Barcelona, Spain - Gaudi tour; Casa Batllo

Up at 7 and out the door by 8. We walked up Las Ramblas, stopping to pick up a croissant and coffee on the way to Placa Catalunya to meet the bus for our tour. It turned out we were the only ones signed up for the whole tour and had our guide, Carlos, and the bus to ourselves until the Sagrada Familia part of the tour, when we were joined by a dozen or so other English speakers. So we had Carlos to ourselves for the tour of

Casa Batllo

Carlos explained that the house originally had a plain facade and Gaudi was commissioned to make it something special by the Batllo family who were rich textile manufacturers. He decided to use the legend of St George (the patron saint of Catalonia) for his theme. So the roof is the dragon with its tiles like scales, the balconies are skulls, and some of the columns, bones, of the dragons victims and the highest balcony like a rose symbolizing the love St George had for the princess he rescued by slaying the dragon.

These large windows on the second floor are for the main living/entertaining room. The windows all open so that it can be more like a balcony and was designed to "show off" the wealth of the family.

The owners lived on the first 2 floors and the other floors were each divided into 2 apartments to be rented out.

Inside Gaudi designed everything to look natural therefor there are no straight walls. They all undulate. This is the main staircase taken from below.

Doors were curved

Gaudi focused on bringing light and air circulation into the houses he designed. Many of the doors had glass inserts and stained glass transoms. This one opened like a butterflies wing, hinged in the centre.

A cozy little fireplace nook with seating on either side.

Even the ceilings don't have straight lines. Gaudi also designed some of the light fixtures in the house.

Light and air was bought down through the centre of the house. There was a skylight on the roof. Windows at the bottom were larger than those at the top and the tiles lining the shaft were a lighter blue at the bottom than at the top. All techniques to enhance the light quality in the lower rooms.

The rear of the house was not changed very much. No need to show off here. Gaudi added some curvy balconies,

 some of his signature, broken tile mosaics, and some holes to bring light into the garages at the lowest levels.

Up on the roof some of the chimneys were functional and some decorative. Designed to look a little like knights in helmets.

Gaudi was a very religious man and usually had a cross somewhere in the houses he designed. This one was also to signify St George's sword.

Gaudi hid the water tanks for the house in the roof, surrounded by an air chambre to insulate it.

Looking down past the ceramic tile "scales" of the roof, "skull " balconies, to the road below.

Looking down the light chambre.

Curved banister and decoration.

Door to one of the rental apartments. Although most have been taken over by the current owner (who rents the building out for weddings and other events) there is one apartment still occupied by a previous tenant.

Gaudi used distorted glass to give the impression of being underwater while traveling in the elevator he had installed in the house.

We rejoined the bus and headed for Sagrada Familia.