All Gaudí, all day. Touring Casa Milá made me apréciate Gaudí’s vision for architecture in a way that Parc Guell or La Sagrada Familia never did. He believed light to be important in living spaces, so designed this apartment building with 2 central courtyards. The apartments on each floor wrap around the courtyard, letting light in from both the inside and outside of the building. Gaudí was a student of nature’s shapes and textures; you can see how organic his shapes are. No right angles, curved hallways and ceilings and window openings – all very lovely.






I love the use of catenary arches, and how he designed by hanging chains and then reflecting the image to see what the buiding would look like.





Parc Guell was full of school groups and languages and vendors and musicians. A lovely place, free to all.






Then, La Sagrada Familia. I read there is a huge fight over whether work should continue on it or it should be left unfinished, as all Gaudí’s models and sketches were destroyed in the civil war. But as you can see by the numerous cranes, work is going on. Supposedly the Japanese are big into funding it. The materials and the methods being used are controversial – you might be able to tell in the photos that concrete is replacing the hewn stone, and the textures are quite an unpleasant contrast.





I didn’t go inside, as I have good memories of being there with all my family in 2003 and don’t want to replace those.