Monday, May 13 -- Day 2

**Monday we got up ready for a grande' dia in Barcelona... and boy was it a big day.  

After a nice 7 am wake up call we all sat down for a lovely breakfast and then packed in the coach for a nice drive to Barcelona.  The coach ride was a beautiful scenic view of open poppy fields and shots of old abandoned homes.  Gorgeous doesn't begin to describe the sights we were given along the commute to Barcelona.  What's even better than the scenic drive? Well, that would be our first stop of course.  Today was a filled with a series of work from the famous architect, Antoni Gaudi.  He's known for his whimsical and fantastical design principles.  He takes inspiration from nature and everything around him.

*First Stop - La Sagrada Familia

-Here's your history lesson folks...

La Sagrada Familia is a Roman Catholic church in Barcelona that was designed by Anotoni Gaudi.  The project began in 1882 and in 1883 Gaudi took over it construction.  By the time he passed away in 1926, less than a quarter of the church had been completed and the project was placed in the hands of Domenec Sugranes i Gras.  Gaudi was later buried inside La Sagrada Familia.  Progress was slowed in the 1930's due to the Spanish Civil War, But picked back up around 1950.  Since then, the have been many architects that have worked together to complete the church.

In November 2010, it was named a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XVI.  At this time, only a little over half of La Sagrada Familia has been completed.  The church is expected to be finished around 2026 - 2028, which will mark 100 years since Gaudi's death.  There has been a lot of controversy over completion of the project in Barcelona.  Many think that it may not exactly follow the original design or that it may compete with Barcelona's cathedral.  There is also an underground train system that could possibley compromise the stability of the church.

Ok!  So I know that was a bit crazy on the thick history but I am so passionate about this cathedral I felt it necessary to divulge this great information.  The pictures really capture the incredible scope of this space. 

-After the cathedral we strolled over to another one of Gaudi's amazing sites.  This time it was an open public space park, complete with mosaic furnishings and amazing vistas.  The crowds seemed to swarm the space offering  a deep appreciation for the site as well as "FREE HUGS."  Yes, that's right, free hugs... in the open quarters the youth held up signs for free hugs and lucky of our very own Seth Campbell, he definitely landed a good one!

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-This was a very busy day for us... so much to see in one day and we didn't slow down for a minute!  We kept moving along through a plethora of city views and monuments that left us 'ooooing and aweing' the whole day.   What a fantastic first day ... I can't wait to see what the rest of the trip has in store.  

signing off...