Kader's Travel Blog: 07/10/18

Tuesday, July 10, 2018

Barcelona Day III: Sagrada Família

Now that my talk is over, my mission is to attend some talks and explore Barcelona... this has to be done in a balanced way until the conference is over and then it will be all fun and exploring the rest of Spain and more...

I overslept today due to all the fatigue and jet-lag but I managed to catch few talks before lunch and one after lunch... at around 3 pm a friend of mine and I decided to go explore one of Gaudí’s master pieces and iconic landmark of Barcelona: Sagrada Família!! We bought our tickets at the hotel and then took a cab there. Once in front of it, I was speechless.. what a master piece indeed.. amazing architecture, amazing details and the project is still ongoing for nearly a 100 years! The plan is to finish it by the hundred year anniversary of Gaudi’s death, 2026!! However judging the amount of work left I have serious doubt it will be done by then... we may be looking at 2126 given the massive plan...

After a guided tour of Sagrada Familia, we left and went to visit another famous landmark, the hospital nearby ... what a structure again... beautiful! We did not go inside as we did not have tickets nor time. We walked on a beautiful street full of bakeries and we couldn’t help it but stop for a coffee and pastry! We are on vacation after all the calories are easy to burn as I walk a lot...

After the coffee break we headed to Rambla or the Champs Elysées of Barcelona as they say. I thought the street was close enough to that analogy so I am ok with that, but I am sure the French will object to that... they always do, they have the best of everything including “french fries”! We walked and walked and took pictures of other Gaudí houses and just enjoyed the beautiful festive atmosphere of a Barcelona evening... we eventually ended on the water edge at some marina with lots of boats ... we decided that was a good place for an all seafood dinner and so we did.... we sat outside on the patio and there was a gentle breeze that cooled the air ... what a setting I thought just what the doctor prescribed for a true Mediterranean diet!! I can get used to this life style ... I bet anyone can too... this is the Mediterranean life style I grew up in and I surely woukd love to go back too..

After dinner, we took a cab back to the hotel... it was 10 pm when I got back to my room... I was tired for sure ...

Enjoy the pics...