La Pedrera and la Casa Batlló

Pedrera can be accessed by walking from Plaza Catalunya Paseo de Gracia. This unique building is near the end of this walk, but the journey is quite pleasant. Along the way, at number 43 Paseo de Gracia, is the Casa Batllo (www.casabatllo.es), jewel of the Catalan modernism.

The architecture of Gaudi reproduced the shape of bones, tree trunks and branches. Organic architecture is easily noticeable in the facade of the Casa Batllo, which is also called the House of Bones. According to different interpretations, it represents the legend of Sant Jordi, the knight who killed the dragon: its sinuous silhouette seems to represent the spine of the dragon, the tower would be the sword nailed them there; shingles, scales, the colors of the facade, the lake and the upper balcony, the rose, and the windows of the main floor, the bones of the wretched that the dragon swallowed.

It is important to be careful not to pass by this flagship building, if it comes from the Plaza Catalunya, the Casa Batllo is on the left-side of this walk. Later, on the right hand side at number 92, is the spectacular Casa Milà (www.casamila.com), popularly known as La Pedrera by its strange shape.

Despite the name, said that the curvilinear facade represents the sea, while the back part, targeting the mountain Collserola, is less tortuous. Although from the outside see it's all a show, you should climb to the roof, possibly with the tour. In this outdoor space can be seen up close the ventilation towers and chimneys twisted, that Gaudi was trying to facilitate the departure of smoke imitating his movement.

Walking on the slopes of the roof ornaments can be note easy to read as the heart that adorns the chimney which is aimed at Tarragona, its land, or tear recorded in the fireplace that looks to the Sagrada Familia, the work already knew that would not finished

Virtually all the works of Gaudi is polychromatic. To achieve rounded figures to create lasting color and live Gaudí used the technique trencadís, consisting of broken ceramic pieces and the pieces fit uneven as if it were a mosaic. This technique can be seen at the Pedrera, Casa Batllo, the Sagrada Familia, Casa Vicens or the Park Guell.

A curiosity: the tiles on the floor of the room designed by Gaudi Pedrera are octagonal, as a panel of bees, and are decorated with motifs marine. This same design was used to pave sidewalks around the Paseo de Gracia.

If you have no chance to visit the interior of the house Gaudí, there is always the appeal of looking at the floor of the walk.
If the tour gives us lazy and tired to walk back to Plaza Catalunya, near La Pedrera you can take the metro Diagonal (L3), direction Zona Universitaria. There are only two stops.