Barcelona...Part Tres

On our third day in Barcelona we did the most touristy thing possible....we took a bus tour. Yep, a big red double decker bus full of camera holding tourists. We had been told by multiple people that it was the "only way to see it all".  I would say they were right! The tour allowed us to hop on and hop off at each stop and spend as much time exploring each sight as we wanted.  We got on the bus around 9:30 am and headed off to our first location.

First stop, La Sagrada Familia.  This church was designed by Antoni Gaudi, a famous Spanish architect/artist, and began construction in 1883. Sadly, in 1926 Gaudi was hit by a tram and passed away. At that time the project was only 15-20% complete.  It is still incomplete today and scheduled to be completed in 2026, the centennial of Gaudi's death. 

The structure is unlike any I have ever seen. It has 3 sides which are all very different. The Nativity Facade was the first completed and most "Gaudi influenced". The work is very intricate and detailed...almost like it was sculpted out of clay.  The west side is the Passion Facade and is very stark, simple and has sharp lines. The southern side has yet to be built and will be called the Glory Facade.

The Passion Facade

The Nativity Facade

Looks like the building was made of dripping wax

 When we got there the line was sooooo long it wrapped 2/3 of the way around the building. We decided seeing it from the outside was better than wasting the day standing in line to go inside. FYI you can apparently buy tickets online and bypass the masses. That would have been good to know!!

So we hopped back on the bus and made our way to the next stop....a hospital.  To be honest I was not excited to stop here.  I mean how exciting could a hospital tour be? Chad wanted to see it though and I am so glad we went. This may have been my favorite stop.  The buildings are currently undergoing restoration and they are still giving tours to raise funds.  We had to gear up in orange vests and hard hats since we were on a construction site.

Hot stuff!!!

Dont' I look thrilled : ) 

To give you a little background, the Hospital of the Holy Cross and Saint Paul was originally founded in 1401.  It was later moved and the current structures were built in 1901.  Until 2009 it served as a functioning hospital.  True to most of Barcelona's early architecture the buildings were amazing.  All of the surfaces/walls/ceilings are covered with hand painted ceramic tiles. This was apparently for cleanliness - so they could all be scrubbed from top to bottom.  If you had to be in a hospital at least this one was beautiful to look at. The hospital is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and will be restored just as it was but used for offices.

Front entrance to the hospital

Ceiling inside the hallway - all ceramic tiles

One of the operating rooms.  The windows were milk glass so you couldn't see inside.

Communal hospital room where 20 patient beds would have been

On site there was also an amazing Chapel. The front was very plain (all though it looked great to me) as apparently they ran out of money when they were building it. The ceiling was also unpainted/plain for the same reason.

Gorgeous stained glass windows and columns

Mosaic above the doors

One of the two pulpits

After the hospital we hopped back on the bus and headed to another Gaudi masterpiece, Park Guell.  This was a originally planned to be an upscale housing development with homes designed by Gaudi....however the idea didn't really catch on.  There were 60 lots planned out but only two homes were ever built, one of which was Gaudi's.  The park is high up in the hills and has a gorgeous view of Barcelona.

The main pavillion....it was busy!!

One of the houses

Mosaic ceiling

View of Barcelona from the pavillion

Little parrot friend : )

After Park Guell we were both hot and tired. In true American fashion we stopped at Hard Rock Cafe for lunch.  I know, I know, we were in Barcelona....whatever it was soooo good!!! 

 
 Phew....that was a long post. Our last 2 days in Barcelona we went back to the beach and shopping and I didn't take any pictures. We had a blast Barcelona but were ready to get back to cooler temps in Ireland!!