One of my favorite things to see in Barcelona, which you won't find in many guidebooks, is the beaux arts styled main post office.
Centrally located off the Barceloneta metro stop, just below the Born and the Gothic quarters and with views of Port Vell, plenty of people pass this building and assume it's a cathedral of sorts.
Yes, you are reading this correctly, this grand building is the
post office!
Since you'll probably be walking by numerous times a day during your stay, take a peek inside with me.
The quiet entry vestibule is efficient but begins to prepare you for the main room beyond with the beautiful details of stone columns, bronze lanterns and a dentil'd cornice (a common Beaux arts design layout).
I thought this stair, while beautiful, was perhaps a bit understated for such a grand building, but I suppose it's not meant to gain attention: guests not welcome in the offices upstairs!
The
piece de reisistance is the main postal room with beautifully frescoed ceiling.
Now THIS is the place to mail your postcards home!
In case you still don't believe me, it is labeled plain as day, Correos.
The space is light filled thanks to the glass dome a few stories above.
Just another close up of the beautiful columns and that ceiling.
Tucked into a corner was a bit of history. I would assume Spanish mail isn't still delivered using these bicycles (but as slow as it is, it just may be!).
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One of the most famous Gaudi designed structures in Barcelona is the Casa Mila, an apartment building completed in 1912. This is Gaudi at his best with an interesting amorphous shape and amazingly colorful details.
Besides the beautiful ironwork which I've shown in a few of my previous posts, many of his buildings are exceptional in their roof architecture. Not content with ugly chimneys and ventilation shafts, Gaudi would decorate these utilitarian objects and turn them into works of sculpture.
While I wasn't able to tour the Casa Mila due to time constraints, I was able to bring a small piece home with me. Over the past few years I've been collecting tiny (tacky?) miniature buildings from house museum gift shops and the main ventilation stack from the Casa Mila now sits on my bookshelf in between Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest and Gaudi's nearby Casa Battlo. What do you like to bring home from your travels as a momento?
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houses,
my apartment,
travel
The house revolved around entertaining and a large main entertaining room was located just inside off the entry court. The ceiling was studded with holes into the private rooms above to look like starlight, which also provided views of guests below so that the family could decide what to appropriately wear to greet their guests. Another efficient and ingenius idea!
I think the lesson here is that Gaudi knew when his buildings should be stand out stars, and when they should be background structures. They can't all be masterpieces; sometimes a house is just a house, no matter how extraordinary!
Last week I had the pleasure of attending an event at a house which is stuck in time; 1898 to be precise, the last time anything had been changed.
The little girl's room had dolls set out for a tea party which was pretty charming (although reminded me a bit of a horror movie!).
Located just outside of the city center, the Museu de Arts Decoratives in the Palau Reial de Padralbes (seen below) is definitely worth the quick subway ride. The museum focuses on the decorative arts and interior design from Barcelona throughout history. The palace also contains a ceramic and a clothing museum, but I'll bring those to you at another date.
Probably my favorite object in the museum was this dramatic decorative screen by Francesc d'Assis Gali. Gali was an artist and educator who practiced in an art school he founded in 1906 until his death in 1965 which produced such pupils as Juan Miro and Josep Artigas.
The screen dates to 1929, a very important year as it turns out (especially for Gali) as it is the year of the Barcelona Universal Exhibition (think 
One of my favorite things to see in Barcelona, which you won't find in many guidebooks, is the beaux arts styled main post office.
Centrally located off the Barceloneta metro stop, just below the Born and the Gothic quarters and with views of Port Vell, plenty of people pass this building and assume it's a cathedral of sorts.
Built in the 1850s, the central fountain in the plaza has become one of the prime meeting spots in the city.
Admittedly very touristy, as is much of La Rambla area, the arcades surrounding the plaza are filled with countless (mediocre) restaurants. However, if you don't speak Catalon or Spanish, the menus are available in English and it's a wonderful place to spend an hour absorbing a beautiful space in a central location. 
It's not all tourists though; while not mealtime, locals gather here to soak up some Spanish sun under the stately palms!
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