Barcelona is a breath of fresh air! Don’t get me wrong-the entire trip has been a dream-but in so many ways our arrival in this city has added a skip to our aching step. To start-it’s around 20 degrees cooler with a light sea breeze. This alone was enough to renew our energy after days of sweating in sweltering sun.
After arriving to our lovely hotel and enjoying a rooftop lunch, we took off for Gaudi’s famed Sagrada Familia cathedral. Having visited about 20 years ago, I thought I knew what awe to expect, but even as a return visitor I was blown away by this masterful creation. On my last visit, the interior wasn’t ready, so this was all new to me. After outside pictures and strict security, we stepped foot inside and were enveloped into a Dr. Suessian world of crooked towering trees and vivid colors. Gaudi’s inspiration by and connection to nature in his design captured my attention and made me feel at peace among throngs of tourists. I couldn’t help but compare this lightness and joy with the dark doom and gloom of yesterday’s visit to the dungeon like basilica built into the mountainside by Franco, the past dictator of Spain. Franco’s Church was built by his unnamed opponents and held mass graves. It was an austere, cold, dark tunnel that made me feel ashamed I had ever received a Catholic sacrament. Gaudi’s Church was airy and light with colors from sunrise to sunset. The people depicted all over the facades had faces of the workers who carved them. We visited the little building Gaudi had created for the workers’ children. Though unfinished, this cathedral exudes hope, love, inclusivity, and creativity. While it may not have renewed my faith specifically in the Catholic Church, it renewed my faith in a higher power found in nature and the brilliant creations of human kind. I could feel a palpable happiness among the group as everyone snapped pictures of the rainbow of light cast across us – the curves of the balconies wrapping us in a hug. I must come back in 2026 to see the final product and what spin future artists will place on Gaudi’s original design. Today was truly a gift. I could go on about the other joys of Barcelona I experienced today, but I must rest for another full day of what Spain has in store for us.