This is how we feel about La Sagrada Familia.  UNBELIEVABLE! 

Rusty: Hands down, this is the best thing in Barcelona.  We parked our scooter and walked in. I knew some about it, but not tons. And literally my breath was taken away. I’ve never seen such a beautiful building. The columns. The sunlight streaming in through the stained glass windows. The colors. It was amazing! I literally couldn’t believe I was seeing this. It was like I was in Rivendell, the elf kingdom. Like it was hard to believe a building like this existed.

Tara took about 3 pictures and then this happened:
The camera battery died!  Tara dragged that giant, cumbersome DSLR all the way to Spain just for this building.  And then it failed us.

We did the Tower tour, which I could have done without because it was packed Narrow tiny staircases and I think you couldn’t see that much of the building and the views of outside were just okay. You really had to crane your neck and look through tons of construction to get a glimpse of anything.  But the city views were pretty spectacular. 

Tara: I wanted more time inside the building. We closed the place down doing the audio tour and walking around and seeing everything and taking pictures. The inside is just so amazing.  Gaudi believed that everything you needed for architecture could be learned from nature.  So, instead of the normal buttresses that usually support the vast interiors of cathedrals, he used trees for his inspiration.  The columns went up and then split in seemingly random ways, like the branches of a tree.

The colors from the stained glass windows were mind boggling.  One side of the cathedral was bathed in cool colors, the other side in warm colors.

The exterior was really incredible too.  This building began construction in 1882 with an estimated completion date of 2026!  There are 3 facades.  The Nativity Facade was completed in Gaudi’s lifetime.  I loved his depiction of the birth of Jesus.

The Passion Facade is a little more controversial.  Lots of people think it is too abstract and detracts from Gaudi’s vision.  I actually really, really liked it, but I do get their point.

The Glory Facade is still under construction.  Fun Fact:  Gaudi loved to take inspiration from nature.  But, he believed that no building should stand taller than God’s work.  So, La Sagrada Familia is one meter shorter than Montjuic, the city’s highest point.

We were completely blown away by this building.  We’ll have to come back when it’s all finished!