Day 139, Barcelona, Spain

The beautiful stained glass

I was up and out the door early this morning, on a mission to get to Sagrada Familia early to beat the queues. Well, so much for that, no queue, but the earliest I could get in was 12.45. Seems the story of my time here. So rather than hang around I decided to get a two day Metro pass, good way to get around ( I was going to hire a bike today, but it was raining). It took me a wee while to get my bearings with the Metro, figure out which line to go on etc, but once I got the hang of it I was off. 

One of the many statues 

Had a look at a different side of town, some (window) shopping, then back for my 12.45 time slot to get into the Sagrada Familia. This Cathedral was designed by Gaudi, work started in 1882 and is yet to be completed. It is unlike anything you've seen before. Very difficult to describe as well, Gaudi was very much inspired by nature and this shows in his work. The inside I thought was breathtakingly beautiful with stained glass windows in vibrant colours. The pillars are like trees, branches narrowing into 'fonts' up the top, forming the top of the ceiling.

The pillars narrowing to
branches

Everywhere you look there are unusual designs. It is hoped the church will be finished by 2026, which would be the 100th anniversary of the architect's death. He meticulously planned the completion of it, but aware at the same time that his plans could and would be interpreted differently than planned. In the last 15 years or so computers have helped with the final details.

It was surely worth the visit; one of those places that stays with you for a long while.

Part of the very unusual
outside of the Cathedral 

After lunch, finally, some more sights and lots more walking. Finally my feet gave up and said no  more. Luckily I'm close to town, so it was feet up time!