Barcelona, the Last Stop

Barcelona was the culmination of my Spanish escapade. I have been to the city six years ago and have done the usual sites, Picasso and Gaudi. This time i had to take more pictures - and Gaudi is the easy target. Thus this little friend made it to my collection - Parc Guell's mascot lizard:

And a couple of houses surrounding the Guell park, that was originally planned as a garden city. The plan never got to its end, like other Gaudi projects, but the part that has been built is the happy kingdom for kids and adults alike.

These houses remind me so much of the Hansel and Gretel tale, i feel like getting a piece of the wall and taste it each time when passing here:

And why not immortalize Segrada Familia to show to the children in many many years - "yes, i saw when it was only being built, without that big tower in the middle etc"...


And these are the other Gaudi creations, the classic casa Batllo, that now one can visit for only...16 euros to see the stairs and the roof - which i surprisingly did not:


And the less known casa Vicenc on the way to the Guell Park, where the cleaning lady is getting nicely into the landscape on the first floor:

I also visited the less usual Pedralbes Monestary, founded by another disenchanted queen to keep to the quite world of spirits. This little angel guaranteed the serenity of her soul and oversaw the discipline in the nuns' conduct:

And this is the modernist tower, for once not by Gaudi, at the old textile factory, converted into an exhibition hall by the Catalan Caixa bank in 2002. Pure blue sky is the only witness to the perfect Mediterranean climate this city so selfishly enjoys...

Worthwhile is the Catalan National Museum uphill from this factory, with incredible Roman art fresques that were rescued (at least that's what the museum says) from the churches around Barcelona in the beginning of the 20th century and other, mainly Spanish, masterpieces in the newly restored upper-floor galleries.