And so we are at our final day. Although it has been a short trip, we have seen enough of Barcelona to know that it's a city we would like to return to. The first thing that struck us when we arrived, was how clean the city was. The people have been very friendly, and overall the city just has a great feel to it.
Today we had one major task, to see the Sagrada Familia. One sure fire way to get yourself out the door at a decent hour, is to book a time at an attraction that is early, and non-refundable. It's amazing how that can motivate you to move. Thanks to our friendly concierge, we had our place in line, and our tickets in hand.
Our visit to Gaudi's unfinished masterpiece started with an elevator ride up the Nativity Facade. Like I said, the Spaniards are brilliant. Every other church I have been to, you have to scale 600 plus stairs to get a view. At least in Spain, all you have to do is walk down. Easy, peasy.
They broke ground on the basilica 131 years ago in 1882. Gaudi worked on it almost exclusively from 1915 until his death in 1926. He was killed after being hit by a tram, he was 73. It is estimated that work will be completed on the basilica in 2028.
This church is unlike any church you have seen, or will likely ever see. As quoted by both Bronwyn and Fintan, "it looks like something from Lord of the Rings!"
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| The Nativity Facade 1894-1930, this was the first facade to be completed. |
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You can take a lift up one of the towers of the Nativity Facade. From there you can see some of the detail up close. Gaudi's vision was to have the entire exterior in colour, that is not likely to happen, but the splashes of colour that you do see, are very unique.
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When you are up in the tower, there are a couple of really cool balconies that you can walk out on. This is the view from one of them.
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| View looking down the narrow spiral staircase that you walk down to exit the tower. |
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| The really cool thing about this church is the way the colours from the stained-glass windows fill the interior. |
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| A great example of the natural light casting the colours of the stained-glass windows onto the ceiling. |
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| The amazing ceiling of Sagrada Familia. |
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Like I said, it's unlike any church you will ever see....
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| "I'm thinking, I'm thinking..." |
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| "Turn dat frown, de udd'ar way arown." |
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| Entrance of the Passion Facade. |
When we finished at the basilica, we made our way back to our favourite restaurant, Tapa Tapa for a great lunch. We had to bribe the kids with dessert in order to get the next couple of pics. Who taught these kids to negotiate?
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| "Honestly, I look good. Just ask me." |
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| As gentle as she appears, I think she is fuming about something Fin did. |
Our final stop in Barcelona was the stunning Modernista styled, Palau de la Musica Catalana, designed by Barcelona native, Lluis Domenech i Montaner. This building is an amazing celebration of music, and it took only took three years to build (1905-1908). We just did a guided tour, as we didn't have time to see a performance. When go back to Barcelona, we will definitely make sure that we take in a show. The building is incredibly ornate and features some beautiful detailing. The highlight is the astonishing stained-glass dome.
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| Beautiful stained-glass and ceramic tile dominate the reception hall. |
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The use of colourful mosaic tiles was prominent in Catalana Modernista architecture. We saw this to great effect in Gaudi's work.
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| Roadies preparing the stage for the evenings performance. |
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| All of the stained-glass makes this the only music hall in Europe that is lit completely by natural light during the day. |
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| The stained-glass dome is as absolutely amazing. |
Note to file. Spanish shops are closed on Sunday's. We wandered through the Gothic Quarter until we stumbled on a few shops that are bucking the trend by being open on Sundays.
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| "Why are the shops closed?" |
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| "You go ahead and shop, I am going to stand in the middle of this plaza and look good." |
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| Every time we left the hotel, the kids would race down the 7 flights of stairs in an attempt to beat the elevator down. This was the final attempt, it was 4:00 AM on Monday morning, and our taxi was waiting for our journey to the airport. |
So that was Barcelona. We only have 4 full days on the ground, but we felt like we saw a lot, and got a great feel for the Catalan capital. We all really enjoyed the city, and said overwhelmingly that we would come back. Like other great cities, there is a little something in Barcelona for everyone. There is a great mix of big city Europe, and casual, understated elegance. If Barcelona is on your Master Dream List, then what are you waiting for?
As we do with all of our here trips, here are our Top 3 Barcelona Events:
Fintan
1. Football game at Camp Nou.
2. Sagrada Familia.
3. The food. Loved the Tapa's.
Bronwyn
1. Football game at Camp Nou.
2. Sagrada Familia.
3. The Magic Fountain light and music show.
Stacey
1. Sagrada Familia.
2. The rooftop sunset on Casa Mila.
3. The football match at Camp Nou.
Ian
1. The rooftop sunset on Casa Mila.
2. Football game at Camp Nou.
3. The sunset and views from the top of Temple Expiatori del Sagrat Cor, on Tibidabo.
Honorable Mention: We all loved the Mercat de la Boqueria, and all of the fascinating foods on display.
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