It was honestly like nothing we had ever seen. We had heard a little bit about the massive structure at some point in the past, but nothing could have prepared us for the sheer overwhelming amount of detail our minds would have to try and take in all at once. Some have called it a giant “sand castle” like church. The kind of sand castles you make by scooping up a handful of sand right next to the water line - sand that is goopy but thick, and slowly drizzle it out of your hands into piles to create spires and structures. That’s what it looked like from afar, for sure, but as we got closer to this enormous structure, the detail of what was carved into the side of it was absolutely amazing. Scenes from the Bible, historical figures, spires, arches, flowers, musical instruments and more all popped out in mind-blowing detail.
This Sagrada Família church was a work by the famed Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí. Work was begun on the church in 1882, and believe it or not, it is still not finished. Some estimate that the church will not actually be completed until the year 2026!
The Sagrada Família Church
The church was only one of the amazing sights in this great city though. Barcelona is a large, densely populated city in Spain, and serves as the capital city of the Catalonia region. As with any large city in Europe, there are endless things to do and see when visiting this amazing place!
We headed to our AirBNB soon after arriving in the city. Our taxi driver had a little difficultly finding it, and after knocking at the wrong door for quite some time, we realized he had dropped us off on the wrong street! A couple text messages and a few blocks of walking and we were there! It was definitely an interesting place to be staying - imagine if your front door was, well, a garage door. Open that up and behind it was solid metal bars with a bit of them cut out to open like a secondary door and pop in. To say it was an interesting choice in places to stay would be an understatement, but it was definitely an adventure.
Friends walk the streets of the city, enjoying a cool fall afternoon.
Our trip consisted mostly of exploring the city, taking photographs and discovering tasty treats and, of course, what they are well known for - tapas! One afternoon, after quite a significant amount of getting lost, we finally met up with our day tour/guide/photographer to show us around the city and give us some great insight into the history, politics and culture of this amazing region of Spain.
If you have never traveled to a big city before, and want to make the most of your travel experience, don’t be afraid to hire a local guide for even half a day. The cost is well worth it!
A lone bike on an even lonelier street.
Never forget as you walk the streets of a big city, especially a European one, that there is history around every corner. As our day with our tour guide came to a close, he took us to an empty square at the entrance to Barcelona’s Jewish Quarter. The Square of Sant Felip Neri was abandoned and quiet, nothing much to look at that we noticed. A quiet fountain stood in the center of the square, and light and faint voices spilled out into the night from a small restaurant in the corner. While we were standing there wondering why we had come, our guide pointed to a wall, and pointed out hundreds of pock marks that we could now see covered a good portion of the square.
Square of Sant Felip Neri, with the scars of bombs etched forever into the walls
During the Spanish Civil war, the convent in this square was used to house displaced children. On a cold January morning in 1938, the sound of planes could be heard overhead, followed shortly by a bomb hitting the square, killing thirty children. A second bomb shortly after killed an additional 12 people that were trying to help rescue the survivors. As we looked in silence at the scars left behind in the buildings there, we could only imagine the terror and sadness of that day, and of that place.
We managed to sneak in a few more adventures in our trip there, including a visit to an old hospital also designed by Gaudi, a trip outside the city to visit a vineyard and the nearby caves they use to store and age their wine, and a trip to the famous Montserrat monastery (more on that in another article).
All in all, this was a truly amazing trip. Some trips are full of relaxation, some are full of adventure and exploration, some are filled with food and drink, some are filled with history - but the best trips take a little bit of each of those elements and combine they into one amazing experience!
Mmmmm, treats were everywhere.
More to come on this amazing city - but until then, keep exploring, keep dreaming, keep building!
-BEN