Heather went off in search of some beads and lace stores that Chris had noticed when he was on his own and Chris and I set off for LePredrera, another Gaudi behemoth. From the models we saw in the attics of the building, I
think what he was commissioned to do was join together two multi floored buildings which were already standing on each side of a corner and give them a Gaudi facade and heighten the building by restricting the attic in the buildings and putting a new roof over the whole thing. It is amazing and I just can't grasp how anyone could visualize in his head such fantastical designs and then make them work.
This was a nice visit because we not only got to tour the roof and attic but they have also established one of the apartments as a museum set up with furnishings of the time period and that was really a delight to visit. We also were able to visit the courtyard.
So I'm posting the photos of the roof and attic now and will do another post with the remaining photos of the apartment and courtyard. Incidentally, this building is still fully occupied with some businesses and the rest apartments.
And, of course this one isn't the roof
or the attic - it's a picture of the sidewalk paving in the area of La Predrera. Now come pictures of the building before we entered.
Gives you a good idea of the undulating roof line which one description called "a frozen tidal wave".
The railings on the balconies quite fantastic - I don't know if they represent anything or are just fun.
So, in we went and straight up to the roof. I took an insane amount of pictures. With Gaudi, it's hard to stop. And the roof twists and turns and goes up stairs and down stairs so it's hard to know what you've snapped and what you haven't and somehow looking at these, it looks like the ones I chose to edit may be of the same sculptures shot from different places. Again, all these devices are used as chimney stacks, ventilation ports, etc.
This is the only glass used on the roof and I heard someone explaining that these are fragments of broken champagne bottles.
Now we'll go back inside to the attic area which supports all this. The first photos are of models that were scattered throughout the attic. Being a dollhouse enthusiast, I love seeing these architectural models but they're also informative.
The next three show the catenary arches that were built to support the rippling rooftop. I don't have the definition of a catenary arches but these are really something. I'm used to seeing building roofs supported either by steel beams or by wooden trusses. These are built out of brick and mortar and are arches which seems like it would make for a really difficult job.
The one above shows the stairway down from the roof. The one below confuses me and I was there! Maybe it's showing the stairway down to the courtyard and the interior balconies on the apartments.
And the last one shows the original building facade and Gaudi's finished facade.
And, finally, here are my photos of some of the rooms in the apartment. I really enjoyed this part and I think most of the pics are self-explanatory plus which I'm now in Florence and have been drinking some very nice wine and just want to get this post finished. I couldn't find the rooms pictures this morning or I would have posted this then so I'm going to get it posted now.
You know the dollhouse made me happy. :)
So that is it for Tuesday night and there's still more Saturday to report! But I think tomorrow (my first full day in Firenze) is going to be very low key and relaxed. It's supposed to be kind of cloudy with rain possible in the afternoon and I just might take my time getting unpacked, getting a little caught up with blogging, and looking at a day trip to Siena and/or Fiesole.
Buena sera!
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