If theme of Monday was the “Rock Stars of Modernisme,” Tuesday was “Gaudi North Times Three.” We started the day at Torre Bellesguard, then went to Casa Vicens, and ended the afternoon at Parc Guell.
The amazing part is, the two houses were completely different, and the park is, well, mind-blowing. All three are in the northern part of the city. To save time, we cabbed up to Torre Bellesguard.
A note – we’ve primarily relied on two modes of transport, our feet and the wonderful Barcelona Metro system. However, cabbing is not that expensive in Barcelona, so given the distance and the difficulty of taking the Metro to our target, it was the logical choice.
At first glance, Torre Bellesguard is not as impressive as the other Gaudi houses. But, we really enjoyed it.
We walked around the grounds, the only visitors at the time. I mentioned to Don and Jennifer that there would be an amazing sight on the roof. My favorite parts of the outside are four beautiful benches, the incredible stonework, and the view of the whole house from an outer building.
Fun fact #1: Gaudi spent three years choosing every stone for the outside of the house.
Fun fact #2: I get bored after five minutes of looking at paint colors.
Our tour guide met us at the prescribed time and led us into the house.
None of us wanted the audioguide, we just wanted to learn from our guide. Unfortunately none of us caught her name, but she was really good.
Built between 1900-1909 on the site of a country residence belonging to King Martin of Aragon until he died with an heir in 1410. It also served as the home of a Pope back when there were two Popes (sorry, I’m a bit hazy on Papal history, the only Pope that has really mattered in my lifetime is Pope John Paul II), it’s designed to give off a medieval vibe, and it sure does. It’s very different than every other Gaudi house.
Constructed mainly of stone (as mentioned above) and brick. Gaudi styled it as a neogothic tribute to the original medieval castle. Thus, unlike Gaudi’s other works, he used a lot of straight lines, and far less use of color.
The most interesting part of the building’s interior is the impressive entrance, with an internal balcony, a 3D stained glass rose window, an in-house fountain, and beautiful tiles.
We got to go into the old smoking room, where party guests (men only) would come to smoke cigars and talk about the big events of the day. We also went out on the balcony, which was pretty neat.
But the tour went from very interesting to great when we went up on the roof. You see, there’s a dragon designed into the whole roof. See below for some photos. Smaller windows represent the ears and nostrils, while larger windows are the eyes. You really can’t see it until you are at the Southwest corner of roof (don’t worry, we didn’t have a fear of falling as there’s a sizable parapet all the way around).
Unlike three years ago, we were able to up to the highest point of the roof. We had a good long chat with the guide. She speaks five languages, which is four or five more than I speak. We learned even more about the house, the neighborhood, and her life as well. It was like having a private tour.
Editor’s Note: Uh, Glen, given that no one else was with you, it WAS a private tour, not just “like having” one. Blogger: Yeah, that’s it, that’s what I meant!
From the roof, the house certainly lives up to its name: “Beautiful View.”
All in all, it was a great tour, and then we walked downhill to John F. Kennedy Plaza and we ate at the same Panera-like sandwich and flatbread Carol and I had lunch in 2019 after our first trip to Torre Bellesguard. The original plan was to find a nice place to eat, but we didn’t have time, but the flatbreads were fine.
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