Barcelona 8 of 9

Leaving the manmade square area we passed yet another amazing stone structure which looked like a natural grotto area but again it was another of Gaudi's creations. 

We walked down a set of stairs past the Hypostyle Room ( market area) and in front of us were two very unusual houses with Gaudi cake-like decorations. On their rooftops were decorative chimneys with colourful mosaic tiled designs adorning them and parts of the outside walls.  The building on the right is now a museum and the one on the left was Gaudi's home for many years prior to his temporary accommodation in the crypt of La Sagrada Familia in his latter years. We were able to tour through the house which had very thick rounded internal walls for cooling installation in the long hot summer months in Barcelona.

By the time we had toured the house, it was about 4.30pm but we still wanted to check out one more Gaudi building back in the city. We caught the shuttle bus back to Alfons X Station where we took a train back into the city. Then we walked to the intersection corner of Rambla de Catalunya and Carrer d'Arago streets where we gazed up at Gaudi's Casa Mila building which covers a huge corner block. This iconic building was designed and built by Gaudi as an set of apartments and it is still considered one of his best works.

Casa  Mila features an ornate facade of undulating cement walls and iron art nouveau balconies. Look at the roofline which serves as a balcony and you will see some weird animal shapes adorning the building. These decorated adornments are the signature symbols of Gaudi, the eclectic man whose modern ideas reached new heights in the early 1900's.

We wanted to view the interior of this iconic building which is now a museum and chic hotel. However the cost for a single tour ticket was US$25 and as keen as we were to view inside the inside we decided to "give it a miss" . Maybe we can view the inside Casa Mila on YouTube or on a TV program when we get home.

Two other things we saw at this Gaudi spot were:

1. There is bench seating on all four corners of this intersection and they these benches are made from concrete that has been  decorated in Gaudi's mush-mash of small pieces of broken tiles, often taken from demolition materials and disused objects. 

2. The street lights which have been made with decorative iron work were made by Gaudi when he built Casa Mila and though they are over 100 years old, they still operate today. Such is the genius of Gaudi.