Day 2 - Barcelona: City of Gaudi, City of Color

Oct. 7 - 

We met my friend Aida for breakfast. Aida and I met five years ago when we were both living in Zaragoza. She is a lovely Russian woman who I befriended in my Spanish class. She and her husband relocated a few years ago to Barcelona, where Aida has been studying directing and making films.

We breakfasted at an outdoor "terraza" cafe, which are ubiquitous in Spain, and I can't get enough of them when the weather is nice.  It was great to catch up with an old friend.

Later in the morning, we visited the "Temple de la Sagrada Familia" (Temple of the Sacred Family). It is the world's only 20th century cathedral still under construction. It was designed by the architect Gaudi, whose work had a profound influence on the flavor of Barcelona. I call him the Dr. Seuss architect, because his designs have a certain whimsy and lots of color.

Looking up at the ceiling of the cathedral, the sunbursts remind me of daisies:

This sentence "I que es la veritat?" (Catalan for "And what is the truth?") comes leaping off the three dimensionally inscribed door of the cathedral:

The three wise men (one of many scenes sculpted on the outside of the cathedral):

In the afternoon, we visited Parc Guell, also designed by Gaudi:

The park is known for its bright and colorful mosaic work:

From this upper part of the park, you can see the city of Barcelona all the way out to the Mediterranean:
Parc Guell is a total treasure. I got to go there with my mom and stepdad, John, back in 2003, and it was a joy to be there again with Hubs five years later!