October is probably the best time to visit a place like Barcelona. It’s not hot and it’s not cold. It’s almost the perfect weather to walk around and enjoy what the city has to offer. The only problem is – Corona Virus times! I know it’s “Post Pandemic” already but the restrictions can be very overwhelming and the requirements difficult to produce.

I will be discussing travel restrictions and requirements on my next blog. As I’m writing this post, I’m in Mont Boron (one of the hills outside of Nice, France – just 5 minutes to Villefranche) sitting on the balcony enjoying the panoramic view of Nice. There will be an in-depth post about traveling by land and sea (cruise).

Anyways – let’s go back to Barcelona, we spent two days there before our Royal Caribbean cruise, and going back there after our one week in the Riviera. First stop was Casa Mila, famously known as La Pedrera. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and some exhibitions and other cultural and educative activities are hosted there as well.

According to Wikipedia, Casa Milà was built for Roser Segimón and her husband Pere Milà. Roser Segimón was the wealthy widow of Josep Guardiola, an Indiano or Americano, or former colonist returned from South America, who had made his fortune with a coffee plantation in Guatemala. Her second husband, Pere Milà was a developer known for his flamboyant lifestyle. In 1905, Milà and Segimón married and on June 9, Roser Segimón bought a house with garden which occupied an area of 1,835 square meters, located on Paseo de Gracia, 92. In September, they commissioned Gaudí for building them a new house with the idea of living in the main floor and renting out the rest of the apartments. On February 2, 1906, the project was presented to the Barcelona City Council and the works began, demolishing the pre-existing building instead of reforming it.

Furthermore, The building did not respect any rules of conventional style, for which Gaudí received much criticism. To begin with, the name “La Pedrera” is in fact a nickname assigned by the citizens who disapproved of its unusualness.[11] The unique structure of the building and the relationship between the building’s architect and Pere Milà became the object of ridicule for the people of Barcelona and many humorous publications of the time. (Wikipedia)