic compositions.
Large oak doors with organic shapes which are set panes of stained glass
We started walking around inside the building, having the English audio guide.
Window of the central room projecting over Passeig de Gracia
Corridor
Lovely! Ahhh, so miss it. ~♥
This unique shaped ceiling with the chandelier evokes an image of wild water waves
Organic shaped handrail
Loft ceiling
The loft which is a well-ventilated sweeping space, supports the roof terrace, and it designed with a series of 60 catenary arches, creating the rib cage of an animal.
Dragon's back with four chimney stacks at the roof top
Lovely Patio
Walking around the house, we were not only surprised by the details which we discovered with every steps, but also admired Gaudi so much for how well he combined the aesthetic and the functional.
Heading out to Casa Mila, commonly known as La Pedrera.
Casa Mila
This apartment was constructed between 1906 and 1910 by Antoni Gaudi, which is his last composition before devoting himself to the construction of the Sagrada Familia.
Amazing view from the roof terrace
The balconies which look like a series of waves, made out of a quarry, pedrera in Spanish. People prefer La Pedrera instead of Casa Mila.
Sky view from the inner courtyard
Roof terrace
There are many chimneys look like warriors from a sic-fi movie, creating a little fantasy world.
To be continued... (Part II)
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