And on the eighth day, Gaudi created Barcelona...

“Don’t worry, my client isn’t in a hurry.” - Antoni Gaudi (when objections were raised as to the extended completion date of the Sagrada Familia.)

Cultural moment

A definite cultural moment for us was our time spent on the overnight train between Granada and Barcelona. We decided to opt for a sleeper bed rather than a seat for the 11 hour journey and it was quite an experience. The first surprise was that we were in different carriages on the train as males and females were separated (not sure why this was a surprise!). The cabins were tiny, holding 2 bunk beds, our roommates 3 random strangers. We hung out in the bar for a while watching a beautiful sunset then headed off to our separate beds. I actually loved it - my new favourite way to travel! Mark wasn't as sold!! It would be a much better experience in our own cabin though... One of my room mates got on the train at 2am and that wasn't a great way to wake up as the lights were turned on and she clambered her way to the top bunk! Even so, best sleep i've had in a while!!

Wow moment

The Barri Gotic (Gothic area) of Barcelona is a step back in time. Old winding streets, cobblestones and some really interesting street art.

One of the most famous landmarks in Barcelona is still a work in progress. La Sagrada Familia is Gaudi's masterpiece, he started it in 1882 and spent 40 years working on it until his death, he only lived to see the crypt, the apse, and the nativity facade. It is still being constructed and the finish date is looking like 2020. We think that unfortunately the scaffolding as well as the difference in materials and style takes away from the look of the church. Maybe it should have been left as it was when Gaudi died? Or maybe the Spanish need a little less 'Manana' and more just getting it finished!! Anyway, it will apparently have 18 towers when finished, all over 100m high, so i guess we'll just wait for the final product - 138 years in the making!!

Another Gaudi work is Park Guell. Situated high up on a hill overlooking Barcelona, it not only gives you the best panoramic view of the city, it is also a great place to explore filled with colourful mosaics, 'gingerbread houses' and caves. If you survive the walk up, it is a great place to spend an afternoon.

What we learnt today

Antoni Gaudi is Barcelona. The Spanish born architect was involved in so many of the buildings and parks in Barcelona, you turn a corner and there's another Gaudi (surrounded by its obligatory crowd of tourists!). The amusing thing is the city authorities continuously tried to stop
Gaudi’s work as it exceeded city regulations. The only thing they actually ever assigned him to design was the street lights! His style is colourful, imaginative, often strange and never ever with straight lines. He seems to break all the architecture rules. We didn't get to see inside his houses he designed as the entry fee was 20 Euro each (which was way out of budget) but i really liked what i saw, Mark wasn't a big fan...preferring a more modern style of architecture.