I rarely do this, but as well as I could describe all the locations I mentioned above, I believe Gaudi's architecture should be seen and not...read. Therefore, I present you with a series of pictures of all the Gaudi locations I visited.
Park Güell:
the main gate
Sagrada Familia:
the front
the interior
the back
Palau Güell:
rooftop
basement, the only part of the palace open to visitors
Casa Batlló:
I only have pictures of the exterior because it was too expensive to go inside
Casa Pedreras:
exterior
the roof
atrium as seen from the roof
artwork on the ceiling
I have to admit that without Gaudi, the trip would have been awful, and it wasn't as spectacular as I had hoped to begin with. Although it was sunny the first two days, the weather was unbearably cold. The rain commenced on the third day and did not stop as much as change in strength. The fact that I just wanted to go home at that point also contributed to my slight lack of adventure. But I digress. The reason Gaudi contributed very positively to my trip, apart from the fact that the majority of his structures were buildings that sheltered me from the rain, is that his work seemed so interesting, so unusual, and therefore so uplifting, that it distracted me from my misery and restlessness for long enough periods of time that I forgot that I could not feel my toes despite the three pairs of socks I had on.
Perhaps it seems wrong to complain about Barcelona, or even so much as suggest misery in the same sentence, but after three and a half long, albeit amazing, months abroad, biking in the pouring rain, embarrassingly falling asleep while perusing the Picasso Museum (at least it was free), and emptying out my bank account, I was more than ready to get my culo* on the airplane and go home. That is one long sentence.
*ass
