Currency: Euro (1 Euro=$1.5 USD)

It’s significantly cheaper to buy the 10-ticket value pack for riding the metro.

If you are a mosaic fan, this is the place.

It is common to see signs in both Spanish and Catalan.

Although La Sagrada Familia closes at 6:30 p.m., the elevators to the towers close at 5:30.  There are two lifts up to different towers and each lift will be an additional price.  Do not forget the museum underneath that can be accessed by going out the back doors of the cathedral, going down the ramp on the right and going through the door below.  Expect the guards to kick you out 15 minutes before closing time.

It’s well worth a visit to the Museu de la Xocolata or “Chocolate Museum”.

Take time to stroll around La Boqueria off of Las Ramblas.  It’s a great place for market-lovers.

Deenaree´s list…

• Food: Seafood
• Experience: Seeing Gaudi’s structures and learning about how he was inspired
• Something to remember: Check out the rest of Spain.

Ben´s list…

• Food: Octopus tapas
• Experience: Eating dinner on the rooftop patio of the apartment with my family and getting hushed by one of the neighbors
• Something to remember: The abundance of cheap, good Spanish wine

We didn’t wait long to start our friendship with Gaudi.  Our first night there, we went straight to Casa Batllo, a short walk from our apartment.  Five stories in height and without a straight line on any surface, Casa Batllo was a wonderful introduction to the works of the man.  The woodwork in the interior was amazing, with a reason for every twist and turn.  At first view, a set of seating near a fireplace was poorly thought out, with so much wavy goodness that only three seats were provided, a bit of a strange number.  Turns out, a couple typically had a chaperon in Gaudi’s time, problem solved!  The blue courtyard was definitely most impressive in Casa Batllo.  Looking like melting ice, curves still flowed with interesting ideas such as the gradual reduction in window size going up to balance the natural light provided to apartments on different levels.  The whole house left us with wonderful impressions of Gaudi and we were looking forward to seeing more.

Our next brush with his work came a few days later when we found ourselves a few blocks from Casa Batllo at the equally well known La Pedrera.  Maybe it was the 45 minute wait to get in, but this one left us a bit less impressed as we walked through the arched, attic level museum.  The dull succession of red brick arches supporting the roof were quite mainstream looking on first appearance.  As we climbed to the roof terrace, our idea of dullness quickly changed.  Upon stepping out of the spiral staircase, we were instantly transported into a real life version of Super Mario Brothers, sans goombas and flying turtles.  The walkways sliced up and down, left and right, never one providing a straight path.  Wavy chimneys dotted into the air like mushrooms on the floor of the jungle.  Wonderful nooks and crannies could be found everywhere.  Touche Mr. Gaudi!

Another creation of Gaudi is well visited and another stop of ours in Barcelona.  The current Park Guell was actually a total failure at the time.  Intended to be a wealthy housing development in the suburban Barcelona hillside, it fell flat when no one wanted to move there.  Only three houses of Gaudi are there, his own and two near the front of the park.  In his true style, these two may have gone further than any Gaudi we had seen so far.  Wave lines and colorful tiles were in abundance.  More like a Disney set than 80′s video games, we still felt like we were in another world.  The place was loaded with people and our group of 8 had great fun irritating the teeny boppers around us as we managed to get a photo of all of us with the famous mosaic lizard at the front of the park.  In general, it is a beautiful park, but definitely disappointing when you think of the unique neighborhood that would have been created if enough others had seen Gaudi’s vision.

Lastly, of course, we could not have left Barcelona without having visited the construction site that is La Sagrada Familia.  In true cathedral form, this behemoth is still being built 130 years after it started and 90 years after the great man’s death.  It is in reality a bit of an ugly thing, with three wildly different facades that are a bit confusing.  But the principles of Gaudi are on full display.  He created complex geometric surfaces that, I know from experience, are nearly impossible to model via computer, even today, without the most complex tools.  Natural influence is in abundance, such as the tree like columns in the sanctuary.  While not our favorite church aesthetically, it was impossible not to be impressed by the grandness of the place.  We can only wonder about the finished product and will definitely be back to see it in its final form…if we are still alive!

Amidst the good company of Gaudi and my family, the week in Barcelona went quickly.  It is certain we have never seen a city quite like it and will hopefully make our way back someday to marvel once again at the beauty of the city and the works of its most famous architect.