La Sagrada Familia

This month, the family and I had the great opportunity to do some travel in Europe and we began our travels in Barcelona, Spain.    I have to say that I found Barcelona to be an unexpected surprise.  It was alive, vibrant and full of life on every street.    Shopping, cafes, museums, the Mediterranean port, culture and food.   I was very taken by the city and found it to be one of the best places I've visited and I hope to go back sometime when I have more time.  It is alive much like New York City.

I had always wanted to visit the La Sagrada Familia as I've seen pictures and heard the music from long ago by Alan Parsons Project.    We heard that the best way to visit was to buy tickets in advance which we did and as result, we were literally the first people into the structure the morning we visited.   When we walked in, we were the only visitors there for a few brief minutes.  We were also the first up the elevator that allows visitors to ascend the towers for a look across Barcelona.    What a delight.   I could have sat there for hours and just soaked up overwhelming size and magnitude of the project and building.

What an enormous effort by those who are moving this forward.   It is said that it might be another 40 years before it is done and it began in the late 1800s.  There are pictures of it in its early stages so you can watch the story of this construction unfold over time.

Here are a few pictures from our visit.

A view from outside

Inside Looking Up

Another Inside Looking Up

Close Up

I listened to Alan Parsons Project 'La Sagrada Familia' while I walked around inside the 'La Sagrada Familia itself.   A friend (John) commented that doing such was very Inception like which I thought was funny.

I found a great book on the building which includes the story of its construction and its history and of course all about Antoni Gaudi who is the famed architect.   The book is called The Expiatory Temple of La Sagrada Familia.    It is currently out of stock at Amazon.

Antoni Gaudi has work all across the region and much of it is amazing.

Related, there is a great museum of Picasso work in Barcelona.   You can see his early work and the evolution of his painting style.  Early works look like a child's paint by number, but then it quickly looks much better.   There are also sketches and drafts that then lead up to a final painting.  Very interesting and a visit is definitely recommended.

Barcelona is a great city.

Source: http://mabplace.blogspot.com/2010/08/la-sagrada-familia.html