La Sagrada Família
Our story embodied in stone
It’s perhaps one of the more iconic views in Barcelona. You can see it from the plane flying into the airport, the spires towering over the rest of the city skyline. From the narrow alleyways of Gràcia to the wide Avenue Diagonal, you’re treated to various aspects and presentations of the chiseled stone exterior. It is distinctly representative of Barcelona’s presence in the world by choice or by luck.
On our first day here, we couldn’t procure tickets to get inside based on what seemed to be an abnormally large volume of off-season tourists from many different nations clamouring to get inside. As such, we had to relegate ourselves to the perimeter, the Plaça de la Sagrada Família on one side and the Plaça de Gaudí on the other. In between, there was the cheeky establishment of American food chains: McDonald’s, Five Guys, Taco Bell, and KFC, a gross offset to the sanctity of this temple and sacred space.
There’s the scaffolding and nets to consider, too. The surrounding streets of the church are cordoned off by steel and rivets if only to prevent humanity from spilling over into the art being crafted in real time. You can catch glimpses through the carefully placed channels and seams, but it’s almost an afterthought because, as you are probably aware, the natural beauty lies within.
