La Casa Mila Barcelona

In 1905 modernist architect Antoinio Gaudi's La Casa Mila was complete. This structure is now an apartment house and stands as yet another tribute to this architects love of masonry and concrete. The rounded edges of the windows, embellished with his signature wrought iron, really stand out as a mark of the great architect's craftsmanship. A huge urban building in the middle of one of the Mediterranean's most exquisite cities, this Art Nuevo style masterpiece was originally referred to as "the quarry" by awestruck onlookers when it was finally completed. As the cement structure seemed almost wavy, like stone caves, and the first visitors wondered aloud if it would stand for any length of time-it recently celebrated its hundredth birthday-it looked as though it was made entirely of sand! As with most of the great buildings of Barcelona, a trek to the top lends itself to a great view of the city, complete with stone carved head-like figures. Today tourists find it reminiscent of some thing straight out of a Tim Burton movie. This incredible piece of architecture can be viewed from the outside only, unless you are fortunate enough to know someone who lives there. It is now a private apartment complex, or as they say in Barcelona, a multi-family dwelling.