Barcelona is a city blanketed in mosaic work by Antoni Gaudi. The English word “gaudy” comes from his name and is synonymous with tastelessness/tacky. However, visiting Barcelona is a magical experience. The entire city’s architecture is not all straight lines and metal and glass. It is filled with curves and color and flow! It’s gorgeous and delightful to experience.
The photo at the top of my blog landing page is from Parque Güell, a huge park in the city with winding walkways, miles and miles of unique mosaics placed into curved sculptured walls and benches, and eye-candy as far as the eye can see. It genuinely feels like full self-emersion into a Dr. Suess movie.
Of Gaudi’s seven buildings in Barcelona, none is more stunning than the La Sagrada Familia. Construction in this temple began 140 years ago, and continues to this day. It is the most unique, stunning building I may have ever seen. Plan to spend hours there, climb up into the spires and walkways, see the top exterior of the temple, then sit and bath in the light through the multitude of stained-glass windows. There are no words to accurately capture the experience, although photos help.
Whereas in the other cities I’ve traveled to, the stunning mosaics are located within buildings, in Barcelona, these mosaics are on the outside of loads of buildings for everyone to view every day. This is a city of radical self-expression. It is exquisite to experience!
