The first was Casa Mila, more commonly referred to as La Pedrera, which translated means "the quarry." The building is named this because it looks very much like a stone quarry. Initially built to be apartments, the building was hard to occupy with tenants because most people found it very difficult to live in due to its absence of right angles and oddly-shaped rooms. The building is now owned by the Caixa Catalunya bank, but three apartments continue to be inhabited. Inside, we were able to see what a bourgeois apartment building looked like when the building was used exclusively as apartment buildings. We were also able to go up onto the beautiful terrace.
After La Pedrera, we headed to Park Guell, where we enjoyed a sack lunch and walked around the park marveling at Gaudi's work of creative genius. Park Guell is where some of Gaudi's most famous tile work can be seen, including the giant iguana.
Our final stop was La Sagrada Familia, a church built, in part, by Antoni Gaudi. Construction of the church was started in March 1882, and it is not finished yet! If you ever have the privilege of visiting this work of art, you will understand why its completion is taking so long. The building is the most extravagant building I have ever seen, and it isn't even completed.
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