My ipad travel blog: Barcelona Good Friday, 2016 part two

People keep asking me what were the highlights of my trip and it really was such a wonderful trip I find this very difficult, but visiting Sagrada Familia was a fascinating experience.

One associates Barcelona with Gaudi but I can't say I really knew much about him but visiting this basilica fills you with awe. He definitely was a creative genius. This link shows you his famous buildings in Barcelona. If I had had more time I would have spent more time checking out all his work. But I was lucky to be able to explore inside this basilica.

My first glance…We were all trying to get a good shot but somehow...

The detail is amazing…Construction began in 1883 and the basilica is supposed to be finished in 2016. Initially it was funded only by donations so construction went very slowly but once construction was sufficiently to have tours these tours started funding construction and things went much more quickly. There are something like 3 million visitors a year and it is becoming the most visited site in Spain.

Gaudi died in 1926 but his plans have been carried forth by others obviously. Gaudi believed that his client, God, was in no hurry so probably wouldn't be upset at all that it is not yet finished.

The front of the basilica shows the birth and early life of Christ.

How do you like this turtle as a pedestal?

Inside is simply amazing!

Gaudi was inspired by nature so that is columns were like trunks of trees moving into branches, leaves etc.

Imagine workmen spending all their days working on high currently!

The light, the delicacy, the strength...

Magnificent...

Moving outside again

To the Passion Facade where the spires were designed by Gaudi and quite faithfully executed in 1976

but lower part only inspired by Gaudi but designed by Josep Maria Subirachs and completed in 2005. Rather stark but Gaudi wanted it to be grim.

I was fascinated by this school that Gaudi built for the workers' children from scrap material.

A final look at the basilica...

At this point we returned to our hotel-below was from the roof top where the pool was (too windy and cool to inspire me for a swim.

We ended up in the lounge.

That evening we had our final outing with the tour group at a lovely restaurant on the water not too far from our hotel. I think we were all a bit sad to see the end of the tour although many of us were doing a bit more travelling. It really was a nice group of people with an excellent tour director sharing some wonderful experiences. I took some terrible pictures of my fellow travellers but I will resist posting those here!

We convinced our talented Lola, who had been a jazz singer for twenty years before becoming a tour director, to give us a bit of a concert on our bus ride back to the hotel. Such talented lady in many ways!!!