texans on the autobahn

La Sagrada Familia and Antonio Gaudi - The Walking Tour

On Tuesday we took off on a walking tour of the city that started out with a large amount of uphill walking. . .I requested that Sam please stay with me at the back of the pack because I knew it would take me a while. When we finally reached the summit of our walk we were at Park Güell where we had an incredibly breathtaking view of the city of Barcelona, the Garden City.

We then took the public bus to the La Sagrada Familia also known as “The People’s Church.” Sam had told me about this church because he had studied it in his Spanish class. This church is truly a work of art and is a continuing work of art begun in 1882 and continues today, with a completion date scheduled for 2028. One year after the construction started, Antonio Gaudi took over as head architect. In what would turn out to be the final year of Gaudi’s life, the architect moved in to live in the building so he could concentrate more fully on the construction. His death in 1926 slowed the construction but did not stop it. When completed, La Sagrada Familia will be the 8th Wonder of the World. Construction of the church is funded by donations. Sam has planned to return when it is complete, and as the completion is ahead of schedule, there is no doubt that Sam will be able to do so.

Our walk continued throughout the city to see famous buildings such as La Pedrera , another architectural masterpiece of Gaudi, as well as Casa Batllo, Casa Melo and Casa Amatller; all masterpieces in their own right. The architecture in Barcelona are more unique than anything we have seen in Europe so far. Unbelievably beautiful!

We ended the day with a visit to the Pablo Picasso museum. By the end of the day, I was so incredibly tired! My feet, legs and hips ached. The kids were complaining about the same thing. I don’t think I have ever walked so much in my life. I was so tired, that I woke up several times in the night feeling like I had a hangover, but I had not had even a glass of wine!

posted by stuckinthemiddle @ 3:34 PM