Gaudy or Gaudí?

One of Barcelona's main "claims to fame" is architect Antoni Gaudí (gow-dee). A fan of mosaics, his eccentric genius can be seen throughout the town. Wandering the streets of Barcelona you might suddenly stumble upon his Casa Batlló, one of three buildings popularly known as the manzana de la discòrdia (block of discord). This building (see photo Manzana) is thought to represent St. Jordi (St. George), the patron saint of the region, slaying a dragon. The purple-blue scales of the roof represent the dragon, the chimney is the lance and the balconies are composed of the "bones" of the dragon's victims. Swell story, no?
On the outskirts of the town, we find the Park Güell, another of Gaudí's masterpieces. The sprawling garden was originally intended to be a city for the elite but Gaudí died before its completion and his dream was never quite realized. Despite this, we can see the Gaudí touch in the mosaics that cover almost every surface of the park. Park Güell boasts the world's longest park bench as well as one of Gaudí's homes (see Gaudi House and Mosaic).
Perhaps the best known of Gaudí's works is the Sagrada Familia (the Sacred Family). The church was begun in the 1880s and is still well under construction. Only one of the facades (see Nativity) was completed during Gaudí's lifetime. Eight of the 18 planned towers are now finished and the project is expected to be completed within the next 25 years. Perhaps the most outstanding aspect of the church is not that it is one of Gaudí's creations, but that it has been funded solely by private donations from the people. Each year a fundraising drive is held to garner money for the project. Whether or not you're a fan of Gaudí's style, you can't help but get caught up in the energy that surrounds the mosaic-covered buildings created by Barcelona's favorite architect.