Barcelona is famous for three things: the inspirational architecture of Antonio Gaudi, nightlife rivaled by no other city in the world, and a stunning beach. In the span of 26 hours, we had hit up all three.
To start off the adventure, we headed to Barcelona’s cathedral on Friday at dusk. It had a realistic flow of energy that I hadn’t experienced in the other cathedrals. People were actually using the cathedral for its practical purposes and the cloister was a literal arboretum. A tier of red candles lit by patrons scattered the inside of the church and I lit a candle for Michaela. I couldn’t help but think of her in a place like this, how much she would appreciate it, how I wouldn’t be here at all in Madrid if it hadn’t been for that wonderful girl… It was cathartic and beautiful and I cried a little as I lit it.
We woke up bright and early on Saturday to beat the lines at Barcelona’s most inspiring piece of architecture: La Sagrada Familia [all the pictures in this post are of La Sagrada Familia; for the rest of Barcelona, scroll down to the next post]. Still under construction, this project of Antonio Gaudi (who died in the 1920s and never lived to see it finished) is undoubtedly the most amazing building I have set foot in. I almost don’t want to post the pictures because it simply does not do it justice. The finished cathedral will seat 13,000 and have 12 towers to represent the Disciples of Christ. Each façade of the building is a depiction of a portion of the life of Christ: the Nativity, the Glory, and the Passion. I took the elevator to the top of one of the finished towers and from there could I really begin to appreciate the detail of Gaudi’s work; even the points of the towers were incredibly ornate with fruits and doves circling the spires.
After La Sagrada Familia, we decided to see the rest of Gaudi’s work around the city and took a walking tour of his apartment, La Pedrera whose rooftop might be even more impressive than its interior. One short metro ride later, we hiked the steps up to Park Güell, another Gaudi work, and sat the world’s longest bench for a picnic lunch.
Wasting no time (surely we would have time to sit and/or sleep when we were back in Madrid), we toured the Museum of Picasso and I saw for the first time his ink and pencil works, which might now be my favorite. Nearing the end of the day, the girls and I tried to go to the observatory on Montjuïc to watch the sunset but by the time we reached the station, the tram up to the top had closed. We caught a bus, hoping it lead to the top of the mountain but to our dismay took a downhill route immediately after we boarded. As we stood worriedly on the bus, watching the sun begin to fall over the hills, we heard the sound of classical music blaring over the speakers. Turning the corner, we stumbled across Spain’s greatest water show at the Plaza de España. We ran off the bus and caught the last forty-five minutes of lights and fountains in sync to a few soundtracks by John Williams.
After dinner (duck with plum sauce and brie…mmm), we found a discoteca, danced until 4:30, and decided only at that point that maybe our feet needed a break. Our goal had been to stay up and watch the sunrise on the Mediterranean but after our incredibly busy day (I think we had sat down a total of an hour the entire day, including meals), we decided it would be best to go back to the hostel, get four solid hours of sleep, and head over to the beach before we had to catch our flight in the early afternoon. I only wish we had found more time in the trip to spend on the sand—the Mediterranean itself was dazzling and weather could not have been more perfect. I ended one of the greatest weekends of my life on the shore of the sea with five wonderful girls underneath the Spanish sun. And even with a test that I haven’t studied for and a paper that haven’t been touched looming this week, I feel the best I have this trip. Spain just keeps getting better and better.
To start off the adventure, we headed to Barcelona’s cathedral on Friday at dusk. It had a realistic flow of energy that I hadn’t experienced in the other cathedrals. People were actually using the cathedral for its practical purposes and the cloister was a literal arboretum. A tier of red candles lit by patrons scattered the inside of the church and I lit a candle for Michaela. I couldn’t help but think of her in a place like this, how much she would appreciate it, how I wouldn’t be here at all in Madrid if it hadn’t been for that wonderful girl… It was cathartic and beautiful and I cried a little as I lit it.
We woke up bright and early on Saturday to beat the lines at Barcelona’s most inspiring piece of architecture: La Sagrada Familia [all the pictures in this post are of La Sagrada Familia; for the rest of Barcelona, scroll down to the next post]. Still under construction, this project of Antonio Gaudi (who died in the 1920s and never lived to see it finished) is undoubtedly the most amazing building I have set foot in. I almost don’t want to post the pictures because it simply does not do it justice. The finished cathedral will seat 13,000 and have 12 towers to represent the Disciples of Christ. Each façade of the building is a depiction of a portion of the life of Christ: the Nativity, the Glory, and the Passion. I took the elevator to the top of one of the finished towers and from there could I really begin to appreciate the detail of Gaudi’s work; even the points of the towers were incredibly ornate with fruits and doves circling the spires.
After La Sagrada Familia, we decided to see the rest of Gaudi’s work around the city and took a walking tour of his apartment, La Pedrera whose rooftop might be even more impressive than its interior. One short metro ride later, we hiked the steps up to Park Güell, another Gaudi work, and sat the world’s longest bench for a picnic lunch.
Wasting no time (surely we would have time to sit and/or sleep when we were back in Madrid), we toured the Museum of Picasso and I saw for the first time his ink and pencil works, which might now be my favorite. Nearing the end of the day, the girls and I tried to go to the observatory on Montjuïc to watch the sunset but by the time we reached the station, the tram up to the top had closed. We caught a bus, hoping it lead to the top of the mountain but to our dismay took a downhill route immediately after we boarded. As we stood worriedly on the bus, watching the sun begin to fall over the hills, we heard the sound of classical music blaring over the speakers. Turning the corner, we stumbled across Spain’s greatest water show at the Plaza de España. We ran off the bus and caught the last forty-five minutes of lights and fountains in sync to a few soundtracks by John Williams.
After dinner (duck with plum sauce and brie…mmm), we found a discoteca, danced until 4:30, and decided only at that point that maybe our feet needed a break. Our goal had been to stay up and watch the sunrise on the Mediterranean but after our incredibly busy day (I think we had sat down a total of an hour the entire day, including meals), we decided it would be best to go back to the hostel, get four solid hours of sleep, and head over to the beach before we had to catch our flight in the early afternoon. I only wish we had found more time in the trip to spend on the sand—the Mediterranean itself was dazzling and weather could not have been more perfect. I ended one of the greatest weekends of my life on the shore of the sea with five wonderful girls underneath the Spanish sun. And even with a test that I haven’t studied for and a paper that haven’t been touched looming this week, I feel the best I have this trip. Spain just keeps getting better and better.
2 comments:
Barcelona sounds incredible. The towers under construction are amazing. Great part about the beach...really made me jealous
Wow what a trip. Love to see the Picaso pencil drawings. That was very nice of you to light a candle honoring her memory.
I would love to travel to Spain.
From Mom using your dads comment idenity.
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