la sagrada família: revisited

so i went back to la sagrada família on tuesday with my friend natalia. we met at about 10:30am, in la plaça catalunya, as always. from there we took the metro to la sagrada família and waited in line for 20 minutes. it honestly wasn't that bad. 

in the early moments of standing there, in the oven and the sunlight, with the sweat flowing down our backs and faces, we thought that if the line didn't move quickly enough, we'd just have to give up. but why...how could you give up on something after waiting for it for a while? after suffering such torture, you can't just give up. 

thankfully, we didn't need to endure much because the line moved quickly. we got the tickets, and gladly waltzed inside of the sacred family. and it was SO beautiful. and so different. 

most, if not all, of the cathedrals i've ever been in have been really old. they have had a lot of history. westminster abbey type history. and i really appreciate that. there is so much to think about, to feel, and to soak in when one is in such a lovely old place. 

at the same time, new cathedrals are almost equally amazing. they are big, spacious, and new. there is no history there yet, but oh boy there probably will be! just think...when it's completed princes and princesses, dukes and duchesses will be wed there. famous people will be interred there. hundreds of thousands of people will visit it during any given week, or month, or whatever. i almost feel, since i was in it before it was even completed, that i kind of own a part of it. i've seen it as a young child getting it's feet on the ground. or getting it's feet wet? which ever it is. 

so, without further ado, here are some pictures and infos (sic). 

firstly and secondly, get a load of the pillars and the roof. natalia and i didn't read any of the signs, so we just made up meanings for things. i think we were dead on. 

we noticed that the pillars were different colors. then we noticed that the deeper into the cathedral they were, the darker they were. the more obscured they were. the more forest-like it was. knowing that gaudí was inspired by nature, we readily assumed that the pillars were like a forest (or in spanish, un bosque. all this talking and hanging out was done in spanish, don't forget). once we paid more attention to the ceiling, it made even more sense. 

the ceiling

see how the pillars branch off and become smaller, and more spread out? i know, it's gorgeous! it is kind of elven as well. i could see galadriel wanting to live here for...a few hours. maybe. she may want to pull a kate on us and plant some trees in there to nature-it up a bit. also, notice how the ceiling is bright, and has openings to the outside world, letting in the sunshine? it reminds me of when the dwarves and bilbo are lost in the forest near legolas' daddy's house. sorry to wax to tolkien-esque on you all. my point is, it was pretty. 

stinking. 

awesome. 

the stained glass was also awesome, but in a different way. it wasn't old and crumbling, but rather fresh, vivacious, and modern. it wasn't ornate, but simple. see....i love this paradigm of the old and the new.  

staircase

the new entrance. the writing is the passage about the passion of Christ, written in catalán. 

one of the doors

sculptures depicting Christ's death...

...and surrounding events.

i liked, to a certain extent, how this entrance portrayed so much in the carvings, the statues and the writing on the doors. it was nice to see. also, i kind of like this style of architecture. it looks a little like oven bake clay, that someone bent into forms but still managed to keep some of the squareness of the edges of the clay. it's also nice and clean, and opposed to....

a different side of the church, designed by gaudí. 

this, by gaudí. this is so ornate, crazy and intriguing. 

at the end of the day, i'm not sure which style i enjoy most. possibly the newer one. but i could see myself getting tired of it, while the older stuff would stay interesting for a lot longer. it may be creepy though (sorry, i'm imagining living there!). moving on. 

well, after la sagrada família, we went and ate a somewhat early lunch...natalia chose, and so we went to mcdonalds. i got a big mac...i never eat those, but it was great. also a coke. but get this: the big mac was about 6.45 euros (that's more than $10). 

yeah, food can be expensive here. 

well, i leave terrassa for my flight home in about four or five hours. i think i'll try to get some rest! 

la sagrada família

la sagrada famíla

the sagrada familia is the most famous thing to see in barcelona. and that's because it is infamous for taking so long in being built. it was started in the 1880s and still is unfinished. there's no telling how much longer this project is gong to take, because it is being paid for by the public, so if there aren't funds, there isn't progress. the part on the right, which is also darker, was designed by antoni gaudí, a native catalan (like mercedes from the count of monte cristo). he left fingerprints all over barcelona. there are many houses, gardens, and random things that he designed. he took most of his inspiration from the natural surroundings.

yes, the water is an ugly green. 

so anyways, after church on sunday the family and i went to see la sagrada família. i didn't know we were going to go, so i didn't have my camera ('weep with those who weep' queue). the family had theirs though, so i have a few pictures to share. i really liked the building. it was so big and different. i was in england last year with my sister and saw some amazing cathedrals and buildings. they were all very proper and i loved them. la sagrada familia is crazy. it has fruit on it, that's painted. it has hunks of rock that seem to just stick out in all directions. it has at least a few distinct architectural designs and influences. it may not be proper, but it is pretty. from the hills on the outskirts of the city, one can see it's steeples jutting up out of the sea of neighborhoods and streets (pictures of that, by the way, are coming soon). i didn't get to go inside of the building, but it's not done yet, so hopefully i'll be back in the future...when it's finally done! i have a feeling that it will be quite a big deal when it's completed, after who knows how many scores of years.  


we walked around most of the sides of the building while we were looking for somewhere to eat. we went down a street and after 10 minutes or so arrived at a...*drumroll*...colombian restaurant. i looked at the menu, and as good as it all looked, i just wanted a cuban sandwich. it was lunchtime and by george, i was gonna eat a sandwich. it was a good choice--one of the best sandwiches i've ever had. the bread was perfect. then there was chicken, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and a garlic sauce. i may try to replicate that once i get home! to drink i had fresh passion fruit juice. the waitress, who was british, could tell from the few words i'd said in spanish that i was american and so she put a couple of ice cubes in my juice (none of the others had ice). i thought that was funny.

after we ate, we walked back to la sagrada and let the boys play in the park for a while. then we "saddled up" and went to the oldest hospital in barcelona. it was closed though, and there was a lot of scaffolding up on the building. so after walking all that way we didn't see much of it. we took a few pictures and headed towards the metro to go home. by this time i guess people's stomachs were growling for the in between meal. so we stopped at a...*drumroll*...colombian cafe for drinks and some bread. i just got a "fanta naranja" (orange fanta) and tried some of the bakery goods. they were fine, but i wasn't near hungry yet (we'd eaten 2 hours earlier) so i had to keep insisting that i just wasn't hungry. that has been a constant undertone here...they say that i hardly eat anything. they may feel that i don't like their cooking. but really, i tell them, it's just that i'm not used to eating 5-6 meals a day. during the school year i usually only eat 2 meals a day. to each stomach it's own.

pablo, me, and daniel outside the hospital.

ximena and i 

after that we went home, ate, got ready for bed. i think i skyped a few friends and family and then i was out.