It had been over 12 years since I had been in Barcelona and seen La Sagrada Familia, the world famous basilica designed and started by Antoni Gaudi in 1882 – and “nearing” completion sometime in the next decade or who knows. I could barely remember my first visit, and I didn’t take any pictures, or at least that I could find.
The basilica really is something. In the brisk afternoon, we walked around the grounds and into the stunning chamber, with a mix of modern and classic amid the brilliant stained glass lighting. We really enjoyed it. Entrance is expensive though! Have to pay for a hundred years of construction and those guys to clean the who-knows-how-many domes.
Another place that I hadn’t visited for over 12 years was Parc Guell, the park / gated community that was designed by Gaudi. Housing plots never fully sold and so eventually it was turned into a public park — except the area with the richest contributions from Gaudi.
A late afternoon stroll before dinner was really nice. Thankfully, the crowds weren’t too intense — it’s clear that the place can be overrun with people, so at least we had a little bit of room to move in. Stéphane and I went to the top lookout where we could see all of Barcelona. The clouds and jet streams and setting sun really made for a spectacular hour.
Too bad I had no real memory of my prior visit here.
