We finally made it to Barcelona. We have had flights go through Barcelona many times. We did a long weekend visit and was our first big adventure using the hiking backpack. Owen did really great, but definitely his favorite part was walking around. Barcelona is the capital city of the autonomous community of Catalonia in Spain. Catalonia has tried many times to separate from Spain with the most recent election being just within the past couple years. They speak both Castilian Spanish and Catalan. Undoubtedly, the highlight was the Sagrada Família by Antoni Gaudí. Construction began in 1882, but Gaudí came in one year into construction. I found the exterior and interior to be very different in appearance. Both have the Gaudí signature nature-derived shapes, but the interior has an almost mystical feeling. The interior columns are designed after a tree shape with the top branching off into smaller pillars. I loved the stained glass windows which cast beautiful colors onto the monotone carved stone. Construction is still ongoing with the current state being only half-way of the Gaudí design. They have a completion date goal of 2026 which is Gaudí’s 100th birthday. In the scheme of cathedral construction, 100 years for completion isn’t all that bad. St. Peter's Basilica in Rome began in 1506 but then didn’t open until 1626 – that’s 120 years under construction. In November 2010, Pope Benedict XVI consecrated and proclaimed it a minor basilica. To be a cathedral there must be a resident bishop. We were also able to visit the Casa Batlló which is another of Gaudí’s creations. He did the remodel of the pre-existing house in 1904. Once again, the detail was beautiful down to the door and window vents that could slide open or closed. In the center well he lined it with blue tiles with the darkest on the top and then also the top windows being the smallest so that all the floors would receive the same amount of light. The chimney is covered with the used waste ceramic pieces which is called trencadís. The city of Barcelona itself is very modern feeling, yet there is a gothic section with narrow streets and a beautiful cathedral. The city has gone through several massive re-designs so that the more modern streets are all in a grid pattern. Barcelona held the 1992 Summer Olympics and we were able to visit the stadium. The 1992 Olympics did not have any countries boycott the games and included Cuba and North Korea returned after 12 years, South Africa after 32 years, and Germany competing under one flag after 28 years divided.
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