Spain Travelogue: Casa Milà in Barcelona

After visiting Serbia in March this year, my wife immediately asked me to arrange a trip to Spain and Portugal. After looking at itineraries on several travel websites, we found them either too expensive or not ideal in terms of route. By chance, my wife came across a travel advertisement online for a 20-day custom group tour by Chengdu Ctrip Travel Agency in Sichuan, covering Spain, Portugal, and also including Morocco, priced at over 28,000 yuan, all-inclusive with all meals. Compared to other routes, it seemed more affordable and rich in content, so we decided to sign up.

The itinerary was from April 12 to May 1, requiring a Spanish visa. We went to Jinan, the nearest location, to have our fingerprints taken. Since the departure point was Chengdu, we took a sleeper train from Zhengzhou on the afternoon of the 11th and arrived at Chengdu West Station on the morning of the 12th. As it was still early, we booked a hotel room near People's Square for a few hours to rest. At 6 p.m., we took Metro Line 1 and then transferred to Line 18 to reach Tianfu International Airport. Around 2 a.m. on the 13th, we flew to Doha, then transferred and arrived in Barcelona around 2 p.m. After leaving the airport, we went directly to our first attraction in Spain, Casa Milà.

Casa Milà was built between 1906 and 1912, located in the Eixample district of Barcelona, on Passeig de Gràcia.

Casa Milà, also known as La Pedrera, is one of Barcelona's famous buildings, designed by the renowned Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí. Casa Milà was built as a residence for the wealthy businessman Pere Milà and his wife in the early 20th century, constructed between 1906 and 1912. With its unique appearance and innovative structural design, this building has become one of the masterpieces of modernist architecture.

The undulating facade of Casa Milà is made of white stone, with twisted iron bars and plates forming balcony railings and large windows. It sparks the imagination; some see it as cave-like dwellings built by African natives on steep cliffs, others as waves, a receding beach, a honeycomb, lava-formed waves, a snake pit, sand dunes, or parasitic nests.

Inside Casa Milà, each apartment receives dual lighting from the central courtyard and the street outside. Almost all rooms are circular in design—ceilings, windows, corridors—rectangular shapes are rare. Casa Milà has some religious elements. High on the exterior wall, an 'M' can be seen, representing the Virgin Mary, along with a rose relief symbolizing the Virgin Mary and also representing the name of Mrs. Milà, Roser.

On the rooftop of Casa Milà, you can see many uniquely shaped chimneys and towers. In literature and film, the rooftop of Casa Milà appeared in a scene from the film 'The Passenger' directed by the renowned Italian filmmaker Michelangelo Antonioni.

Casa Milà is a paid attraction. Due to the large number of visitors, it is necessary to reserve a time slot in advance to enter. The visit route goes floor by floor from the ground level. On the sixth floor, you enter the rooms, first the owner's residence, then up to a peculiar attic space with walls and vaults like caves, all exposed red bricks, with an obscure meaning. Finally, you reach the rooftop terrace, where you see various bizarre shapes, like a fairy tale or an alien world, making the visit a wonderful journey, enjoyable and thrilling.

Around 6 p.m., we finished our visit to Casa Milà and headed to the hotel for dinner and rest.