We were up early and headed to Guell Park. This was created by Gaudi and I felt very much like I was entering an amusement park. It was just so whimsical and lighthearted. The two buildings on either side if the gate actually reminded me of Candyland.
We walked back though town to stop at the halfway point on Las Ramblas. The Cafe l'Opera is a staple that has apparently been around forever. That is where you go to get the local tradition of chocolat e fritters. Warm from the oven are the delicious churros and a cup of warm, rich chocolate. DELICIOUS!
A hop, skip, and a jump down the road was Guell Palace. Of course, we went in. This is a residence that Gaudi created for a large family who liked to entertain, play music, and had money :) Not as impressive as Casa Ballto however, the stained glass and ironwork work impeccable. The rooftop was my favorite part of the house. There were chimneys all over. Instead of them being the standard boring brick, each was made into a tree shape with a unique design.
Saint Joseph's market was explored and WHY don't we have anything like this in Jersey?? It was huge, clean, under a realcanopy roof, and the variety of things there was great. Go in to buy fresh fish, spices, fruit, veggies. Go in to eat your way through (like we did) and have wonderful fresh fruit juice, fresh fruit mix, seasoned cod puffs, meat kabob. Mmmmmmmmm....
Good lord we did a lot today!
At 230 we met with the tour group we did that free tour with to go on the Modernist tour. Walking around the city we learned a lot about the Modernist movement in Spain. I learned more about their heritage and saw a lot of great examples. Our tour guide Helen was great! If I had no art background at all, I would still of been able to follow along and understand.
The vat of icing on today's very large cake was the trip to Sagrada la Familia. For those if you who know nothing about this architectural marvel, let me explain. Gaudi drew up the design and created models for many parts of the structure- inside and out. This project was started on the then outskirts of Barcelona in 1883... I will do the math for you since it is summer :) That was over 130 years ago. Now clearly Antoni Gaudi is not alive anymore. He actually died in 1926 and only about a quarter of the Basilica was completed at this time. Half of the structure was finally completed in 2010 and they are said to have it completely finished in 2026 (fingers crossed!) The intricate detail from the stone carvings to the stained glass to the ironwork to the use of color to the shear mass; everywhere you look it is just breathtaking. A lot of thought went in to this design. There are three entrances on each side ( again I will do the math for you bc I'm nice) totaling 12 doors. Why you ask? Because of the twelve apostles. The one outside facade is covered in carvings of the stations of the cross and the nativity scene. The massive art piece you pass as you enter the doors there is Christ carrying the cross. The doors are iron and ginormous and covered with scripture by the guardians- Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Your first reaction when you walk in is nothing. You have no words, you stop moving and you just stare. Your eyes can't take it all in fast enough. We were there for a while and just kept walking around- inside and out- taking pictures and just staring. I'm pretty sure half of my pictures are now just of Sagrada, and they don't even do it justice.
Now I have been to a lot of places, and I have seen a lot of things, but I can safely say that this structure is number one. There is nothing that I can even think of that would come close to rival it... And it's not even complete yet.
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