LA Sagrada Familia and Park Güell

I felt like our time in Barcelona flew by so fast! We met our friends here, and we packed in a lot! In addition to visiting Casa Batlló, we also visited La Segrada Familia and Park Güell. 

La SEGRADA FAMILIA

We walked out of the metro station, and I turned around and I saw it. It is enormous and smack dab in the middle of an ordinary neighborhood. It is La Segrada Familia. It’s not like any church I’ve ever seen in my life!! Unfortunately, Gaudi died before he could finish La Segrada Familia. It is still under construction today, cranes are surrounding it and some of the building is covered by scaffolding. But still, the exterior is magnificent. You can see his mind-blowing ideas unfolding in real time. There is a lot of stuff going on on the exterior - fruit, statues of Jesus, and much more!!

We walked inside and it was like another world entirely. Multiple stained glass windows lined the walls, making the cathedral so light. It was also very spacious, with huge pillars that look like trees reaching up to the tall ceiling. These are such different concepts from some of the other smaller, darker churches we’ve seen around the world.

Here, everybody is welcome. On new, big doors that are being built right now, there is a welcome message in every language. 

PARK GUELL

We spent the afternoon strolling leisurely around Park Güell, yet another one of Gaudi’s creations. We walked along winding paths that took us to Flamenco dancers, guitarists, and playgrounds. We stopped at mosaic benches overlooking the sea and the city with its beautiful architecture. 

We had the most wonderful time in Barcelona with Stephanie, JP, and Sia. (We missed you, Michael!) We got the perfect taste of what this city had to offer, and I cannot wait to come back another time!