We took a quick trip to Barcelona – literally 24 hours – before heading to Paris. We definitely needed a little more time to see the city, but I think we fit a lot in.
We stayed at an AirBNB for the 1 night we were there. I decided we didn’t need a kitchen, and went for a “private room” listing instead. I was super nervous about it, because we would be staying with the hosts and possibly another couple. but it worked out really well.
Click here for the listing.
The apartment was built in the 1860s and has amazing floors and ceilings. It was in the perfect location – right off Las Ramblas and next to the Gothic District.
The couple we stayed with was great – they told us where to eat dinner and helped us order skip-the-line tickets for La Sagrada Familia. We would have missed out on a lot without their direction.
We walked a lot this day. We were just exploring and trying to miss the rain – which we did.
When we went back to the apartment before dinner, our hosts recommended La Sagrada Familia as something we NEEDED to see while in Barcelona. We had walked past it, but didn’t want to wait in the line to get inside. We were able to get tickets for the next morning – and it was amazing!!
Walking around before dinner near the coast
Sitting down because we had walked around 10 miles that day…
Ice cream! and Eric had ice cream on a waffle! So yummy!!
The next morning we walked to La Sagrada Familia and it was perfect timing for the sun to be shining through the stained glass…
Obviously, it’s still under construction. We loved seeing a cathedral in process – we can only imagine what other great/ancient cathedrals looked like while being built, but we appreciate all of it so much more when it’s being built in front of us.
Like all modern art and architecture, everything in the cathedral has a meaning. And if you don’t know what everything means, then you might think it just looks strange. Going through the museum was really educational.
This is a tiny model of what the cathedral will look like finished.
Many of the models and sculptures were destroyed in the Spanish Civil War. In the Gaudi Museum, they have a special workshop to rebuild everything.
A much larger model of sanctuary with the tree-like columns.
And outside the Cathedral, there was a pretty little park 🙂
And that was our trip to Barcelona. I probably should have taken a few more photos, but it was such a short trip. Hoping to go back someday!
I absolutely love Sagrada Familia! I’m so glad you managed to get inside too, and the light coming through the windows looks stunning!