An Eventful Weekend in Barcelona

Barcelona is one of those cities where every time you visit, you can do something new. This past weekend I visited this Catalonia city for the second time with four of my friends: Emma, Eliza, Erin, and Riley. We had a great trip.

The weekend kicked off (literally) with all of us attending a FC Barcelona soccer match. Even though Barca lost, we enjoyed watching some of the big-name players like Messi, Neymar, Piqué, and Luis Suarez play. Personally, as an avid soccer fan, going to the game was a dream come true. :)

 

 

 

 

 

Barcelona is also home to some of the famous architecture and artwork created Antoni Gaudí. Two of his most well known masterpieces in the city are the Sagrada Familia and Park Güell. We got to visit them both.

Gaudí took over the Sagrada Familia project in 1883, but died in 1926 before it was finished. Actually the church is still in construction, and will not be finished until 2026. (100 years after Gaudí’s death). However, today it looks totally different from when he last saw it. Four towering steeples stand high above the city rooftops, and two gigantic facades on each side of the building tell the story of Christ’s life (The Nativity and Christ dying on the cross).

 

 

The inside of the church is just as stunning as the outside. When Gaudí was designing the church, he intended to incorporate nature into the structure. He accomplished this in a number of ways. As the sun shown through the glass-stained windows, it filled the church with colorful light and a peaceful presence. Plus, all of the columns inside the church did not just go straight up, the architect made supports to attach to them which resemble trees.

Park Güell is the other famous piece of architecture that Gaudí designed. Originally made as a place for the rich to live, it has now changed into a park. Situated on Carmel Hill, there is a beautiful view of the city and the Mediterranean Sea below.

 

All of these places and activities were really cool, but I think the most enjoyable and memorable thing that the five of us did last weekend was waking up early, and going to the beach to see the sun rise over the Mediterranean. It was gorgeous to see the sun come up over the horizon and shine over the water, sand, and the tops of the buildings.