Some Awesome Modernist Architecture, But Not Much Else for Us in Barcelona

After saying "goodbye" to Lee in France, Jeff and I set off for Barcelona, Spain. We had both been excited to go to Barcelona to see the architectural creations of Antoni Gaudi, whom we had learned about from one of the many travel shows we enjoyed watching prior to the trip. Many people gushed over how fantastic Barcelona is when we told them we would be going to Spain, but Jeff and found that aside from the terrific Modernist architecture, there wasn't much else of interest for us in Barcelona. Probably because we're not big into going out and partying until the wee hours and we don't have the money to enjoy meals at nice restaurants.

We spent our first day in Barcelona much as we do in most cities we visit, just wandering around (and getting some laundry done!).

We strolled along Las Ramblas, a popular pedestrian walkway filled with some of the most creative street performers we have ever seen.

We also stopped into a market, which may be one of the prettiest markets I have been to on this trip and tried some yummy coconut and strawberry juice.

We dedicated a day to seeing Gaudi's works as well. Antoni Gaudi was a brilliant modernist architect, who lived in Barcelona at the turn of the 20th cetury. We spent the day first walking to two of the houses he designed, the Casa Batlló and the Casa Milà. 

Casa Milà

Casa Batlló

We then made the trek to the famous Park Güell, which was built by Gaudi between 1900 and 1914. To be honest, I wasn't overly impressed by the park, which may have partly been due to the overcrowding. 

After the park, we ended the day with Gaudi's final work, the Sagrada Familia, which was far from finished when he was killed in a traffic accident in 1926. Gaudi, a devout Catholic, spent many years on the cathedral. He started work on it in 1884 and then dedicated the last fifteen years of his life to the cathedral, abandoning all other work. 

As one can see from the cranes in the pictures, they are still working to finish the Cathedral almost a hundred years later. More incredible, work has been taking place almost continually since Gaudi's death. Though there is a great deal left to finish, the cathedral is nothing short of amazing. Without a doubt, it is the most inspiring cathedral we have visited, and we have visited a lot of cathedrals in the past few months. 

The Nativity Facade

The Passion Facade

One can see how inspired by nature Gaudi was when looking at the interior of the cathedral, which he wanted to look like a forest. Despite the loud construction work taking place, I could still feel tingles going up my spine as we walked through this magnificent area. 

I was particularly struck by the stain glass windows in the church, which were different from many we have seen thus far. Instead of depicting scenes, Gaudi wished for color to be used to evoke different events in Jesus's life, such as the resurrection. 

Though construction is not slated to be finished until 2026, I intend to make the trip back out to see this glorious creation when it is complete.