Gaudi-Town

On Monday we explored everything Gaudi we could find in Barcelona. And boy, was it worth it. That man knew what he was doing. 

We started our day at La Sagrada Familia. I was more than impressed. It's almost impossible to comprehend the scale, the immensity and the level of detail in this building until you are standing right outside it, craning your neck, peering up at this work of art.

I loved how every bit of it was different - how there were softly carved delicate sculptures, and then harsh lines and hard shapes. There were columns which looked like bumps of glutinous concrete, and then pillars so sharp and so straight that I would wonder how this all fit together on the same building. It was such a comparison, such a difference sometimes that I thought I'd maybe stumbled around the building and ended up looking at a completely different church.

Somehow though, it all made sense, it all fitted together wonderfully. It was a delight to behold.

A word of advice? Book online if you want to go inside La Sagrada Familia. This was something we only found out when we got there - and discovered the queue stretching around three sides of the building! Luckily we were so impressed with the outside that we didn't mind missing out on the inside. Next time however we will we pre-booking our tickets. (This is a good idea for most museums, churches and touristy things all across Europe - and means you can skip the long queues.)

We then visited Park Guell, Gaudi's house, stopped off for some lunch (yes, another paella) and popped past  La Pedrera, an apartment building Gaudi designed. It was awe-inspiring, every bit of it. It must have been amazing to have a whole city to use as a studio - to design and create spaces across town that people used and appreciate. Not many artists get to see that in their lifetimes.

PS see the restaurant review and details here.