Description: This was the third Gaudi building we visited on a busy day of sightseeing in Barcelona. Although we were tired, it did not disappoint and really appealed to our 8 year old son and his imagination.
Anything designed by Antonio Gaudi is unusual, quirky and very different, but the Casa Batllo is even more dazzling and fairytale like than anything we had seen before. We easily spotted the house - in a row of others, it really stands out. From the strange windows and balconies, to the colours used on the facade right up to the dragon shaped, tiled roof - this is like nothing you will have seen before.
Although we had read that the Casa Batllo is very popular and that it is best to come early in the day to avoid the crowds, we arrived at 3pm and were pleasantly surprised to find it was the only one of the Gaudi buildings with no queue outside, and although busy enough inside, it was probably the least crowded.
We spent about an hour inside and on the roof exploring the house. It opens at 10am and closes at 8pm. The entrance charge is 18 Euros, included in the entrance price is a great audio guide which takes you through the house, room by room, and is informative and entertaining. This place is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Gaudi designed the Casa Batllo for a Barcelona family in 1905. Unlike the Casa Mila, where he designed the exterior, here he also designed the interior of the house, so the surprises continue inside. The building is actually thought to represent the legend of St George (the patron saint of Catalonia) and his fight against the dragon.
Look carefully at the building before you go inside. The locals call it Casa de Sossos (House of Bones) because they think the balconies look a bit like skeletons - they do! There are lots of mosaic tiles and ceramics on the facade - it is so colourful and sparkles in the sunshine. The colours are wonderful - shades of orange and green and blue. The Casa Batllo is part of a block of modernist bulidings called the Apple of Discord - but it does really stand out. The roof is also marvellous - it represents the humped and scaled back of a dragon, with St George in the turret - his lance is crowned by a cross.
Gaudi's goal here, as with his other projects, was to avoid straight lines and right angles. This is even more apparent when you go inside. We especially liked the dragon staircase, snaking up inside the building. The mushroom shaped fireplace with ingle-nook is also unusual, and everywhere has lots of colourful stained glass and light. Up in the attic, with its clean white lines and design element was another favourite of mine.
You can also go out on the roof terrace on the Casa Batllo. It is fun, with the dragon shaped roof and you do get quite a nice view of the neighbourhood, but this roof terrace does not compare to the Casa Milla.
There are a lot of stairs to climb, but going up through this wonderful building is quite an experience and the lightwells are amazing. As is normal in these places, you exit through the gift shop, but they do have lots of nice Gaudi style souvenirs and mementoes of your visit here.
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