And from that balcony we had a great view of the cathedral.
Our first day we set out to find some tours to help us get acquainted with the city and on the way we visited our neighboring cathedral. There is a giant outdoor grotto before you reach the entrance to the sanctuary and it is very gothic in design.
And then inside is ridiculous. It is giant and very impressive. There were plenty of people there but you could certainly hear a pin drop.
We stumbled upon the tourist office and decided to take an open air bus tour of the cities sites. It was a great choice as it took us all over!A major highlight of the tour and the city would be of the famous works of the architect Antoni Gaudi. And he is officially my favorite as his work is different, vibrant, and interesting. He was inspired by the waves of the sea and the bright Mediterranean colors. One of his works is the Casa Batllo built in 1904-06. The colorful tiles on the roof are to mimic the bright scales of a dragon.
After the Casa Batllo was built he then worked on the La Pedrera, which is just a little ways and across the street from it. It was meant to evoke the waves.
And his most famous work is La Sagrada Familia (translation "the holy family"). TJ and I spent almost three hours there and it may not have been enough. It is not a cathedral but simply a neighborhood church as Barcelona already has a cathedral...but it looks like one. It is still under construction to this day, although the builders work from the plans of Gaudi himself who had only completed one tower in 1926. His work continues through private funding and ticket entrance. The church should be completed in 2026 marking 100 years of Gaudi's death. The altar side and the three entrances of the church represent the life and death of Jesus. One entrance is his birth (the one Gaudi finished) and the other is the passion. The front entrance has not been constructed yet. Everything constructed in this church has symbolism behind it and it is well thought out and executed. Here is the first side...very ornate and celebrates the story of the birth of Christ.
And the passion side which is cleaner and without much decorations symbolizes his death and resurrection.
Inside the church there is much construction going on, but it is still beautiful. Like the primary colored stained glass.
And the ceiling...which is amazing. The pillars represent tree trunks and the ceiling tree tops lines with gold glass mosaic that sparkles when you look up.
You could also climb some of the finished towers...so we did. And we found tight quarters, lots of stairs, and a beautiful views of the city.
One of Barcelona's largest and impressive sites is the MNAC or the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya.
And it holds an impressive view of part of Barcelona.
Behind the Museu is Montjuic which translates to the Mountain of the Jews. This is also where the 1992 Olympics were held. This is the lookout from Montjuic.
TJ and I love the Olympics so this area we came back to the next day to get a closer look, and it was really cool. Here were are on site!
And then a view from Olympic Stadium.
It was such a cool area that now is also home to the area's school for physical fitness and sport. And they get to use the facilities! How cool! The Olympic Stadium is also home to the other leagues Barcelona Futball team (not FC Barcelona).
After the Casa Batllo was built he then worked on the La Pedrera, which is just a little ways and across the street from it. It was meant to evoke the waves.
And his most famous work is La Sagrada Familia (translation "the holy family"). TJ and I spent almost three hours there and it may not have been enough. It is not a cathedral but simply a neighborhood church as Barcelona already has a cathedral...but it looks like one. It is still under construction to this day, although the builders work from the plans of Gaudi himself who had only completed one tower in 1926. His work continues through private funding and ticket entrance. The church should be completed in 2026 marking 100 years of Gaudi's death. The altar side and the three entrances of the church represent the life and death of Jesus. One entrance is his birth (the one Gaudi finished) and the other is the passion. The front entrance has not been constructed yet. Everything constructed in this church has symbolism behind it and it is well thought out and executed. Here is the first side...very ornate and celebrates the story of the birth of Christ.
And the passion side which is cleaner and without much decorations symbolizes his death and resurrection.
Inside the church there is much construction going on, but it is still beautiful. Like the primary colored stained glass.
And the ceiling...which is amazing. The pillars represent tree trunks and the ceiling tree tops lines with gold glass mosaic that sparkles when you look up.
You could also climb some of the finished towers...so we did. And we found tight quarters, lots of stairs, and a beautiful views of the city.
One of Barcelona's largest and impressive sites is the MNAC or the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya.
And it holds an impressive view of part of Barcelona.
Behind the Museu is Montjuic which translates to the Mountain of the Jews. This is also where the 1992 Olympics were held. This is the lookout from Montjuic.
TJ and I love the Olympics so this area we came back to the next day to get a closer look, and it was really cool. Here were are on site!
And then a view from Olympic Stadium.
It was such a cool area that now is also home to the area's school for physical fitness and sport. And they get to use the facilities! How cool! The Olympic Stadium is also home to the other leagues Barcelona Futball team (not FC Barcelona). We also spent some time with a friend of TJ's from High School that now lives and teaches in the area. His name is Brandon and he and his girlfriend Lucia took us out to an authentic Spanish restaurant where we had an amazing meal. One of the specialties was rabbit...no worries friends I don't eat bunnies, but everything else including the sardines were fabulous! Pictured here are Brandon and Lucia.
Our last night we spent in the Port Vell area and then our own area of Barri Gotic. Before dinner TJ and I shared a pitcher of Sangria at the port. It was good!
Then we met Brandon and went to a traditional tapas restuarant. It was delicioso! A great ending to a great trip. TJ has now named Barca his very favorite city in Europe, where mine is more of a region...the French Riviera.
Our last night we spent in the Port Vell area and then our own area of Barri Gotic. Before dinner TJ and I shared a pitcher of Sangria at the port. It was good!
Then we met Brandon and went to a traditional tapas restuarant. It was delicioso! A great ending to a great trip. TJ has now named Barca his very favorite city in Europe, where mine is more of a region...the French Riviera.
Thursday we leave for Berlin, and we are getting very excited as we have heard it is very vibrant and the history seems to seep right out of it. We'll let you know!
Auf Wiedersehen!
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