Magnificent Sagrada Familia, still in the process of being built, is an exuberant testament to the genius of Gaudi.
See also Inner Barcelona & Outer Barcelona
Gaudi's most incredible creation is undoubtedly La Sagrada Familia to which he devoted his time exclusively in the final 43 years of his life. Work still continues to complete this monumental building which has already taken over a century to reach its current state.
The interior was a building site on our first visit but looking magnificent in 2014. It is large enough to hold many hundreds of choristers and even greater numbers in the congregation.
We climbed the interior of some of the spires to get a closer look at their ceramic mosaic detail. There are walkways between the spires which are not for the faint-hearted!
When floodlit at night it is even more atmospheric. We went to see it in 1999 but not sure how safe it is now, the city has acquired a very bad reputation for pickpockets.
When we returned in 2014 huge progress had been made. The interior was completely roofed over, beautiful stained glass was in place as well as wonderful architectural elements, unmistakably Gaudi.
The melancholy figures on the Passion facade are altogether more angular and dramatic than the more conventional figures of the Nativity facade.
The Passion Facade is supported by strong, angled columns which seem to shoot out of the ground.
The interior is just stunning - a kaleidoscope of colour and striking architectural detail.
Climbing the towers gets you close to some of the colourful exterior elements, a lot of scaffolding and extensive views over the city.
Still a work in progress it will take many more years to complete.
