Gaudí is Gaudy

This is the front of Casa Milá, hidden by a tree. the locals think it looks kinda like a rock, so they call it La Pedrera, (piedra is spanish for rock) but I think its amazing.
Gaudí is famed for his unique ironwork, all of recycled iron. this is the front door to La Pedrera
Here is a picture of the top floor and roof. As you get higher up, the windows get smaller. This is so that each floor has an equal amount of light. gaudí was very demorcatic.
Here is the amazing roof! You can see the "guards" standing in groups or alone, as well as the staircase off to the right and a water tank in the back. its kind of hard to see, but off in the distance, with a crane standing beside it, is the Sangrada Familia.

Day 35 – October 2nd – Thursday
I'm very happy to report that today is my last day of school during the week, every week. I had my art and artists class again today and we talked about Antoni Gaudí, who is one of the most famous architects in the world and most definitely the most famous Spanish architect. As part of the course, we have to give a presentation, and my group is presenting on Gaudí. So, it is lucky that we are going tomorrow to visit the Casa Milà, also known as La Pedrera. It is the last house that Gaudí built before his retirement to dedicate himself to his life's work, La Sangrada Familia, which is a cathedral which was still unfinished at the time of his death (1926) and still stands unfinished today. The rest of the day, I just sat around. I have a big day tomorrow, so I'm not going out.

Day 36 – October 3rd – Friday
I think this is the first time I've mentioned this in my blog, but I am going to Milán, Italy, on Thursday of next week through the weekend. So today, we booked out hostal. Its going to be about 120€ round trip for flights and lodging, so not too bad for a weekend in Italy. I don't really know what I should do while there, other than go to the Duomo, see the Last Supper painting, and perhaps a soccer game. Fernando told me that there is soccer in Milán every weekend, as neither A.C. Milan nor Inter Milan have their own stadium. I would rather see A.C. Milan, as this is the team that Ronaldinho left Barça to go play for. After lunch, we headed off to visit the Casa Milà. It was quite a sight to see. It is hard to believe, but the people who ordered it built, did not like it when it was finished. They hated it so much, in fact, that they sued Gaudí himself. He won, and promptly donated all the money he won to charity. In my humble opinion, they should have known what they were getting. It wasn't the first house he had designed, and many of the others are even more over-the-top. I will have to put some pictures of this up, as it is heard to describe in words. There are very few straight lines, as Gaudí tried to imitate nature in his buildings. There are two indoor, open air patios and the structure is held up by 270 arches, creating a skeleton which can be seen in the top floor. The most amazing part, however, is the roof. With both stairway entrances and water reserves, all looking the same, as well as what are referred to as “the guards,” the roof is covered in strange looking bulbous forms, all surrounded by winding walkways. You can see the Sangrada Familia in the background and there is a part that seems to frame it in the background. I will post that picture for sure. Taking six years to complete, Casa Milà is probably the most famous of his works and definitely one of the most interesting. That night Matt and I went out with the usual crew, but I met Nicholas' friend Stefani tonight, who is Swedish and Spanish. She has lived in Spain for a while now and I think she enjoyed trying out her English, though her Spanish was better. I ended the day at four with the Barça-Atlético game to look forward to tomorrow. I have one more bike shop I need to go to as well.

Day 37 – October 4th – Saturday
I slept until three o'clock today and then woke up and had lunch. Fernando and Teresa were gone for most of the day to a barbarque just outside of Barcelona. Because of this, Matt and I ate lunch alone. After eating, I went in search of the last bike shop that gives me hope. I found it, eventually, but it only brought more of the same. This time, they actually had a track frame, which I have been looking for, but it was a nice one and was going for 1000€. Far too much for me to pay. I don't really know what to do about the bike situation now. Not having a bike is really the one thing that is keeping me from enjoying Barcelona as much as I could. Tonight was also a big game for Barça. Playing against Atlético Madrid, it was their first real test in league play. It went magnificently. After only two minutes, Barcelona had scored their first goal and after ten minutes, it was 3-0. At the end of the game, with a scoreline of 6-1, Barça had proven themselves tonight and Fernando had lost 5€ to his son, Ferrán, with whom he had bet on the game. I'm not sure why, as I slept so late today, but I am tired and there is really nothing going on tonight, so it is off to bed at await a new day.