You can’t really think of Barcelona without the architect Antoni Gaudí coming to mind. His distinctive style of Catalan Modernism is so unique and magical. So colorful and whimsical!

We were lucky enough to see a few of his works while in Barcelona, including his two most famous works: the Sagrada Família and Park Güell.

There is a major shopping street, the Passeig de Gràcia. It’s also known as the most expensive street in Barcelona. In addition to luxury shops and cafes, two of Gaudí’s works can be found: Casa Milà, aka La Pedrera, and Casa Batlló. If we were in Barcelona longer, I would have loved to explore the insides of the buildings!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Sagrada Familia is a must-see while in Barcelona. Still unfinished (ground was broken in 1882), it was exciting to see if there was any progress since my last visit in 2008! The architectural details and symbolism are so unique to Gaudí. It’s projected that the building could be completed by 2026—the centenary of Gaudí’s death. I hope so, then we can plan another visit in 9 years!

 

 

 

I was very excited about visiting Park Güell! There was so much to see and experience, I will be making a separate post in the coming days to share everything more in-depth. Park Güell is now a public park, but initially it was set out to be an estate for wealthy families in Barcelona, similar to the British residential parks that were popular at the time. To quote Park Güell’s website, “The complex conditions for sale of the plots, under old emphyteusis (lifetime leasehold) contracts, the lack of a suitable transport system and the highly exclusive character of the development all made it unviable. A lack of buyers led to the works being abandoned in 1914, with only two of the sixty houses envisaged having been built. The park thus became a large private garden, which Güell allowed to be used for public events, while it began to appear in tourist guides to Barcelona as one of the attractions of the city.” In 1926, Park Güell became open to the public.