New Thing #94 - Wanderlust (Paris & Barcelona Day 5)

Month 6 - Wanderlust

December 4, 2018 - Barcelona: Day 5

I've been looking forward to today for a while. We are finally visiting La Sagrada Familia, the most popular church in Barcelona that has been under construction FOR OVER 100 YEARS! I started my day at the Roast Club Café down the street from our hotel. While I loved our hotel, I think breakfast was a bit overpriced. I'm so glad I came to this tiny little café, because the owners/servers were absolutely adorable, the food was incredible and it was oozing charm!

LOVE!

Yogurt with fresh fruit and homemade granola, along with a tropical kale juice drink. Delish.

Artsy bananas.

Since we were running a bit short on time, we Ubered to SF (I'm abbreviating Sagrada Familia for time sake), and as soon as we came upon it, I was shook. (Is that what the kids say these days??) This place is massive and gorgeous and incredible and....ALL THE THINGS!

We opted for the audio guided tour, along with a tour up to the towers. I was in such awe of this place, and I promptly forgot most of what I heard. I just couldn't stop staring. So, brace yourself for a billion photos of this amazing place. If you want to know more, check it out online. Or better yet, go see it in person. You won't be disappointed. I'll try to get a few key facts, but, well, just enjoy the photos!!

Construction began in 1882 and is set to be complete in 2026...hence all the cranes in the photos. Well, construction is supposed to be done in 2026. Additional decorative elements could take 5-10 additional years.

I did take some time to Photoshop out the cranes in some of the photos.

Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí was 30 when construction began. Upon his death at the age of 73 in 1926, less than a quarter of the project had been completed. When it opens in 2026, it will be on the 100th anniversary of his death (he was run down by a tram!)

YOU. GUYS. THIS. IS. THE. CEILING!

The stained glass is unreal and adds a cascade of color throughout.

I can't stop.

This poor turtle looks like he gets smushed.

A total of eighteen spires (towers) are set to be built. As of now only 8 are completed and open to the public. There are varying heights and represent the Twelve Apostles, the Virgin Mary, Four Evangelists and Jesus Christ.  Of the eight that are finished, four are on the "Nativity" side of the building and four on the "Passion" side. We chose to go up the Nativity side for better views of the city. (You can only go up one side at a time. I suppose we could have paid for both, but our tickets only allowed one at a time. There are no bridges or paths to get from one side to the other.)

Short elevator ride up the Nativity Towers.

LOOK AT THIS DOOR!

Construction equipment can't detract from the grandeur.

I've fallen in love with this city.

Seriously. I'm moving here immediately.

Tiniest bridge ever.

Didn't even realize this was the bridge our guide told us we'd go over. We spent a solid 15 minutes trying to figure out why we were going back down when we never crossed a bridge, only to realize this was the bridge that looked MUCH bigger on the diagram. In our defense, there was little to no signage indicating which way to go.

Why must all these stairs be so tiny?!

Inside a Nativity spire.

The mosaic detail is incredible.

Well, this is a cool ass photo.

Tiny little alcove to take photos from. Sandi was not a fan.

Photo stop!

Okay, portrait mode on my new phone is the best thing ever.

We're so pretty!

Our descent from the tower.

Exit hatch back into the basilica.

Now it's time to explore the inside!

I. CAN'T. GET. ENOUGH.

Enjoy some Ave Maria inside the church!

The crypt underneath where Gaudí is buried and where services are held for locals.

Just burning through that portrait mode!

This might be one of my top fave doors of all time.

I can't even handle how effing cool this is! My graphic designer self is in love.

The Passion Façade.

White columns represent Jesus's ribs and the "taut" columns are supposed to represent his tendons/muscles/etc.

Little building next to the basilica where children went to school.

We each wandered for hours going in and back out and in again just trying to soak up as much of this place as we could. Word can't describe it. Pictures don't do it justice.

Standing on this side may have been a bad idea. Looking like quite the ginger here.

We look like we got some terrible sunburns.

Finally, after about 3 or so hours, we called it a day. While we could easily have spent the entire day here, we had just 1.5 days remaining, and Barcelona has much more to offer than just this church. We meandered around the grounds before finding a cute little place for lunch, followed by another walking tour of the adjoining Gaudí neighborhood.

Lots of little Christmas market shops in the park next door, but most of it was kind of cheesy or had that Made in China feel. Nothing looked particularly "Spanish" that I just had to have.

THEY HAD A HAM/MUSHROOM PIZZA.

They were big on canned tuna as a salad topper here.

"Ham House"

Can't stop won't stop.

Received this pic via email after our visit.

Tried for a whimsical photo. Turns out you barely notice me, and I look like a weirdo!

There are no bags for cats nor cat inspired bags. LIES!

We stopped at Casa Battló, another Gaudí masterpiece. We never made it inside, as we ran out of time, and it was a bit too spendy to go in.

Characterized by his signature mosaic tile façade!

Is there anything that guy can't do?

I assume that's art? Looks like the ball of hair I pull out of my shower drain....

Our hotel!! LOVE!

After our trek into Gaudí wonderland, we popped back to the hotel, then made our way to Plaza Catalunya again to walk down La Rambla, a famous tree-lined pedestrian street. It was beautiful, though I found it overrun with cheesy trinket vendors and potential pickpocketers (I read warnings about this street online).

La Boqueria Market filled with fresh meat, fruits and veggies, along with candies, breads, you name it.

MEAT!

A man dressed as Marilyn Monroe across from the Market trying to get people into the Erotic Museum. 

La Rambla ends at Port Vell.

This was super weird, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Don't judge me.

Christopher Columbus statue

Port Vell

Enjoying the sunset near the marina.

Random giant bug statue.

Well, these look fun!

The weather was too gorgeous to go back to our hotel and wait for dinner, so we kept walking to the Parc de la Ciutadella while enjoying the rainbow of colors the sunset made.

The Barcelona Zoo was inside the park!

Leaving the park and there was guy making giant bubbles.

Get this. This is called the Arc de Triomf. I'm not joking.

This one was much less controversial.

Tried another tapas restaurant tonight: a tomato and mozzarella salad, with a caesar salad.

Bomb ass sangria!

SO GOOD!

Some kind of grilled cheese. Yum.

Cheese croquettes this time!

Yep, it was totally called Tapa Tapa

Sandi really wanted to try the food I had last night, so we went back to La Tramoia so she could get the chicken croquettes!

We had the same waiter as last night, so we had to get a picture with him. He was totally shocked when we asked. I guess he doesn't get asked for his photo very often.

After dinner, we met my friend at this cute little restaurant known for their sangria. I can see why. It was so good! Unfortunately, all they offered was sangria, and since Sandi isn't much of a wine drinker, we soon left to try out a new venue.

Having an architect with you has its perks. He pointed out this gorgeous building that I do not remember the name of.

I think it was a concert hall of some kind?

We arrived at the next bar pretty early, but I promise you it did fill up.

The guys next to us brought their own booze: leche de pantera (panther's milk). I think it was just rumchata with some cinnamon it it.

StL friends!

We had a great time out and met some new people, but I still don't know how Europeans can stay out so late on a week night. I couldn't have even done that in my 20s, let alone pushing 40. We enjoyed the night though, but getting up the next morning was rough!