CASA BATLLO . ..I read that it wasn't easy to find the Casa Batlló open. So, I went unarmed without my camera. Instead of feeling the need to capture the moment, I had the opportunity to let the moment flow over me. This was my last Gaudí stop, and I think my most favorite.

Gaudí continually took inspiration from nature. If something could be made with curved, flowing lines instead of straight ones, that was the path he took. Casa Batlló is frequently described as a house without a single straight line in it. Gaudí's theme for this home was flowing water. No walls were straight in this house. The entire interior seemed to flow with the ebb of a tide. The main living room ceiling looked as if the central accent piece was caught in a whirlpool.

MARTIN

The biggest surprise to me was the open area right down the middle of the house that allowed natural light to flood every room. This area was tiled with darker blue tiles on the upper floors and gradually blending to sky blue and then white as they moved deeper into the house.

This house had another one of those attics that was just spectacular. It was ribbed with white arches that looked like they were the insides of a whale. Perhaps it was meant to be a dragon? The roof tiles look like dragon scales. After all, Saint George (with or without the dragon) is the patron saint of Catalunya. One review I read described the balconies and the uppermost cross on the roof as if they were made by bones discarded by the dragon. Whatever was going through Gaudí's mind, I wish he were around to decorate my attic.

MARTIN