Spain (Barcelona)

Barcelona is an amazing city not only for the views but the interesting history and culture so deeply held by those who live there. I did not realize that Barcelona was in an area known as Catalonia that spoke Catalan which is an interesting mix between Spanish, Italian, and French. The catalonian people have a strong sense of culture/tradition and many wish and believe that they should be an independent country. Not only is there language unique but they also have some interesting traditions including erecting human towers known as a castell. A strange and dangerous activity where teams across the catalan region compete during a festival held in September by stacking people on top of each other's shoulders to see how high they can get and the top is capped by a brave young boy or girl around the age of 9-10. Oh, did I mention there are no mats/pads/safety equipment. Only recently have people conceded to allow the child to wear a helmet after accidents and fatalities. 

Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) we did not see any teams practice at the time, but it's crazy to think this is allowed today especially since some of these human structures get up 10 stories tall! I can't imagine this being allowed in the US or the criticism that the child's parent would receive putting their child at risk. But here its a proud and honorary tradition that the people deeply hold onto. 

We learned that the revitalization in the city started during the '92 Olympic bid which cleaned the city up, added parks and a beautiful man-made beach. Even though Barcelona is filled with beautiful gothic cathedrals and building, what makes it unique is the current development that will no doubt be a significant part of their future history.

 

First and foremost being the Sagrada Familia, a cathedral designed by Gaudi in the early 20th century and is still being completed today after his untimely death. Amazingly unique in its design and construction, a must see for anyone in the area. It is definitely rare to see "new" construction using more traditional materials such as stone. The sunlight penetrating through the glass produce beautiful and vibrant colors. Not your typical stained glass but then again nothing in the cathedral is typical.

 

Unlike the outside, the inside, for lack of the better word is neat. Long straight lines draw your vision up towards the massive interior space and up towards the ceiling canopy. While other many traditional gothic churches impress with commissioned paintings, mosaics, or sculptures by famous artists of the time; the Sagrada Familia has a lot of elements mimicking nature.

 

Gaudi's design seems to focus on nature, God's handiwork and design, rather than lift up any mere mortals talents. Don't get me wrong the frescos, alter pieces, and other art work of famous artists are amazing. However, looking at most cathedrals I'm enamored by the detail work of the artist or sculpture, but wandering around the Sagrada Familia, I thought "isn't nature/sunlight amazing!"

For breathtaking views, a hike up through Park Guell is a must to see 360° views of the entire city. Definitely a hike but we'll worth it, luckily Tricia and I happened to stumble on a set of 4-5 escalators on the west side of the park that took us about 2/3rds of the way to the top. I was very pleasantly surprised that Barcelona became one of my favorite cities of the trip and hope to be able to come back after the Sagrada Familia is finished and to see some Castells in person!