If I had to choose one cathedral to go to in all of Europe, it would be the
Sagrada Familia "sacred family". I've only been to four countries in Europe on this trip, but I can say without a doubt that its incomparable and purely spectacular. Like other famous attractions, make sure to buy tickets beforehand as the line up is crazy long upon revival. Even purchasing online, you have to select the exact time you plan on arriving as there are limited tickets for that time frame. I highly recommend buying tickets with a tour or getting a headset with your ticket to go at your own pace (what we did) as being educated and enlightened on the history and making of this cathedral made all the difference-and possibly why it's my favourite.
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| The amazing ceiling & interior design |
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| Apostle's Creed in Spanish |
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| A scripted door-a possible passage? |
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| Christ-front & centered |
Once again, the late
Antoni Gaudi was the visionary artist behind this cathedral and though he couldn't finish it due to his unexpected death, the Japanese are now finishing this breathtaking project for him. A mix of surrealism, fantasy, modernity, and splashes of colour, this cathedral is full of symbolism and in depth meaning-every detail has a purpose and nothing is without reason. As a Christian myself, I felt very impress and amazed at the sentimental thought in every process and conception of his work. One place I really wanted to go, but didn't have time to was
Park Guell, another work of his. I am just so fascinated and in awe of his passion for architecture and I know I will be back to see this park for myself!
Afterwards, we headed to browse the infamous
Las Ramblas street filled with touristy stuff, souvenirs, and artists of all sorts. "Infamous" because apparently theft is common and tourists are terribly targeted here as warned to us by various travellers (and locals) we met going through Europe. By now, I didn't find it too necessary to shop for these over rated things, but what I enjoyed was walking down this street towards the harbour and port on the coast of Barcelona. It felt very refreshing to see a more serene and refreshing side to Barcelona and the board walk here is full of activities one or all can partake in. The beach view can be admired and if up for it, sun tanning of course! There's also a
Christopher Columbus statue here which gave me a light bulb moment because I never thought he was Spanish. Though it makes sense as Spain is one of the most southern parts of Europe and knowing how the story goes, led him to discover North America. (FYI: Spain is a walking history book!)
On our way back , we stopped at
La Bouqeria, a farmer market along Las Ramblas. Fresh food, fresh seafood, meats, novelty items and unique chocolates were a tasty sight to the eyes. It's crazy to think that Spaniards may have never heard of frozen shrimp, but it makes sense when they are obviously surrounded by bodies of water. Thus, the food, especially seafood is amazingly fresh and comes at a reasonable price without lacking in quality. Fruit is also abundant and cheap too. If I had a few more days here, I definitely hit up this place to make some fresh home cook meals!
To cap off the night, and with the ease of a vehicle, I was able to drive my travelling companions to
Monsterat Mountain, an hour ish away from Barcelona and about 40 minutes north of Terassa, where our local friends are living. Highway driving wasn't bad, and the view was so worth it the closer we got. The road leading up to the mountain is super windy, but definitely take it slow and stop frequently to capture the different angles and views of this beautiful creation. We were in a rush to beat the sunset so we didn't stop along the way, but personally I thought the view from below the mountain had the best view of the whole thing as once you're above, you're mainly admiring everything below (which is awesome too!). There are also restaurants at the top, but as it was pass 9pm, they were all closed.
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| View from very top, resembles a view from a plane's window |
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| What a place of worship! |
To recap, Spain was a splendid experience. A diverse sight of cultures, colours, and food. Barcelona is absolutely comfortable and a joy to travel to-AND what a fabulous way to end off this Southern Europe trip. Still so much to add to the list for next time, but like always, travelling is an ongoing journey, not a destination.
It's been busy since returning home, hence the later blog posts and lack of reflections on this trip, but I know for a first time experience of Europe, this will be a trip I can and will always look back on to walk down memory lane and remember how blessed I was on this trip through everything I got to do, see, eat, and soak up!
Who knows where or when my next adventure will be, keep phollow-ing!
Posts
If I had to choose one cathedral to go to in all of Europe, it would be the Sagrada Familia "sacred family". I've only been to four countries in Europe on this trip, but I can say without a doubt that its incomparable and purely spectacular. Like other famous attractions, make sure to buy tickets beforehand as the line up is crazy long upon revival. Even purchasing online, you have to select the exact time you plan on arriving as there are limited tickets for that time frame. I highly recommend buying tickets with a tour or getting a headset with your ticket to go at your own pace (what we did) as being educated and enlightened on the history and making of this cathedral made all the difference-and possibly why it's my favourite.
Afterwards, we headed to browse the infamous Las Ramblas street filled with touristy stuff, souvenirs, and artists of all sorts. "Infamous" because apparently theft is common and tourists are terribly targeted here as warned to us by various travellers (and locals) we met going through Europe. By now, I didn't find it too necessary to shop for these over rated things, but what I enjoyed was walking down this street towards the harbour and port on the coast of Barcelona. It felt very refreshing to see a more serene and refreshing side to Barcelona and the board walk here is full of activities one or all can partake in. The beach view can be admired and if up for it, sun tanning of course! There's also a Christopher Columbus statue here which gave me a light bulb moment because I never thought he was Spanish. Though it makes sense as Spain is one of the most southern parts of Europe and knowing how the story goes, led him to discover North America. (FYI: Spain is a walking history book!)
To cap off the night, and with the ease of a vehicle, I was able to drive my travelling companions to Monsterat Mountain, an hour ish away from Barcelona and about 40 minutes north of Terassa, where our local friends are living. Highway driving wasn't bad, and the view was so worth it the closer we got. The road leading up to the mountain is super windy, but definitely take it slow and stop frequently to capture the different angles and views of this beautiful creation. We were in a rush to beat the sunset so we didn't stop along the way, but personally I thought the view from below the mountain had the best view of the whole thing as once you're above, you're mainly admiring everything below (which is awesome too!). There are also restaurants at the top, but as it was pass 9pm, they were all closed.
