Gaudi

Brandon reads while we get ready for the day.

This morning we had breakfast in the hotel again. Brandon has been eating so much food lately. He must be going through a growth spurt.


Enjoying a donut.

We rode the Metro to Sagrada Familia, Gaudi's most famous work and unfinished church. He worked on Sagrada Familia from 1883 to 1926. Since then the work has been done in bits and pieces. It is not expected to be completed for another 50 years. The construction is funded entirely from private donations and entry fees.




The facade


It will be really beautiful when all of the stained glass is installed


The columns are like tree trunks


Work continues inside the cathedral


Even a crane easily fits inside the cathedral


I liked the unfinished look of the spiral staircase


Brandon was highly impressed with the inside of the cathedral


The first constructed walls of the cathedral







Our next destination was Park Guell. Gaudi originally intended for this 30 acre garden to be a 60 residence housing development. It never caught the interest of home buyers and eventually became a park.




Brandon didn't know his own strength.


This tunnel was one of my favorites areas of the park. It's like a perfect wave, and I'm not even a surfer.






Mosaics of broken tiles




Maps always keep Brandon busy and happy




Truly a dedicated photographer



After a couple of hours wandering around the park, we headed back towards Placa del Catalunya. Along the way we stopped for some tasty sandwiches at a local market.

From Placa del Catalunya we headed up Passeig Gracia to see the Gaudi's 'Block of Discord' and Casa Mila. Brandon and I were tired, so we rested on a bench while Katrina checked out Casa Batllo in the Block of Discord. This building has skull-like balconies and a tile roof with a cresting dragon's back. Katrina really enjoyed it and I wished I had visited.









Our next stop was Casa Mila. All three of us toured this one. This is considered to be Barcelona's quintessential Modernista building. It was Gaudi's last major project before dedicating himself to Sagrada Familia.
















Sagrada Familia can be seen in the distance


Barcelona has some nice wide streets


Main entrance


Spanish Mail Box - this one is for Andy.

Time for dinner. We tried to find a restaurant advertised in one of our travel books, Fres Co. It was supposed to be a buffet with different regional foods and pizza. Sometimes we forget that a restaurant with a buffet is usually not the best food. This was the case. The salad bar was one of the better ones we have seen in Europe, but the rest of the food was really lacking.

Our feet really hurt and we were a long way from our hotel or a Metro stop. We found a bus stop and figured out that one of the buses should take us near our hotel. It did and we made it, stopping near the hotel for some ice cream bars.

It was another fantastic day in Barcelona. This city is really growing on us. Tomorrow we will visit the Picasso Museum.