Birthday Sightseeing

I've been in Barcelona for a month and had to stop by the Sagrada Familia for my birthday. It was to be a sightseeing adventure as a present to mysef. In between cleaning and cooking, I ventured out with Kristin and Gavin (Kristin's friend from Catholic who is studying in Valencia, a city south of Barcelona) to go to Sagrada Familia.

Throughout Barcelona you can see the spires poking through the skyline. We walk down Avenue Diagonal and for a period of time the usually prevalent spires weren't visible. When we hit the corner, the park opened up and the church lay before us. Definitely impressive.




Gaudi chose to cap the spires and arches with agricultural and organic elements like mosaic corn. It's interesting. I'm not sure I would have every thought of topping a symbolic religious structure with maize and grapes, but to each his own. He wanted to embrace the Catalan culture and the context of the site.

I was unable to stay long because I was still in need of a shower and groceries for my celebratory dinner, so I left Kristin and Gavin to explore the inside of the landmark church.

I'm not sure how much I like the structure, but it is definitely memorable. I think I'll enjoy the structure more once I've studied it more and explored the interior.