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Published: March 16th 2015
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Today we began our walk to La Sagrada Familia. Our journey took us through the busier streets of Barcelona, sometimes 7 lanes of one way traffic! Barcelona is a wonderful display of fantastic architecture and design. Everywhere you look you are met with another building that causes you to pause and stare. The major street we were taking was also one that was lined with high end designer stores - Luis Vuitton, Chanel, Armani, all with security guards at their doors! We soon came upon Casa Mila, "La Pedrera" an intended family home for industrialist Pere Mila and his wife, as well as apartments for rent. Antoni Gaudi, who is " considered to be one of the great geniuses of universal architecture", was commissioned to create this amazing structure. We did not go inside but took pictures of the interesting lobby. Not far from this we came to another Gaudi creation, Casa Batllo, a very strange, whimsical creation. The wavy structural lines and vibrant colours make this apartment building a thing of beauty! We eventually arrived at our destination, La Sagrada Familia. This incredible, yet unfinished church has been a work in progress for over a century. We joined the line,
which moved quickly and soon acquired our tickets. The entrance to this unique building is through the "Nativity Facade", a towering story of the life of Jesus. The sculpted figures mixed with Gaudi's fascination with nature, make this entry a place where one must step back and find all the stories that are present. Entering through the doors was just as awe-inspiring today as it was 7 years ago. I don't think Curtis was quite prepared for what he was about to see! As we wandered past the huge stone columns, that are designed like massive trees, extending far above us. Everywhere you look you are fascinated by the curvature of railing lines, spiral staircases, etc. Nothing seems to be straight! But I think the part that is the most humbling is the fact that the entire place is bathed in colours, from the fantastic stained glass windows. On one side, reds, oranges, and yellows illuminate the floor below, capturing people in its glow. The other side is cast in blue and green light. Because of the location of the sun this side was not quite as spectacular but we could still admire the beauty. We wandered up past the
magnificent altar, we could see down to the crypt where Antoni Gaudi is buried. We continued outside and admired the "Passion Facade" which is much less ornate than the Nativity Facade, quite plain in its design in comparison to the decorations adorning the other. We did the cryptogram on the wall, indeed finding that each and every row always added up to 33, the age of Jesus upon his death. Next we went to the Nature Room which enlightened us on the architecture ideas of Gaudi. So many things in nature inspired this genius, evident in all his work. It is said that La Sagrada will not be finished before 2026! When it is complete it will hold 13,000 worshippers. We then made up way to the elevator which took us up the Passion Tower, giving us an incredible view of Barcelona. Making our way down the spiral staircase from the top (thank goodness we didn't have to walk up!), we finished our day with a trip through the gift shop then stopped to eat our lunch on a park bench.
Heading back towards Catalunya we picked up some things for dinner and then went on to book a
tour to Montserrat, complete with tapas and wine tasting for Thursday! Looking forward to seeing this castle! Thought about the Barcelona vs Manchester game but at 140 euros for the highest section...
No firm plans for tomorrow yet. We want to get to Park Guell, the Picasso Museum, and do a walk down by the waterfront. So many choices for sure!
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