Travel Tuesday - Man's 50th Birthday - Day 2 - More Barcelona

The second day of the trip was also in Barcelona. As we didn't have to get onto the ship until about 3 pm, we did tour to 2 specific sites.

Our first stop was to Park Guell. This was originally planned to be a private park where some of Barcelona's elite were to live. The public parts of the park were designed by Gaudi, an architect and designer, who was greatly inspired by nature and religion. In the end only 2 houses were built in the park (neither designed by Gaudi, however he moved into one of them). The rich just didn't want to move so far from downtown Barcelona in the early 1900s. 

It is currently a municipal garden and UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Locals can enjoy the park for free and tourists pay to enjoy the space (which helps pay for the upkeep). It was interesting and is well worth the visit. Here are some random pictures from our tour of it.

The second stop on our tour (after some time to grab lunch in a cafe), and reason for taking this tour was a visit to Sagrada Familia (we couldn't get a ticket in another way). The Basilica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia, is a church that is under construction in Barcelona. It was also designed by Gaudi and is a Unesco World Heritage Site. Construction began in 1882. It was only a quarter finished when Gaudi died in 1926. It was consecrated in 2010 and construction is expected to be done in 2026, with the details finishing in 2034. The church has never received public or church money, it has relied on ticket sales and private donations to cover the costs. It is is being built at an estimated cost of 25 million euros per year at this time, and no one can estimate how much it has cost. 

The completed exterior of the church is stunning and has amazing details.

This is in contrast to the interior, where the details are simple and the stained glass is stunning. 

The light from the stained glass making the floor glow 

We took the elevator to the top of the Passion Tower and walked down. 

I enjoyed the exterior of this building and loved the light on the inside. However, I will admit, it was not my favourite churches, as I personally prefer the tombs and art I have seen in other Catholic churches. I am really glad to have had the opportunity to explore the church. 

After our climb down the tower, it was time to head to our ship and start the next part of our adventure. Come back next week where we enter Morocco and our first visit to Africa.