Exploding with Happiness!: Sagrada Familia and Park Guell

We’re back in Barcelona. Today was our Gaudi day. We had tickets to visit Antoni Gaudi’s unfinished cathedral, the Sagrada Familia, including going up in one of the towers and taking a guided tour.

The cathedral is spectacular. I must say, I was blown away. The inside soars with height, light and creativity. Every element is a radical reinterpretation of what we customarily think of a cathedral as looking like. Gaudi’s driving aesthetic, as we learned from our guide, was taken from nature. He analyzed nature and applied the principles he extracted from his study to his creations. He was also very religious and every aspect of his design is a celebration of the holy family. The outside of the cathedral too was beautiful. I had not previously found the external appearance attractive, but upon closer examination, I must say the sculptures and overall design are impressive.

After spending several hours touring the cathedral (which was actively being worked on, by the way – the goal is to try to finish it, in accordance with Gaudi’s detailed plans, by 2026, which is the 100^th anniversary of his death), we found a nearby restaurant for lunch, including the most enormous skillet of paella ever (okay, maybe we were all so hungry we over-ordered a little). It was delicious, although we had leftovers that wound up in Laura’s refrigerator.

To continue our exploration of Gaudi’s work, we headed next for Park Guell. Park Guell was originally planned as an exclusive residential development in the hills to the north of the city of Barcelona and designed by Gaudi. However, due to various factors, including WWI, the project stalled. Eventually the land and the improvements that had been constructed were given to the city and turned into a huge park. It is a wonderful place, filled with trails, beautiful trees and vegetation, and of course, Gaudi’s creative, fanciful designs. The two remaining Gaudi structures (the often photographed “gingerbread” houses) were built as the entry point to the development and the porter’s lodge. Surrounding them are fountains, walkways, a colonnaded “marketplace,” a broad terrace with magnificent views of the city, and many sort of mysterious, grotto-like areas that appear to blend into the landscape. We really enjoyed spending the late afternoon and evening wandering around, seeing so many locals and tourists also enjoying the park with their kids and dogs.

As the daylight dwindled, we headed back to the Metro to return to our apartment. It was a magical Gaudi day.