A little while ago, I exchanged guests posts with Annie of Gambas and Grits. Check out her cool blog (and send her felicidades about her adorable new baby!) Anyway, I wrote The Insider’s Guide to Gaudí, before quickly realizing there was too much Gaudí goodness to fit into one post. You may have heard of all the places I mentioned in the first part, but here are some Gaudí works you may not be familiar with. 

Palau Güell

This apartment is down by the port, and was under construction until recently. Like the more famous La Pedrera, the Palau Güell features a roof filled with medium-sized towers. These are colorful and feature fruit, animals, and lots more. It’s quite a contrast to the dark, twisted black exterior. I haven’t been inside this one yet, as I only recently discovered it had re-opened. It’s on my list though!

gaudi-palau-guell-barcelona

Photo retrieved CultureMaking

Insider tip? This one is free on the first Sunday of the month! But you have to go early to get your ticket.

Casa Vicens

Very close to Fontana metro station is a non-famous Gaudí house that’s actually…for sale. Yes, that’s right – you can buy your very own Gaudí house (theoretically, at least – the price tag may prove prohibitive). As you can’t go inside, seeing the outside should only take a little while. It’s pretty cool, and it’s not nearly as famous as his other works.

Gaudi-Casa-Vicens

Insider tip? You can see this one as a potential buyer…if you have a few million euros lying around to spare. Kidding! I think it’s pretty hard to see the inside of this one unless you’re a millionaire. Still, I think it’s so cool to pretend I’m a millionaire surveying my future stomping grounds.

You can also see the inside by visiting the official website and going through their gallery, which has lots of high-quality images.

 Casa Calvet

Yet another house, but you can go inside this one. This wasn’t actually originally designed as a house; it was a building for a textile manufacturer. It used to have boring office stuff but now….

casa-calvet-gaudi-barcelona

By Enfo (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Insider tip: It’s got a restaurant and bar inside! I’ve never eaten there because it’s a bit out of my (cheap) budget, but it looks fabulous. Their website says it “combines the vanguardism of other great creators of our national cuisine with a certain influence from Asian cuisine.”  I’m not sure what that tastes like, but I’d love to find out!

Small details – Parc de la Ciutadella & Plaça Reial

Gaudí isn’t responsible for either of these places, but he does have some smaller pieces there. As an architecture student, Gaudí worked with Josep Fontserè on the big fountain in the Parc de la Ciutadella, which is topped by golden horses.

Parc-de-la-Ciutadella-Barcelona-fountain

Plaça Reial features one of Gaudí’s first projects – the lampposts! Take a close look at them, and you’ll start to notice some of the architect’s signature wild details.

Insider tip? Both of these places are great spots to relax in the middle of a busy day, so enjoy some down time there. A cold caña really completes the experience.

There is one more spot – the Colonia Güell, which is outside of Barcelona. If you want to find out more about it, go to Miss Mad About Travel’s fab post on it, because I really have nothing to add:

That’s the rest of the Gaudí spots that I’m familiar with in Barcelona. If you know of a secret spot that I’m missing, let me know! 

Also, I’m off to a certain Spanish festival a little further south filled with parades, fireworks, and mayhem – any guesses where I might be? For some reason, I’ve decided to go at 6 a.m. and come back at 3 a.m., so I will probably not be responding to comments for a while as I recover!  🙂

Besos!

-Jess