Gaudí, Sagrada Familia und Moderne FreeTour

I thought he did a great job and presented a wealth of knowledge for history/architecture nerds like myself. Fully satisfied.

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Great tour by Luke! Learnt a lot and very interesting

It was a great tour. We learned quite a bit, never knew the history of Antoni Gaudí. Ricardo kept it interesting and was interactive. Shared a lot of info. I'd recommend this tour to others. Thanks!

Look for the Barkeno Pink Umbrella. Booked a free walking tour in Barcelona via Guru Walk app. The Ultimate Gaudí Experience: Sagrada Familia and his famous Houses Gaudí tour with Luke from Barkeno was fantastic! Love how the group was given headphones for one euro to be able to hear the information. Placa de Catalunya is where my family met our tour guide Luke from Barkeno for the Ultimate Gaudí Experience. Since I had been to Placa de Catalunya in the past, I felt confident meeting there, but we had a challenge. Enter the most popular running race in Barcelona. Cursa de Corte Ingles is a free race that goes a little over 10K as it weaves through Barcelona. Interesting to weave under the race via the Metro station and through the race on our tour to explore the best of Barcelona's architectural masterpieces of Gaudí and other iconic architects. Luke was such a pro with his navigation! So interesting to learn about the city planning that transformed Barcelona into a modern urban city. Once the medieval city walls came down, the city could expand and become healthier and more hygienic, which was important due to infections like cholera. The controversial Cerdà Plan created a grid structure, that was open and egalitarian. There were neighborhoods with all classes living together, public green spaces, parks and rounded corners on buildings to help traffic flow. Next, we visited the Block of Discord on the Passeig de Gràcia. Casa Lleó Morera, Casa Batlló and Casa Amatller are the three most important modern buildings on Barcelona's famous Illa de la Discòrdia. The trio are known for their unique, contrasting styles. This is a definite must see in Barcelona. So, what is the meaning behind Barcelona's Manzana de la Discordia, or the Block of Discord? It was fashionable at the time to reimagine the "ancient" apartments that were out of fashion. Each family seemed to try to outshine their neighbors. The city block's nickname originates from the Judgment of Paris, a famous Greek mythological tale. The Greek gods held a wedding but didn't invite Eris, the goddess of discord, as she spread misery wherever she went. Outraged, Eris arrived anyway. Her gift? A poisoned golden apple inscribed with the words "for the fairest." As Eris anticipated, the goddesses each fought to claim the apple for being the most beautiful. Ultimately, Paris, the Prince of Troy, chose Aphrodite (who promised him Helen of Sparta) over Hera and Athena. When Paris took Helen to Troy, the Greeks invaded Troy to bring her back. This huge conflict or discord was known as the Trojan War. In Spanish, the word "manzana" can be interpreted as either a city block or an apple. On the Manzana block, there was a fierce architectural rivalry, akin to the golden apple as the three Modernist buildings on the Passeig de Gràcia competed for the title of the fairest building. In fact, our guide had us vote for our favorite. As a fan of Antoni Gaudí, Casa Batlló earned my vote and captured the majority of votes on our tour. After a short block, we learned about La Pedrera. Interesting to learn how the stormtroopers from Star Wars were inspired by the surreal rooftop sculptures. Love the stunning, undulating facade. Next, we took the Metro to Sagrada Familia. Luke was so patient as we bought Metro cards and went as a large group to the next stop without losing anyone. Finally, we culminated our journey at Gaudí's masterpiece, Sagrada Familia. Nice to go around the entire cathedral as he explained more about Gaudi's life and death and the phases of the ongoing construction of this architectural gem. If you appreciate art and architecture, book this wonderful tour. Luke was an amazing wealth of information as he shared his love of Gaudi and Barcelona with our group.