Sagrada Familia
Our next city was Barcelona. As had been told by many people, Barcelona felt like a totally different city than Madrid (felt almost like a different country). Obviously the first place we had to visit in Barcelona was Sagrada Familia.
The moment we stepped into Sagrada Familia, we were just totally blown away. It was such a surreal and spiritual experience. The lights flooding into the cathedral through stained glass of various colors, including greenish blue that gives the cool morning vibe (which I, CK, have never seen in any other cathedrals); the giant pillars that turn the inside of the cathedral into a magical stone forest; the floating cross where Jesus overlooks the audience with a solemn yet warm gaze; the heavenly ambient sound of pipe organs. Everything works together to uplift the soul of every single visitor, the moment he or she steps a foot into the cathedral.
Before visiting, we saw many pictures and videos (including those fantastic 4K ones) for research. I can confidently say no picture or video can do justice, even remotely. Don’t get me wrong, these are professionally created, excellent quality videos. However, no picture or video can give you the special, spiritual experience one can get only by being there, physically. I doubt even VR will give the same experience. There’s certain power only a physical space can give to human beings.
Outside, the four sides and each gate of the cathedral tell the story of Jesus’s life in different phases. Our favorite was the “passion gate” that showed Jesus’s passion and death; what’s not the easiest to see for most eyes, however, was the resurrected Jesus overlooking from up high, signifying heaven.
As it’s well known, the cathedral is still being built after 130 years. They’re aiming to finally finish the construction in 2026, 100 years after Gaudi’s death. It’s a great privilege to see the completion of Sagrada Familia in our lifetime; we vow to visit again after the completion.
Casa Mila, Casa Batllo, Parc Guell
We then visited Casa Mila, Casa Batllo, and Parc Guell – other major Gaudi works in Barcelona. Gaudi was indeed a genius. His buildings, well after 100 years, still feel modern and refreshing today, definitely having stood the test of time. Tens of millions of people visit the city every year to see Gaudi’s work. It’s amazing how one genius can change the entire city and give a lasting, positive impact to it.
One thing that struck me (CK) was how humble and simple Gaudi’s personal life was. Parc Guell has Gaudi’s actual house, where he lived for 20 years (almost until he died). His bedroom was very sparse and devoid of anything luxurious or frivolous at all, an irony given that Gaudi is also well known for designing masterpiece furniture and other furnishings as well as the buildings and houses themselves. Not something a highly materialistic person would have done.
Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya
Barcelona has an awesome art museum – Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (“MNAC”). The museum mainly displays works by Catalunya artists. In many cases, the artists’ life and works have been inseparable from the long and complex history of Barcelona.
The suffering got worse in recent history, with the Spanish civil war and the Franco regime’s oppression against the region. Artists expressed their messages through their art, which speaks to us the later generations.
