The second destination on my Europe travel itinerary was Barcelona, Spain.



We started off our first day with a plate of meat & bread at this little restaurant that offers the best meats tapas, El Tall Iberic. We stumbled upon this place the previous night (midnight to be exact) looking for our hotel & the friendly non-English speaking owner kindly directed us to our destination and in return we promised to return the next day & have lunch at his restaurant.

day





Gaudi's initial ambitions have been scaled down over the years, but the design for the completion of the building remains impressive.









We also did the tower tour in the Nativity Facade - which they transported you up via elevator & you get the walk around in these narrow, tiny corridors to explore & enjoy the view.









To exit, there is only one option: the Spiral Staircase which is consisted of 400 steep stone steps.









Last photos of this magnificent temple.





Having arrived super late the night before & woke up reallllllly late the nextafternoon & had a little too much meat as our first meal of the day, I wasn't in the mood for walking so we hailed a taxi & made our way to the Sagrada Familia.Sagrada Familia is Europe's most unconventional church.It is an emblem of a city that likes to think of itself as individualistic.It is Gaudi's greatest work -- crammed with symbolism inspired by nature and striving for originality.In 1883, a year after work had begun on a Neo-Gothic church on the site, the task of completing it was given to Gaudi who changed everything, extemporizing as he went along. It became his life's work and he lived like a recluse on the site for 16 years. He is buried in the crypt. At his death only one tower on the Nativity facade had been completed, but work resumed after the Civil War and several more have since been finished to his original plans. Work continues today, financed by public subscription & its completion date is projected to be in 2026 or 2028.Nativity Facade tower is the most complete part of Gaudi's church, finished in 1904, has doorways which represent Faith, Hope & Charity. Scenes of the Nativity and Christ's childhood are embellished with symbolism, such as doves representing the congregation.And the view is majestic & rewarding.We were famished by the time we left the temple but no worries. Turkish food solved all the problem.I would love to visit Sagrada Familia again in 2030 - hopefully it will be fully completed by then.In the mean time, it is still worth a visit if you're visiting Barcelona.