The exterior of Casa Batllo, designed by Antoni Gaudi in 1905. - Sun 24 Sep 2006 10:12:29 AM Casa Amatller, designed by Puig i Cadafalch in 1900, next door to Casa Batllo - Sun 24 Sep 2006 10:12:35 AM An upstairs patio at Casa Batllo. Casa Batllo is widely thought to represent the legend of Saint George, the patron saint of Catalonia, the region of Spain in which Barcelona is located. - Sun 24 Sep 2006 09:31:58 AM Another view of the Casa Batllo exterior from the patio. - Sun 24 Sep 2006 09:32:09 AM This skylight looks like a pond from the outside, and like an underwater view of the surface from inside - Sun 24 Sep 2006 09:32:47 AM Funky succulent garden on a neighboring rooftop - Sun 24 Sep 2006 09:31:35 AM Joel on the patio - Sun 24 Sep 2006 09:32:57 AM When we toured Casa Batllo, it was early in the morning before things got crowded. We were alone on the rooftop. - Sun 24 Sep 2006 09:53:08 AM Looking out over the rooftops of Barcelona - Sun 24 Sep 2006 09:53:35 AM Looking over the rooftops of Barcelona - Sun 24 Sep 2006 09:53:54 AM Up close & personal with one of the chimneys - Sun 24 Sep 2006 09:57:12 AM The tile work is beautiful - Sun 24 Sep 2006 09:57:30 AM Views of the city from the rooftop at Casa Batllo - Sun 24 Sep 2006 09:57:48 AM More tile work, and a cross - Sun 24 Sep 2006 09:58:55 AM The attics of Casa Batllo are fascinating - Sun 24 Sep 2006 10:00:12 AM aan - Sun 24 Sep 2006 10:01:20 AM Inside the attics - Sun 24 Sep 2006 10:01:35 AM A stairwell in the attic - Sun 24 Sep 2006 10:01:51 AM An open area in the Casa Batllo attic - Sun 24 Sep 2006 10:02:30 AM A doorway inside Casa Batllo - Sun 24 Sep 2006 10:08:29 AM Some of the interior tile work in Casa Batllo - Sun 24 Sep 2006 10:09:57 AM aat - Sun 24 Sep 2006 10:11:01 AM Exterior of La Pedrera, the common name for Casa Mila. Pere Mila i Camps commissioned Gaudi to build the most extravagant showpiece on Passeig de Gracia. It's beautiful, but we liked Casa Batllo even more. - Sun 24 Sep 2006 10:23:05 AM Interior courtyard of La Pedrera. Many of the original apartments are still private homes. - Sun 24 Sep 2006 10:43:04 AM Courtyard - Sun 24 Sep 2006 10:43:11 AM Inside the attic at La Pedrera - Sun 24 Sep 2006 11:03:49 AM aba - Sun 24 Sep 2006 11:04:09 AM Views of the city from the rooftop at La Pedrera - Sun 24 Sep 2006 11:12:34 AM The roof of Casa Mila is much more exciting than the interior - Sun 24 Sep 2006 11:12:41 AM Michele on the roof at Casa Mila - Sun 24 Sep 2006 11:13:31 AM abe - Sun 24 Sep 2006 11:13:59 AM Some of the chimneys on the roof of Casa Mila. The fence surrounds the entrance to the courtyard we saw as we entered the building. - Sun 24 Sep 2006 11:14:15 AM abg - Sun 24 Sep 2006 11:14:23 AM This apartment next to La Pedrera had a great rooftop patio. HELLLOOOO ROOF PARTY! - Sun 24 Sep 2006 11:14:35 AM Joel on the roof at La Pedrera - Sun 24 Sep 2006 11:16:16 AM Looking down into the courtyard from the roof - Sun 24 Sep 2006 11:17:08 AM abk - Sun 24 Sep 2006 11:17:38 AM abl - Sun 24 Sep 2006 11:18:17 AM Michele - Sun 24 Sep 2006 11:18:27 AM Michele again, still on the roof at La Pedrera - Sun 24 Sep 2006 11:20:57 AM abo - Sun 24 Sep 2006 11:21:21 AM abp - Sun 24 Sep 2006 11:23:25 AM We were in Barcelona during the festival of La Merce (Our Lady of Mercy). Legend says she rid Barcelona of locusts. the Barcelonese celebrate with a crazy city-wide street festival and celebration. The entire city was like a graduate course in people-w - Sun 24 Sep 2006 12:17:42 PM Apparently part of the festival involves trying to spin plates on top of a stick for as long as possible. Believe me when I tell you this was about the most normal thing we saw. Seriously. - Sun 24 Sep 2006 12:29:30 PM Do they serve ferrets at the Ferreteria? - Sun 24 Sep 2006 12:54:11 PM Festival crowds/street party - Sun 24 Sep 2006 02:32:27 PM La Sagrada Familia, Gaudi's masterpiece, is still incomplete. It was begun in 1882, and was still incomplete at the time of his death in 1926. It is still incomplete, but projections say it should be finished by the 100th anniversary of Gaudi's death in - Sun 24 Sep 2006 04:47:04 PM During Gaudi's lifetime, he was criticized for the slow progress on the cathedral. To this, he supposedly replied, "My client (God) is in no hurry." - Sun 24 Sep 2006 04:48:00 PM Entrance to the cathedral - Sun 24 Sep 2006 04:48:07 PM abx - Sun 24 Sep 2006 04:52:43 PM A knight on the exterior of the cathedral - Sun 24 Sep 2006 04:53:02 PM Gaudi style Jesus - Sun 24 Sep 2006 04:54:52 PM Looking up to the soaring ceiling from inside the cathedral - Sun 24 Sep 2006 04:56:58 PM acb - Sun 24 Sep 2006 04:57:21 PM Michele inside the cathedral. We knew the cathedral was unfinished, but we didn't realize until we got inside just how unfinished it is. - Sun 24 Sep 2006 04:58:15 PM acd - Sun 24 Sep 2006 05:01:23 PM This section of the exterior is almost 100 years old, and really shows its age, compared with the newer sections of the cathedral. - Sun 24 Sep 2006 05:09:21 PM acf - Sun 24 Sep 2006 05:09:28 PM A small courtyard outside the cathedral - Sun 24 Sep 2006 05:10:40 PM This is the model room where teams of architects and designers work to bring Gaudi's sketches to life - Sun 24 Sep 2006 05:17:34 PM Exterior of La Sagrada Familia - Sun 24 Sep 2006 05:40:27 PM Entrance to our room in the super-cool Hotel Prestige Paseo de Gracia - Sun 24 Sep 2006 06:06:33 PM Our ultra modern room - Sun 24 Sep 2006 06:07:36 PM acl - Sun 24 Sep 2006 06:08:38 PM Joel tends the zen garden before taking advantage of the free minibar - Sun 24 Sep 2006 06:08:55 PM It was a long day, and we both fell asleep on the couch a few minutes after this picture was taken. Even after a nap, it was still hard to get up at 4:00 the next morning to catch our early flight. - Sun 24 Sep 2006 06:09:18 PM Elevator lobby in the hotel - Sun 24 Sep 2006 07:51:05 PM
