La Pedrera/Casa Mila

La Pedrera is an apartment building designed by Gaudi and therefore isn't your normal apartment building. It was just two short blocks away from our hotel and we had managed to print our our tickets in the Hotel's Business Center as the wi-fi in our room wasn't working-this meant no waiting to get in.

Built between 1906 and 1910, commissioned by Señor Pere Mila. People live here!

We started at the roof as we had read it was "different" and spectacular. There is an elevator to take you up there. We'll go down inside the building in the next blog. The apartments have fireplaces for the Barcelona winter and the chimneys of course have that Gaudi style.

La Pedrera means "the quarry" which is rather  a criticism of the rough hewn style of the stonework.
It's a "nickname" as it's real name is Casa Mila.

 Every now and then I take shots of the surrounding neighborhood...

La Sagrada Familia

The roof undulates and is the opposite of "flat" so watch where you are stepping

Carol is taking her own shots

There are tourists therefore there are fire exits

Apartments in the center get light through an open space in the roof

Balconies are small but that was way before Balcony Furniture had been invented

A look across Passeig de Gracia at the Modern World

The many tourists are widely dispersed up here

 A spacious rooftop patio on the house at bottom right....when I think Barcelona I immediately think-outdoor living!

 Carol finds a bench and takes it all in. She is in Architectural Heaven.

 Selfie sticks are sold on the street everywhere in Europe

That's the elevator tower at left and we are going to go down and explore the interior....

A quick breakfast

Carol had tried to buy tickets to the two Gaudi treasures nearby online on our first day in Barcelona but alas the hotel's wi-fi wasn't operating. On the second day while I was out walking she spent two hours in the business center in the basement of the hotel and finally succeeded in printing two tickets for La Pedrera and Casa Batllo, as we didn't want to waste (any more) time lining up with the crowds outside these Gaudi attractions.

Now we could relax and have some breakfast. Even though the hotel did a fine looking breakfast in a beautiful room for 30 Euros we wanted to be outside having our first great coffee of the day. Luckily there was an outdoor cafe just 10 yards from the hotel.

Cafe de Francesco...

This double espresso was so good I had two of them and felt energized. There was just one waitress working this large number of people so I had to be patient and finally caught her eye to place an order.

After half an hour of coffee drinking and enjoying the aromas from the cafe we had to eat something and so we both ordered a "Bikini Sandwich". Ham and cheese in a fresh warm croissant and I took a few bites before remembering I had a camera. So tasty!

My favorite pastime is to sit at a cafe outdoors and drink coffee (or beer) and watch the world go by.
However when the cafe got really busy we decided to move somewhere quieter and have that beer I was just talking about. Back to the rooftop bar in the hotel!

Always a crowd waiting to get into Casa Batllo. We would be there much later in the day.

I enjoyed an Estrella draught beer and some flavorful olives and most of all the peace and quiet of the bar with few people around

Cool artwork around the pool

My waitress today was a young girl from Ireland, working here for the summer. So we had something to chat about when she came to the table.

This rooftop bar is Officially my favorite place in all Barcelona. La Sagrada Familia crowns the view

We would soon leave for the short two block walk north to la Pedrera. Hope to see you there!

Sunday in Barcelona, October 4th 2015

Long walk home

Having reached Barcelona harbor it was time to turn around and work my way back to the hotel.
I turned my back on the Columbus monument  and walked up La Rambla the way I had come.

A late night reveler (?) stops to use the bathroom at the Pension Reial

Now there are people in the street and I have no concern for the safety of my cameras

It seems everyone has a balcony in Barcelona. My kind of town!

 No driving for me on this vacation....

 I think this is an outdoor art exhibit or just someone with a lot of white tee shirts to dry

I knew Barcelona's famous Opera House was down here somewhere...

A photo of the auditorium was in the window and would be as close as I would get on this trip to seeing the interior.

The Opera season would start later in the week, after we had gone

No taxi for me. I am enjoying the walk.

Alas the famous La Boqueria food market was closed on Sunday

I thought that instead of following La Rambla all the way I would cut across to the East to find Passeig de Gracia so got to see some of the side streets

Cool art on a clothes shop shutter

Accidentally I stumbled upon Barcelona Cathedral in a square

Moving on...but just one look back

Every building was a new discovery

I found Passeig de Gracia...

Once I see Casa Batllo I know I am only two blocks from the hotel. Already a line at 9 a.m

The luxury shops next to the hotel

"Home, Sweet Home" for two days

Next up- coffee al fresco and a tour of Gaudi's amazing apartment complex La Pedrera...