Back to Barcelona

Back to Barcelona and this time I got to visit the Parc Guell and Sagrada familia. Two of Gaudi's marvel of architecture. 

The park was meant to be a residential block in Gaudi's image but only 1 plot was sold and the project was cut short. The Park Güell is a public park system composed of gardens and architectonic elements located on Carmel Hill. Park Güell is located in La Salut, a neighborhood in the Gràcia district of Barcelona. With urbanization in mind, Eusebi Güell assigned the design of the park to Antoni Gaudí, a renowned architect and the face of Catalan modernism. The park was built between 1900 and 1914 and was officially opened as a public park in 1926. In 1984, UNESCO declared the park a World Heritage Site under "Works of Antoni Gaudí"

Then I got to visit the Sagrada familia, The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família  is a large unfinished Roman Catholic church in Barcelona. Gaudí's work on the building is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in November 2010 Pope Benedict XVI consecrated and proclaimed it a minor basilica, as distinct from a cathedral, which must be the seat of a bishop.

In 1882, construction of Sagrada Família commenced under architect Francisco Paula de Villar. In 1883, when Villar resigned,^[Gaudí took over as chief architect, transforming the project with his architectural and engineering style, combining Gothic and curvilinear Art Nouveau forms. Gaudí devoted the remainder of his life to the project, and at the time of his death at age 73 in 1926, less than a quarter of the project was complete.

Relying solely on private donations, Sagrada Familia's construction progressed slowly and was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War, only to resume intermittent progress in the 1950s. Since commencing construction in 1882, advancements in technologies such as computer aided design and computerized numerical control have enabled faster progress and construction passed the midpoint in 2010. However, some of the project's greatest challenges remain, including the construction of ten more spires, each symbolizing an important Biblical figure in the New Testament. It is anticipated that the building could be completed by 2026—the centenary of Gaudí's death.

I absolutely loved it all... It really was a magnificent experience.