On Day 8, after buying my timed ticket to the huge, still-being-built Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família, I subwayed to the Eixample,
the "Catalan Moderne" or "modernisme" area of Barcelona with a number of building designed by Barcelona architects, such as Antoni Gaudi.
Besides the Casa Milà which I visited a couple of days earlier, the area boasts stylish lamposts and streetlights,
plus and a number of buildings such as Casa Batlló, designed by Gaudi, and the neighbouring Casa Amatller, designed by Josep Puig i Cadafalch.
I chose to tour Casa Batlló.
After that, I walked down Passeig de Gracia and Las Ramblas (sort of the Champs-Élysées of Barcelona) into
the old Gothic city, the "Barri Gòtic" of Barcelona, and then subwayed to La Sagrada Familia (pictures will be in separate section).
In the evening, I took in the free fountain show by the 1929 World Fair grounds and the Catalan Art Museum.
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Above: Detail on the front of Casa Amatller.
Below: Picture 1 and 2 are two statues? The first is by Spanish sculptor Frederic Marès featuring an ice cream cone. The second is in jeans, the sculptor is Guess.
Pictures 3 to 6 are outside views of the front of Casa Batlló, a redesign of an existic building in 1904. The outside walls are meant to emulate a lily pond.
Picture 7 is the part of the front of Casa Amatller, originally designed as a residence for chocolatier Antoni Amatller and finished in 1900.
Pictures 8 to 12 are examples of the exotic windows, doorways and a seating area built right into the wall in picture 8.
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