Gaudi Gumdrops!

***Note: I have changed the title of my blog from Buddha Mama to Modernista Mama. It better reflects the content of my blog as my blog includes all that is me (which includes following Buddhist philosophy)   

-Much happiness :)

Knock Knock

Who's there?

Gaudi

Gaudi who?

Gaudi gumdrops, there's more Gaudi!

PARC GUELL (1900)  Barcelona, Spain

Entrance to Parc Guell--commissioned by Count Guell. 3 km of paths and roads created by Gaudi, including two gatehouses and numerous sculptures.

I am finding being a SSL (Spanish as a second language learner) to be challenging. I find myself saying "Si" to everything when I don't quite understand. In a department store recently, the sales woman rambled on and on and I nodded and said "Si" thinking she was going to find me a fitting room. She then snatched all my items and began to ring them up. I have to reign in my "Si, Si's!"

Two of the Gaudi gate houses behind me. It was a very HOT day to attempt Parc Guell. This parc is featured in Woody Allen's film, Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Interestingly, our hotel is situated at the metro stop named Maria Cristina. It is always pleasant to come home each evening and disembark at Maria Cristina.

Me at Parc Guell.

Peter

View of Barcelona from hill at Parc Guell.

Behind Peter, high on a separate hill over Barcelona is the Les Tres Creus (three crosses). We climb to the top of this hill later in the blog...

That's me climbing to the top of Les Tres Creus.

At the tippy-top of Les Tes Creus, overlooking Barceona.

Les Tres Creus.

Peter at Parc Guell with a castle like church in the background on Tibidabo Mountain.

A home within Parc Guell.

Serpent like walkway by Gaudi.

Serpent walkway.

Sala Hipostial: a 88 pillar "forest" designed to be used as a market place.

A gatekeeper home at the parc.

Gaudi, Gaudi and more Gaudi!

La Pedrera, built between 1905-10, apartments and office block. The Modernista apartment inside is filled with light and many, many rooms--yes, I wanted to move right in.

Facade also along the busy Passeig de Gracia

View from interior courtyard

The roof top terrace with some traditional Gaudi sculptures

View of interior courtyard from the roof

I call this one: Peter and the Penis ;)

Roof top with a view of Gaudi's unfinished materpiece, La Sagrada Familia in the background

A few Gaudi designed chairs in the attic--many of his attics seem to be inspired by the vertebrae of a whale

Inside the Modernista apartment: Peter in the parlour

In the Modernista apartment's study

Spanish doll in the child's bedroom (this one is for my mom xo)

The apartment's bath

The Modernista apartment's kitchen

Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926) Casa Batilo

Gaudi, the Modernista. Spain's most famous architect. One of my favourites too. He used nature as an inspiration. All of his buildings are intricate designs: art, light and nature interwoven to create smooth, flowing lines and bursts of colour. Our first tour was of a grand casa situated on the busy Passeig de Gracia. The casa is called CASA BATILO--for the Batilo family who commissioned it and lived in it. It is now owned by a Barcelona family, dedicated to restoring it and allowing the public to tour. I love this house--skylights everywhere as well as windows. Gaudi made sure light flowed effortlessly throughout the home, even in central passages.
I used a washroom in the attic that was a singular room  (obviously used by the servants in the era when it was a busy Barcelona home as it was in the attic). All of the windows opened to roof top sights of Barcelona and I felt for a brief moment that I was living in a time, one hundred years before, when Casa Batilo was a busy family home and I was a guest.
As Tabs wants to be an architect, I purchased a beautiful print of the house to be framed for her. Gaudi is a true inspiration to any artist. Every detail based on dozens of models and sketches inspired by shapes and textures from nature. When designing any building, he studied the natural area around it and incorporated the colours, and shapes in his work.
 I confess, I am hooked on Gaudi. I felt a kinship to him as he was very ill as a young child and would watch the other children play from the window of his home as he was too ill to join them--I was the same for most of my first 5 years of life. I think it encourages a creative mind.
 Below are pictures from the exteriors and interior of the marvelous Casa Batilo.

The entrance hall to leading to the front parlour room. The niche is  2 seats and a fireplace.

The parlour

The rear exterior

Stepping onto the rear terrace

The central,  interior stairwell

The interior stairwell

Door leading off of the interior stairwell

Peter on the roof top terrace overlooking Barcelona

Roof top terrace

View of Passeig de Gracia from the roof terrace

Facade of Casa Batilo