It has been a couple of weeks since my last post, due to travel and a lack of good internet at times. I have much to write about in the next week or two. So, I plan to get caught back up on our exploring and adventures from Italy, to Spain, to the Atlantic cruise, then Florida and finally back home to Virginia. Actually, we are back home now and having very cold, rainy, snow, sleet, and a whole lot of dreary. But that is December in Virginia! We are looking forward to soon having all the family together for Christmas. Back to Spain…
Casa Batllo, Gaudi House
The city of Barcelona is heavily influenced by the architect and designer Antoni Gaudi. This Catalan designer is known as the greatest proponent of Catalan Modernism. Gaudí’s main works are located in Barcelona, including his most famous work, the Sagrada Família church, that I covered in a prior post.
Today, we visited the Casa Batllo (Batllo House) that was about a 30 minute walk from our apartment. Walking in the Eixample district of Barcelona is quite pleasant. Very wide and clean sidewalks where we feel safe to walk anywhere. Eixample means expansion or square in Catalan and is pronounced “eshampla.” Now you know.
The Casa is a way, way over the top building design. I included the descriptions of weird, strange, crazy and kinda cool. It definitely is a one of a kind. Not sure if this guy just had a vivid imagination or else some chemical influence, but whatever it was worth a look.
The house is located on one of the old main streets, wide with a tree lined center that became a promenade through the years. Originally built in 1877 by Emilio Sala Cortés (one of Gaudí’s architecture professors.) In 1903 it was purchased by Josep Batllo, a textile industrialist who owned several factories in Barcelona and a prominent businessman.
Mr Josep Batllo granted full creative freedom to Antoni Gaudí, putting him in charge of a project that initially entailed demolishing the building. However, thanks to the courage shown by Gaudí, the demolition of the house was ruled out, and it was fully reformed between 1904 and 1906. The architect completely changed the façade, redistributing the internal partitioning, expanding the lightwell and converting the inside into a true work of art. You decide.
During this era, many architects were competing in Barcelona for prizes and notoriety. As evidenced by all the modernism designs around this city.
At present, Casa Batllo is a UNESCO World Heritage site and an icon in Barcelona, a must see for those who want to discover Gaudí’s work and modernism at its finest. It is also one of the most highly rated cultural and tourist attractions, welcoming 1 million visitors every year.
After the tour, we went for another walk and found a coffee shop for a break. There are so many coffee/pastry shops that you can find one within a one minute walk from anywhere. And with the language and culture differences, you never know what will result from your order. Pat and I had been ordering “flat white” coffees in Spain. Kind of a latte as we would know them. Some are in a tiny coffee cup and then we received these tall and hot glasses of flat whites. With no handle or the cardboard slipcover. Surprise!
Wrap Up
Up next is a tour of the Picasso Museum and some sites in the Gothic District as we walk about the city. Take care and God Bless.