We took a high-speed train from Madrid to Barcelona for our last week in Spain. We started exploring with a walk to the beach. We passed the Arc de Triomf.
A hill on the south side of the city gave a nice panoramic view.
The Olympic Stadium is on the hill on the south end of the city.
Some views on the walk down the hill to the city.
There’s a famous fountain here, but it wasn’t on when we went by.
A couple of views from Park Güell, a park designed by Antoni Gaudi.
Speaking of Gaudi, we stopped by for a tour of the Basilica de la Sagrada Familia. I suppose you’d call it his masterpiece. Constructions began in 1882, Gaudi took over the design a year later, and worked on it until his death in 1926. The current goal is to complete construction in 2026, 100 years after Gaudi’s death.
I learned that the word gaudy is derived from Gaudi, and I can see why. To me, it’s an awful-looking building on the outside.
But I found the inside stunning. The stained glass windows create incredible lighting, and the columns have an organic quality as they rise from the floor. They’re not all the same size; they’re not symmetrical. It’s like being in a forest.
A few views looking out after an elevator ride up.
