Known for La Sagrada Familia and its Catalonian history, the second-largest city in Spain is a must-see.
The first tour of our Barcelona trip was spent in the Gothic Quarter. We learned about the history of Gothic architecture and some hidden aspects that many people might miss without prior knowledge.
An example of an aspect that one might miss is this "salida" sign, which means "exit." Because many people did not know how to read, this exit sign depicts a man and his horse, his arm pointed in the direction of the exit. In the 13th century, the streets were built very narrow, so people traveled by horse.
Above this door, you can see red letters that look almost like graffiti. This is a tradition in which recently graduated students would sign their name on a wall, often on their own home. While walking around the rest of the Gothic Quarter, I began to notice this on other walls.
On the side entrance of Barcelona City Hall, you may notice that the arch of the door is different on the right side than on the left. This is because it was cut off and reconfigured to make way for a new entrance. Essentially, they did a copy-and-paste, adding it back as if it had always been there.
At the center of the Gothic Quarter, you will find Saint James Square, the center of local political power. Overall, this tour was very eye-opening and taught me a lot about Spanish history. I believe it is necessary in order to fully understand the city.
The next morning, we went on a guided tour of La Sagrada Familia. I was excited to see this church that I had heard about many times before. In my opinion, pictures online do not do it justice. Everyone should see it in person.
As I approached La Sagrada Familia for the first time, I let out an audible "whoa." Even though I had heard so much about it and seen many pictures, I was still not prepared for how breathtaking it was.
Each of the 18 towers has its own topper, each with a unique significance. The four red ones represent Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The most significant topper, representing Jesus Christ, was finished in February of this year, making it the tallest church tower in the world.
Another feature of the exterior is this fruit decoration. I learned that it represents fruit that was locally grown at the time.
You will see many sculptures around the inside and outside of the church that were modeled after real people. These ones, specifically, are both depictions of Jesus.
The interior features of the church were meticulously planned out by Antoni Gaudí before his death in 1926. The feature I found most mesmerizing was the stained glass. On one side, the wall has variations of red and orange glass; on the other, variations of blue and green. This design is mapped from east to west, representing the sun, the seasons, and the cycle of life.
The stained glass creates a beautiful reflection of light inside the church, producing this rainbow effect.
After our tour and after learning so much about Antoni Gaudí, we went to see some of his other works. Casa Batlló and Casa Milà are marvelous and uniquely creative examples of his architecture.
I learned so much about Barcelona on this trip and ended up liking it more than I originally thought I would!