Hola amigos! The time has finally come for me to explain to you about all of the beautiful and jaw-dropping places that I had the chance to visit here in Barcelona, Spain. Let's start with the most exciting, being Park Güell. This park was designed by Antoni Gaudí that was built between the years 1900 - 1914. It was actually inspired by the English Garden City Movement and to be part of a commercial housing site. Sadly, only two houses were built (as you can see in the pictures provided) but neither one of them were actually built by Gaudí. 
This (rather large) beautiful piece of work is titled "el drac" meaning "the dragon" being a multicolored salamander sitting at the entrance to the park. You have to be quite agile to score a picture with it because so many people are wanting to get pictures with it! This turned out pretty well, in addition to having about 30 people taking the same picture with you in it (if you don't mind). Around the park, is more designs and pieces of work similar to el drac, but rather, benches and pathways to explore with hidden gems within each corner. As touristy as the area was, it was quite nice, quiet, peaceful, and fun as children and other tourists from around the world were in awe of the majesty that Antoni Gaudí did. Okay, enough of me yappin' about this, here are some more pictures!
Moving on to another beautiful piece of work that is still in the process of being completed is Gaudí's Sagrada Família. Otherwise known as "Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família" in Catalan, it is said from different sources that this may be completed in 15 to 40 years, or maybe even never be finished. However, regardless of when it may be finished, at the state of where it is now in the construction, it's so ridiculously beautiful and unique, it's hard to explain in one word, so I'll just show you in pictures and attempt to tell you what I know about it.
The construction of the Sagrada Família started roughly in 1882, but Gaudí became involved about a year later. He literally dedicated his life into working onto this project, until he passed away in 1926 when he passed away and only less than a quarter of it was completed. Gaudí has been known to have said "My client is not in a hurry," considering the lengthy time for the construction. That is in a nutshell the history behind this building. According to Gaudí's blueprints, there are to be a total of 18 Spires, that are to represent the 12 Apostles, the four Evangelists, the Virgin Mary, and Jesus Christ (standing as the tallest). After the spires are completed, this will become the tallest church building in the world!
There are 3 facades: The Nativity, The Passion, and The Glory.
- The Nativity Facade (First Picture)
- This was the first facade to be completed. This side was dedicated to Jesus's birth using scenes from his lifetime. For example, there are two pillars that stand at this entrance with a turtle under one and a tortoise under the other, one representing the land, the other representing the sea, being symbols of time of something set in stone and unchangeable. The facade faces NE with the rising sun, symbolizing the birth of Jesus Christ. (Do not mind the woman, as she decided to be in every single one of my pictures and didn't mind at all, so now she will become famous). We will call her, "Miss Lady."
- The Passion Facade (Second Picture)
- This was dedicated to The Passion of Christ, being his crucifixion and suffering of Jesus. This side actually faces the sun, symbolizing the death of Jesus. Each of the four towers on this side is dedicated to an apostle (James, Thomas, Philip, and Bartholomew). There are essentially three levels to this facade. The lowest level is a scene of Jesus's last night before his crucifixion including the last supper. The middle level dictates a hollow-face illusion of Christ. And the final level includes his death and resurrection. I wish I could have gotten a better picture of it, but I couldn't...sorry.
- The Glory Facade (Third Picture)
- The construction of this facade has only just begun in 2002. This is dedicated to the Celestial Glory of Jesus. In other words, it represents the road to God: Death, Final Judgement, and Glory. Gaudí only made a quick sketch of what Hell is supposed to be like. Let's give it up for Miss Lady. A round of applause, please?
Although there is so much more to Barcelona that I wish I could tell you about, I'll post my pictures and set up a link to the information on the sites through Wiki. Adios! Next stop: POLAND!
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