BARCELONA: SUMMER NIGHT AT LA PEDRERA

Summer nights at La Pedrera is a wonderful way to discover this modernist masterpiece designed by Antoni Gaudí while listening to live jazz music.

Summer nights at La Pedrera will let you enjoy jazz music among these chimneys-shaped warriors

La Pedrera at night will let you visit the dreamlike rooftop and walk under the catenary arches of the attic. The roof is an expressive place to enjoy Gaudí’s creativity, the night, the city and the music with a drink.

Overview of La Pedrera rooftop, a fabulous place to spend a summer night in Barcelona

Located in the building’s attic, the Espai Gaudí is a visual journey through the work of this unique and brilliant architect.

The Espai Gaudí inside Casa Milà is a visual journey through the work of this unique architect

I also would like to give you some useful information in case you were interested in enjoying this summer activity:

- Start date:21 June 2012
- End date: 8 September 2012
- Time: 9:30 pm 
- Place: Roof and Espai Gaudí at La Pedrera
- Address: Passeig de Gràcia, 92. Barcelona
- How to get there:

• Metro: L3 and L5, stop Diagonal.
• Bus: 7, 16, 17, 22, 24 and 28.
• FGC: stop Provença.
• Barcelona Bus Turístic: stop Pg. de Gràcia-La Pedrera.

- Clicking on the next links you will get more information about Summer Nights at La Pedrera and its programme.

As you will realize if you visit La Pedrera, this building is one of the most beautiful modernist buildings designed by Antoni Gaudí. In Barcelona, you can visit other modernist masterpieces designed by this brilliant architect, like:

• Sagrada Familia
• Park Güell
• Casa Vicens
• Casa Batlló
• Palau Güell
• Col·legi de les Teresianes
• Casa Calvet
• Casa Bellesguard and Viaduct
• Crypt of the church of Colonia Güell
• Güell Pavilions in Pedralbes

Besides, other modernist buildings you can visit in Barcelona are:

• Hospital de Sant Pau
• Palau de la Música Catalana
• La Boqueria
• Casa Fuster
• Casa Terrades or "Casa de les Punxes"
• Casa Thomas
• Casa Amatller
• Casa Lleó i Morera
• Casa Martí (Restaurant els Quatre Gats)

Of course, there are many more fantastic modernist monuments  in Barcelona,  as I showed in a previous post called Modernism Route.

BARCELONA - MODERNISM OF GAUDI: INSIDE CASA MILA

In the previous post of Casa Milà, I said that I would try to enter this beautiful building that night. After a queue of almost two hours, I could enjoy the dreamlike rooftop, walk under the catenary arches of the attic, visit a period apartment and glance at the two courtyards of this amazing modernist building designed by the brilliant Antoni Gaudí. Of course, It was worth the wait.

Next, what I liked the most of our two-hour visit to La Casa Milà:

Rooftop of La Pedrera

Chimneys of La Pedrera are the element which impressed me the most of the roof

A closer view of these spectacular chimneys-shaped warriors

Unfortunately, It was rainy and the ground was slippery, so we had to be careful

Another overview of La Pedrera dreamy rooftop around one of the courtyard, which you can see in the foreground

I find these chimneys of La Pedrera really amazing

View of one courtyard of La Pedrera from the rooftop

Attic of La Pedrera

In the attic of La Pedrera, under the catenary arches, there is an exhibition about other modernist buildings designed by Gaudí

Another view of the catenary arches, which Gaudí applied to most buildings he designed

Period Apartment inside La Pedrera

This apartment was incredibly large. Rooms are connected by a long corridor around the courtyard

The apartment is furnished as it was in the early 2oth century

Courtyards of La Pedrera

Overview of one of the charming courtyards of La Pedrera

From the courtyard the staircase has this beautiful look

All the elements of La Casa Milà are carefully designed, like this staircase railing

Finally, a nice view of La Pedrera at night

In the previous post about Casa Milà, you will find pictures of this modernist building taken from the street and some useful information in case you want to visit this amazing building.

Other modernist masterpieces designed by Gaudí are:

• Sagrada Familia
• Park Güell
• Casa Batlló
• Casa Vicens
• Palau Güell
• Col·legi de les Teresianes
• Casa Calvet
• Torre Bellesguard and Viaduct
• Pabellons Güell

• Cripta de la Colonia Güell
• El Capricho (built in Comillas, a lovely village in Cantabria)

Besides, other modernist buildings you can visit in Barcelona are:

• Hospital de Sant Pau
• Palau de la Música Catalana
• La Boqueria
• Casa Fuster
• Casa Terrades or "Casa de les Punxes"
• Casa Thomas
• Casa Amatller
• Casa Lleó i Morera
• Casa Martí (Restaurant els Quatre Gats)

Casa Milà is one of the most important modernist buildings in Barcelona. Of course, it isn't the only one, as you can see in a previous post called Modernism Route. In that post you will find links to other posts about La Sagrada Familia, perhaps the most impressive building in Barcelona and one of the beautiful places in Barcelona.

BARCELONA - MODERNISM OF GAUDI: LA PEDRERA

Today, 14th may, it's La Nit dels Museus (Night of Museums) in Barcelona, as I explained in a previous post. There are a lot of museums which are opening their doors for free tonight from 7pm to 1am.

However I have already decided which one I will try to visit tonight: La Casa Mila, also known as La Pedrera. I say "I will try" because it's probably I will have to line up a long queue.

Located in the central Passeig de Gràcia of Barcelona, the Casa Milà or La Pedrera is the culmination of Antoni Gaudí’s career, designed as a modernist building tailored to the new social needs, without forgetting his main source of inspiration: nature and organic forms.

Next I would like to show you some pictures of this fantastic building.

Built between 1906 and 1912, the Casa Milà occupies an entire corner of the Passeig de Gràcia in Barcelona’s Eixample. Antoni Gaudí created an astonishing modernista style building, set out around two interior courtyards which provide the flats with ventilation and light

Curved, sinuous forms are the main elements inside and outside La Pedrera, like chimneys and balconies

The Casa Milà’s façade resembles the moving sea, the waves interacting with the seaweed-motifs on the wrought-iron balcony railings

The large stone blocks are a type of skin that covers the skeleton of a building free of load-bearing walls

Three areas are open to the public: the dreamlike attic space, with is brick catenary arches; the rooftop, where the chimneys recall the silhouette of warriors rising up among the dunes of the desert; and finally a period apartment

Nice view of La Pedrera at night

In the end, and in spite of the queue, I would enter La Casa Milà. Clicking on the next link, you will find pictures of what impressed me most this visit to La Casa Milà or La Pedrera, as it's popularly known. Next, a sample of what I would see on the rooftop.

Chimneys on the rooftop of Casa Milà, popularly known as La Pedrera

Other Gaudí masterpieces you can visit in Barcelona are:

• Sagrada Familia
• Casa Batlló
• Palau Güell
• Park Güell
• Colònia Güell
• Casa Vicens
• Col·legi de les Teresianes
• Casa Calvet
• Torre Bellesguard and Viaduct
• Pabellons Güell

Besides, other modernist buildings you can visit in Barcelona are:

• Hospital de Sant Pau
• Palau de la Música Catalana
• La Boqueria
• Casa Fuster
• Casa Terrades or "Casa de les Punxes"
• Casa Thomas
• Casa Amatller
• Casa Lleó i Morera
• Casa Martí (Restaurant els Quatre Gats)

I also would like to give you some useful information in case you want to visit this wonderful building:

- Address: Provença, 261-265
- Web site: www.fundaciocaixacatalunya.org
- How to get there:

• Metro: L3 and L5, stop Diagonal.
• Bus: 7, 16, 17, 22, 24 and 28.
• FGC: stop Provença.
• Barcelona Bus Turístic: stop Pg. de Gràcia-La Pedrera.

- Opening time:

• From November to February: daily from 9am to 6.30pm.
• From march to october: daily from 9am to 8pm.
• January 1st & 6th, December 25th & 26th closed.

La Pedrera is one of the most important modernist buildings in Barcelona. Of course, it isn't the only one, as I showed in a previous post called Modernism Route. In that post you will find links to other posts about La Sagrada Familia, perhaps the most impressive building in Barcelona and one of the beautiful places in Barcelona.