Gaudi Tour of Barcelona

This morning we set out in search of all of the Gaudi architectural sights. I don't know much about him, but when in Barcelona, his modernism, and tourism go hand in hand.

Our first stop was the Sagrada Familia Cathedral. I have never seen another church like it. The steeples are round, there are Christian symbols, and also many animals and things in nature represented. The outside is mostly stone and concrete, but they are working on finishing the tile for color. We had advanced tickets and arrived right on time so we were able to skip the lines. Again, entering a busy tourist place was way easier than I expected.

It is not Europe without the cranes!

A sea turtle holding up a column.

On the inside, the ceilings are high and the rainbow stained glass in stunning, probably my favorite part. It is a bit bizarre though. People are talking loudly and it really isn't a reverent place like Notre Dame or Sacre Coeur in Paris or any of the churches in Rome. I did not get the feeling that tons of historic masses have taken place inside. It actually doesn't feel historic at all, and I guess that is because it is modern art that is still in the works? I was surprised by this feeling.

The Jesus piece above the alter is the focal point and super interesting to look at. To me, it looks like a large jelly fish with tentacles and grapes hanging from the sides. It is beautifully illuminated with lights and light from the glass windows.

I went up to the top of the Passion Tower to see the view of the ocean and city. It was kind of hard to see the entire span of the city because the pillar was so enclosed. They had a 5 person elevator going up 65 meters (not sure how high that is), and then we walked alllll the way down in a spiral staircase with only a handrail on the outside.

Looking down into the hold of the spiral staircase.

Glad I saw it and I loved the stained glass, but like I said, I didn't feel like I was in a normal cathedral. I had no idea that a place with so much detail could feel so stark at the same time.

From there we had an adventure trying to find the Park Guel. We took the metro and ended up walking for an hour up and down hills before we stumbled upon a park entrance. There was no sign, but a hill with an escalator at the end. That was the only indication that something other than apartments were at the top of the hill.

The hill. Kind of like SF.

To my understanding Park Guel was a project that Gaudi worked on in the city with intentions of drawing Barcelona's wealthy to the neighborhood and form a community. He wanted to create homes for the upper class to live in that over looked the city. I guess the trend did not catch on, but the buildings are there and now it is a historical park and garden.

The houses look like gingerbread houses or something out of Candyland! I love the cute little chapel with the white and blue tile roof.

We were also thrilled to find the gecko. This is my favorite picture I have ever take of Syd. The iPhone "portrait" setting is awesome!

We called it the Geko, but it might be an Iguana?

After walking all over the city to see the different Gaudi works, our feet were so tired. We discovered that our hotel has a rooftop pool with a view of the gothic cathedral. It was a perfect way to top off a really fun day of exploring.  Our plan is to see the beaches and marina tomorrow.

The pool we didn't know about!