One of the reasons many people come to Barcelona is to view Anthony Gaudi’s beautiful architecture. Some people come to Barcelona and just discover the amazing influence that this man has had on the buildings that we live and worship in.
I’m a fan. We spent a lot of time in the week we had in Barcelona looking at Gaudi’s work and learning about his life. Unasuming but brilliant – in 1926 he was knocked over and killed by a tram and nobody knew who this humble-looking man was with onlookers saying he was a street beggar because of his appearance. But his brilliance has been recognised.
You can see Gaudi’s passion for what he did in his work which is influenced by nature, and religion. He was involved in every detail of his creations and studied and used such crafts as ceramics, stained-glass, wrought iron work and carpentry. New techniques he used included designing with waste ceramic pieces and wine bottles.
Casa Milà is one of Gaudi’s last Civil works. We didn’t see the famous exterior of this Gaudi building as it was covered in scaffolding at the time of our visit. There is a model of the building in the attic so we got an idea of what it looks like on the outside.
The best thing about the visit is the explanations you get about the work of Antonio Gaudi. So even if the scaffolding has been taken down when you visit, buy a ticket and go inside.
A great day along car-free streets with plenty of interesting things to see – Poble Espanyol
In Plaça de la Vila de Gràcia, Barcelona there’s a clock tower. And occassionally other towers spring up in the square – but these are people towers.
The world’s greatest art museum – the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo and Winged Victory – just get lost and enjoy it.
The Marché aux Fleurs on Isle de la Cité is one of the last remaining flower markets in Paris.
Montmartre’s castle in the sky. You can climb the 90 metre tower for a view over Paris.