Citytrip Barcelona, Spain
June 2015






Day 2
Wednesday, June 3


The Basílica de la Sagrada Família (Basilica of the Holy Family), is a large Roman Catholic church in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852 - 1926). Although incomplete, the church is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in November 2010 Pope Benedict XVI consecrated and proclaimed it a minor basilica, as distinct from a cathedral which must be the seat of a bishop.

Construction of Sagrada Família had commenced in 1882 and Gaudí became involved in 1883, taking over the project and transforming it with his architectural and engineering style, combining Gothic and curvilinear Art Nouveau forms. Gaudí devoted his last years to the project, and at the time of his death at age 73 in 1926 less than a quarter of the project was complete.

Sagrada Família's construction progressed slowly, as it relied on private donations and was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War, only to resume intermittent progress in the 1950s. Construction passed the midpoint in 2010 with an anticipated completion date of 2026, the centenary of Gaudí′s death.

The basílica has a long history of dividing the citizens of Barcelona: over the initial possibility it might compete with Barcelona′s cathedral, over Gaudí′s design itself, over the possibility that work after Gaudí′s death disregarded his design, and the recent proposal to build an underground tunnel of Spain′s high-speed rail link to France which could disturb its stability.

The church shares its site with the Sagrada Família Schools building, a school originally designed by Gaudí in 1909 for the children of the construction workers. Relocated in 2002 from the eastern corner of the site to the southern corner, the building now houses an exhibition.

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Passeig de Gràcia

Passeig de Gràcia



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Barcelona stock market,
Passeig de Gràcia

Barcelona stock market,
Passeig de Gràcia



Casa Batlló, built between 1904 and 1906 in the heart of the city, is the most emblematic work of the brilliant Catalan architect.

At the top of the facade, the roof is in the shape of an animal′s back with large iridescent scales. The spine which forms the ornamental top is composed of huge spherical pieces of masonry in colours which change as you move along the roof-tree from one end to the other. The balcony railings in the shape of masks are made of wrought iron cast in a single piece and are secured by two anchor points in such a way that the balconies partly project outwards.

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The Casa Batlló

The Casa Batlló



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The Casa Batlló

The Casa Batlló



The building consists of a ground floor, a main floor with a courtyard, four further self-contained floors, a loft and a roof terrace. There is private access to the noble floor (the main floor), and a communal stairwell set within the building well which has been expanded and artistically tiled as though it were part of the exterior facade.

The Coach Houses are accessed from the street, at street level, and these occupy the area below the courtyard of the Noble Floor, and from here you gain access to the Coal Cellars below. The front of the building looks out onto Passeig de Gràcia, and the back faces the inner courtyard of the building.

The Casa Milà is one of Antoni Gaudí's last buildings, before he completely dedicated himself to the Sagrada Família. The Casa Milà is in the Eixample district and one of the best known and most impressive buildings in Barcelona. The house is also known as "La Pedrera", the quarry house. The house itself consists of two houses, which are connected only by the facade, the ground floor and the roof. Each has its own courtyard and entrance.





The story of this house begins like the history of each house. The couple Milà decides to build a house on their 2,000 square meters large plot of land to the noble Passeig de Gràcia. It was supposed to be a special house, which stands out in this area. In order to build a special house, you need special architects. The husband, Pedro Milà, heard about Gaudí, a very successful and innovative architect.

He had just built a house for a wealthy man on the same street, the Casa Batlló. Milà committed Gaudí on the spot and let him make plans for the house. Gaudí began the construction of the house in 1906 and it took him four years to finish it.

The Casa Milà got the nickname "Quarry" however, because of the unusual construction. The large stone slabs were first mounted to the facade and then processed by the craftsmen. The city of Barcelona announced right after the completion that the Casa Milà was a work of art. Groundbreaking was also the construction, that Gaudí used. The house has a natural ventilation system, which makes air conditioning unnecessary. You can also move the interior walls, because of a concrete-steel construction which requires no load-bearing walls. Gaudi designed the Casa Milà exclusively with natural forms, as a result of this not a single right angle can be found.

 


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Having dinner at Xiscarexantar
at Carrer de Pamplona

Having dinner at Xiscarexantar
at Carrer de Pamplona



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Having dinner at Xiscarexantar
at Carrer de Pamplona

Having dinner at Xiscarexantar
at Carrer de Pamplona



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Having dinner at Xiscarexantar
at Carrer de Pamplona

Having dinner at Xiscarexantar
at Carrer de Pamplona



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Evening walk to the harbour

Evening walk to the harbour













and welcome!




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View from the hotel window

View from the hotel window



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Nearby metro station Bogatell

Nearby metro station Bogatell



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Sagrada Familia

Sagrada Familia



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Sagrada Familia

Sagrada Familia



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Sagrada Familia

Sagrada Familia



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Sagrada Familia

Sagrada Familia



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La Pedrera: waiting in line
to buy a ticket

La Pedrera: waiting in line
to buy a ticket



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La Pedrera: the court yard

La Pedrera: the court yard