Gaudi's Barcelona in Street View

With the launch of Street View in Spain, and after my vacation there just two weeks ago, it is probably the time for a tour of Gaudi's Barcelona in Street View.

Antonio Gaudi was a Catalan Architect who belonged to the Modernisme movement, the Catalan equivalent for Art-Nouveau. Most of his prominent works are in the Catalan capital of Barcelona, and apart from being the city's main attractions, they are also listed as a UNESCO world heritage site.

A good starting point for our tour is the Palau Guell, a mansion in central Barcelona designed for Eusebi Guell, Gaudi's patron. The mansion today is only partially opened to the public, due to renovation works.


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We continue our path in the central touristic district and after passing the famous Placa de Catalunya, we arrive at the Casa Batllo. This residential building was built in 1877 and later remodeled by Gaudi. For an unknown reason the Google Street View car hasn't passed in the main street by the building, so the nearby junction is as close as we can get.


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We shall continue on the Passeig de Gracia, soon arriving to the Casa Mila. The Casa Mila has also started as a residential building, but was neglected later in the 20th century. The building was purchased by a Catalan bank, restored and opened to the public in the 90's.


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Next on our visit is the Casa Calvet, a building which served partially as a commercial property (in its basement and ground floors) and partially as a residence. It was designed for a textile manufacturer between older buildings, which is considered to be one of the reasons for it being Gaudi's most conventional work.


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Last but not least in our tour is the Sagrada Familia church, Gaudi's most famous and most important work. Construction work on the church began in 1882 and continues to this day, with completion expected in 2026. The church is to have 18 (!) towers upon completion, the tallest measuring 170 meters, making it the tallest church in the world.


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Forces on scene

In Buffalo, NY, on the corner of Washington St. and Lafayette square, we find ourselves on the scene of an..well, an event.




Police are on scene, as well as an ambulance. From the reverse angle, it seems as though the paramedics are treating someone, and the onlookers on both sides of the street might imply that something is going on at the very moment the image was taken.




The mystery is, however, the fire engine parked on Washington St. It doesn't seem like a fire had took place, as more fire engines would probably be on scene, and a car accident is also unlikely, as wrecked cars are nowhere to be seen.






My guess would be that perhaps the firefighters were there in order to break into an apartment, where someone had been injured in some way and unable to open the door. No other scenario I could think of, will explain all the "findings" on scene. Any other guesses would be gladly accepted.


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2 Fire Trucks in Little Rock, AR

Here is a Little Rock, AR fire department truck, going eastbound on I-630:



Just a few frames behind it, a second fire truck is seen going the same direction:





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Classic Cars fair in St. Petersburg, FA

Apparently there's some sort of a classic cars fair in St. Petersburg captured by the Google Street View car, they're simply all over the place:

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