Sagrada Família

We had been to Sagrada Família I think twice before we actually got in. A lot of guidebooks don't recommend paying to get in, but it was amazing to see the construction of what is really the last Gothic cathedral, as I remembered the David Macaulay books of my childhood. While we were in there, I kept wondering how the construction workers felt about working there, if they were proud to be involved in such a project or not...

The Passion Façade, by still-alive sculptor Subirachs.

I loved this, I thought it hit the nail on the head. On the doors are the passion narratives of the gospels in relief, with important phrases in even deeper relief + in gold. This one says, "and what is the truth?" Even taken out of context, it's good.

We had a lot of time to enjoy the interior, because we had to wait a long time for the elevator to go up. By the time we got down, it didn't matter that we were kind of herded through the rest, and it is all still a working construction site. Because of how many people come through every year, it should be done by 2030, or when I'm in my mid-forties. I think I'll have to return to Barcelona at least to see this finished.

This is up in the towers (or spires?) above the Passion façade. This guy was doing electrical work using climing gear and with a drill tied to his leg -- and it's a long way down.

For whatever reason, Mum got all Freudian on me and could not get over the phallic shape of the Torre Agbar, which was recently featured at MoMA. I don't see it.
I put this photo here, because the building is visible from Sagrada Família and I took it from there. We didn't go visit it specifically, although I think I would on a future visit.

Note that the stairs down only have a railing on one side,
and that the stairs are attached to the wall, not the center. A terrifying innovation.

Another example of a spiral staircase in Sagrada Família. I'm not sure, but I know that for example in Casa Battló, the spiral staircases were not actually circular, I don't know about these ones. Also, it's reminiscent of this spiral staircase in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The Nativity Façade,
which was completed during Gaudí's lifetime

The Tallers, or Workshops.
This building was so fascinating to me, because both the walls and the ceilings undulate in every direction, yet it's so simple and based on nature. I keep saying that, but it amazed me every time.