Flight ticket to Barcelona: 860 euros. Taxi from the airport to the hotel: 18 euros. Daily rate with a great breakfast: 23 euros. Staying 50 meters away from Casa Batló: priceless. More than talking about another amazing work by Antoni Gaudí, I want to first show where I stayed in the capital of Catalonia.
The Centric Point Hostel is located on Passeig de Gracia – for me, the main and most charming avenue of the city, a five-minute walk from Las Ramblas (the famous promenade) and two minutes from Catalunya Square (where urban transport leaves for all corners). There is no double room.
You can stay in a shared dormitory (17 euros per person) or book the triple room with a private bathroom (72 euros, the room) which, due to the location, is the best cost-benefit option. My family, who arrived a day before me, stayed in a quadruple room, at 23 euros per person.
Do this: leave the hostel, turn left and, nice to meet you, I am Casa Batló. It introduces itself, unmistakable, exceptional, unique – like everything Gaudí did.
A bow to universal art. The work is the result of a renovation done by the architect in an old building. He changed everything: added floors, rounded corners, and turned the façade into a mask parade.
Inside the building, the waves on the ceiling bring movement to the place. Everything is so original that a visit here becomes an event. It opens every day from 9am to 8pm. Admission – quite expensive, but worth every penny – is 16.50 euros. Go inside, because the best is there.
Three more minutes from there, Casa Milà – on the same avenue. Perhaps Gaudi’s greatest contribution to civil architecture. It was completed in 1910. The building doesn’t have a single straight line. The twisted iron balconies challenged design in the early 20th century. It is also known as La Pedrera. The nickname “quarry” was given by the city residents who found it ugly and unconventional at the time.
It has a wavy façade, reminiscent of sand dunes. The top floor houses the Gaudí Museum. Today it is part of UNESCO’s World Heritage site – just like the other buildings by the Catalan architect. The visit costs 10 euros and should be done without haste. Like Casa Batló, the interior of La Milà is as surprising as well.
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Photos: Raul Mattar | All rights reserved