Its our third day in Barcelona and we were up early as usual. Today’s plans include visiting the Sagrada Familia. After coffee in the apartment, I went across the street to the coffee shop for an americano and ham and cheese croissant.
It was incredibly flaky and both came to a grand total of 2.20 euros.
Around 8 am we left the apartment to head to the metro about 1 1/2 blocks away.
Barcelona Metro
We bought the 10 ride multi person pass at the ticket machine for 10 euros.
There’s an option to change languages with multiple available including English.
We figured out how to get through it and found the right track.
Despite an announcement that there could be delays due to a work slowdown the train arrived within a few minutes.
After three stops, we were at the Sagrada Familia stop.
Coming up, we turned to orient ourselves and in front of us was an amazing sight!
I didn’t realize how big this church is until standing in front of it. Wow!
Starbucks
One of the reasons we headed out early was to go to the nearby Starbucks for mugs (the other was in case we got lost). We navigated there after figuring out which way was the right one.
My brother and I purchased mugs (Barcelona and Spain) for our collections and then those that missed breakfast had some with coffee.
I was astounded at the wonderful desserts at this Starbucks.
My husband would have loved the carrot cake, donuts and cheesecakes — all favorites.
La Sagrada Familia
I bought tickets for La Sagrada Familia two months before our trip and had my pick of times and dates. The price was 22 euros. My sisters elected to skip it and instead did sightseeing in the neighborhood.
Sagrada Familia was designed by the famous Spanish architect, who is from Catalan, Antoni Gaudi. It has been under construction since 1882 (yes you read that right) and is scheduled to be completed in 2026.
The Passion Facade
Our tour time was 9:15 am so we first took photos of the exterior before going to the entrance. The entrance facing Starbucks is the doorway of the passion.
The scenes portrayed on this facade have three levels. This is the third one depicting the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.
The next few photos were taken from right in front of the passion facade.
You can feel the emotion in each scene despite, or maybe because of, the austerity.
Here is the Kiss of Judas.
The Nativity Facade
We had tickets for the audio tour with entrance so headed to the Nativity Facade where the entrance gates are located. We had a brief wait before being admitted. The line for those without tickets was already busy so I highly suggest getting them in advance.
We had to show our tickets to get into the entrance line. Then it was scanned when we got to the front and our bags searched. I then got into a short line for the audio guides; they were smart and only let one person per group get in that line so it moved fast. Fortunately, I had my own earbuds in my purse because the ones given to us were too big for my canals.
The Nativity facade is very ornate and was the first to be completed.
It celebrates the birth of Jesus.
Sagrada Familia Interior
There are seven stops on the audio tour and the first two are of the Nativity Facade then you move into the interior for the next few stops.
Notice the colors on the columns from the light pouring in the stained glass windows on the sides of the interior. This was part of Gaudi’s master plan.
I found it interesting that there were windows from the main temple interior down to the crypt chapel; presumably for light.
There was a plan related to the colors of the stained glass windows.
The glory facade which is under construction will become the main entrance once complete. These doors represent brotherhood among all men.
Since we hadn’t bought a tower access ticket, it really took about 45 minutes to see it all. We skipped the gift shop (but did visit the restrooms where I was amazed at the assembly line fixture for soap, water and drying).
I highly recommend visiting sagrada familia to anyone visiting Barcelona. Next post will cover the rest of our day.
If you missed the other parts of the recap the links are below.
Next Vacation: Barcelona and Norwegian Epic
Barcelona Flights and Lodging Plans
Norwegian Epic: Port Call Plans
Traveling to Barcelona
Barcelona Day 1
Monserrat
Cava Winery Tour/Taste
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